I know this topic is a bit of a stretch to file under pizza accessories, but, this is serious. I like tongs and I think the reason I like them is that by pure chance I bought the right type first. Had I bought the wrong type first I probably would not like tongs at all. In fact, I probably would have avoided using them and then when I finally got sick of them jamming up the utensil drawer I would have pitched them in the garbage, and I did just that to a couple sets of the wrong type a few days ago.
If you know what I'm talking about then none of this will be news to you. If you aren't sure, let me elaborate.
I've owned two types of tongs which at a cursory glance seem the same though they most assuredly are not. As I mentioned above, one type (which I bought before the other) is the "good type". They are a pleasure to use. Almost an extension of the arm/hand. You reach for them without hesitation. They cooperate. They assist. They facilitate. They do not complain and they do not hinder. They are such a joy to use that they make you go out and buy a couple more sets of different lengths under the assumption that all tongs surely must be the same, right?
Wrong. The second type of tong, the bad type, just sucks. It's combative. It would much rather be open than closed. It pinches flesh. It drops food. It jams drawers. It infuriates.
The difference is simple to explain, once I took the time to investigate:
The bad type has a coil spring and the good type has, well, not a spring but a strip of metal that acts as a spring. Interestingly, this good type of tongs is stamped "Crestware HDT-12". The
Crestware website (which is horrendous) has a pdf catalog and if you find the HDT12 under stainless steel tongs, there's a note on the side that says "All have coil springs." So it appears I lucked out and older models used a metal strip at the hinge point instead of a coil spring.
I don't have a good pic of the bad type with the coil spring, but you probably can picture what I'm talking about. Avoid.
