Gear Review: Lifesystems Tick Tweezers

I’ve been using the Lifesystems tick tweezers for years now and decided it warranted a little write-up to share my thoughts. There are a lot of tick removers on the market ranging from little aluminum key fobs that fit on your keychain, to full fledged tweezers. Ultimately you want something that can safely remove these little pests that crave your blood while remaining easy to use. The key to removal is to have a secure grip on the tick as they hold on for all they are worth. Make sure you are grabbing the head as it easily stays behind if you’re just tugging on the body, leaving the tick to regurgitate all sorts of nasty stuff into your system.

The Lifesystems tick tweezers are similar to a regular pair of tweezers (they measure 60 x 10mm and weight 18g) however the pointy tip has a nice little curve that fits under a burrowed tick’s body allowing you to pull it safely out. Over the years I’ve pulled countless ticks out of me with these tweezers without failure.

They are made from stainless steel although they have become slightly thinner over the years. I prefer the feel of the older, thicker steel version, but they both grab ticks just as well. The newer version now comes with a hard plastic carrying case which is tremendously better to the soft material sewn case of yesteryear. It really protects the tweezers and does a great job of preventing them from being bent or crushed.

Ticks have never been so prevalent in Canada but now that they march further and further north each year thanks to climate change, being tick-wise and having something to remove them is a necessity now. I highly recommend these tweezers which are easy to use and give me the confidence that I’ll have a successful removal. At only $10, I have one of these in numerous spots… one in my day pack, one in my camping pack, and one in each vehicle glovebox. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use them, but if you do… you’ll be prepared.