Tools of Destruction: Recommended tool usage + A&E edition!

This guide is for describing all the usages of the many tools Nigel can use for surgery. Please post additional usages of all the items avaliable to share the medical negligence :D

Standard surgical tools

These tools *should* be avaliable in most missions for you to use.

The circular saw
Use this to cut open the ribs in heart/kidney surgery and the skull in the brain surgery. It also works for slicing hearts open, etc, but it really isn't useful for that purpose due to the large amount of damage it causes to poor Bob. However, only ungodly use of the laser beats this when it comes to cutting bone. This thing is GREAT!

The bonesaw
You can use this to 'saw' bone, but it isn't the most accurate tool to use. However, it is useful for cutting the Cubed Trangifier to avoid electrocution or a replacement for the circular saw. Note this is the only standard surgery tool present in the TF2 level.

The radio
This can be potentially used to smash ribs open. Other than that it's useless. However, it's one advantage over other tools, is that it is the ONLY tool that is avaliable to you at the very start of corridor. If you happen to be a radio whisperer of sorts, this could be useful for speedruns.

The plastic bottle/ coffee cup
Does nothing other than making a unique sound effect when you attempt to bludgeon your patient with it. How boring. Or, if you're looking for something to smash the eyes out on Eye Transplant, grab that mug and get bashing.

The syringes
These are both very useful. The green syringe will lower the patient's blood loss rate (at a minor expense of blood). It will also cause you to hallucinate if you accidentally inject yourself with it. The blue one has the opposite effect, curing you of hallucinations and raising the patient's blood loss rate, as well as damaging him. Green for patient, Blue for you. Also used for eye impaling.

The hammer
This can be used to smash the ribs open easier than most things. Just don't miss with it, it really hurts. I HIGHLY reccomend this for speedruns.

The drill
This is by far, the best weapon for killing your patient quickly. Want the 'what have I done?!' achievement? Go to the brain surgery mission, grab the drill and shove it into the skull. It can destroy ribs nicely, at the cost of 75% of all your patient's blood... If you're messing about, this should be your first go-to tool to use. If you need to actually beat the operation so you can unlock the others? DO NOT USE THE DRILL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Oh, I guess the drill redeemed itself. In A&E edition, it's a good tool for removing teeth. Still hard to use, and still a deathtrap. I'm surprised this thing doesn't somehow explode every single time I pick it up, considering how much damage it does anyway.

The scalpels
These are very useful. While each and every one is unique and designed for a specific purpose, it's just best to grab a random one and stab the appropriate places with it. You can also stick it into a nearby plug socket and electrocute yourself, if you need to do that. Or you could use them for eye impaling! YAY!

The miscellaneous stuff
These are utterly useless. Same goes for the pill box. Feel free to knock them onto the floor at the start, unless it has some replacement round things eyes inside.

The glass beakers
These will shatter upon breaking and will cause your patient to bleed severely if the shards cut them. Mostly harmless otherwise.

The forceps/scissors
These can serve as a replacement for the scalpels. The difference is that these are longer and more unwieldy, therefore being more fun to use and/or abuse. They're also useful for impaling the replacement eyes in A&E edition.

The Tomahawk
I know it's technically called the surgical axe, but the Tomahawk sounds cooler. This was designed for slicing off the brain. It's just generally a more dangerous and sharper version of the hammer.

The laser
This weapon is very odd. For one, it doesn't move at all until you grab it, no matter what. (Note: This was changed in A&E. In A&E, the laser only retains this property while untouched in it's correct holder. In other circumstances, like the space level, it now operates like a normal physics object. Still keeping the original text, because I don't think it's dynamics have been changed in the standard version, though.) Second, the patient will lose no blood as long as the laser is slicing bone, allowing for potentially bloodless operations. Thirdly, it's ranged. If you're precise enough to use this well, it's a one way ticket to A++ ratings. Everyone else, fear it lest the laser devours your ratings. If you're insane enough to try using it, heed these words: The off button's the big red one on the laser device. That should stop the laser from decapitating anyone while you're working. Oh yeah, and it is indeed capable of destroying both bone and things that would normally require sharp objects.

The kidney scalpel
Designed for slicing kidneys. Other than that, it's really just another scalpel for you to slice with.

The hair removal device
This can remove Bob's eyebrows or Señor's mustache. No blood loss into the bargain, either! I just do it to annoy Bob and Señor.

The pencil
Use this in the eye surgery. Jam the pencil into Bob's eye, and pull. That should be enough to tug it slightly further out of it's socket. That, and it doesn't even cause blood loss! HURRAH!

Miscellaneous dentistry tools
These should be in every teeth transplant you do. When you want a low blood loss record or want to beat the surgery without removing any healthy teeth, these are the tools you should be using. Note the tweezers, too. These tweezers allow you to pick up teeth easily and slot them into your patient's mouth.

The wimp's dentist's hammer
This is a great tool for removing teeth. If you're speedrunning the teeth transplant, use this wonder. Of course, for everything else, nothing beats the standard hammer. According to a 1988 Britannia disk, you can smack Bob on the ears with this to get his eyes out, but this works no matter what item you use, including your own fist.

The TF2 Weapons

These weapons are exclusive to the TF2 level. These tools are MOST unorthodox, but still fun to use.

The nuke
This is a decent enough tool for smashing apart the ribs. You may notice this is a pattern with many of these weapons. Whatever the case, bashing your patient with one of these is always a good idea!

The wrench
In my opinion, this is the best blunt weapon in Surgeon Simulator. One clean hit with this can totally remove the ribs entirely, seperating it into a single, clean chunk. Easily the first thing you should be picking up in this operation. Just the right size and length for the job!

The doohickey
This isn't useful for removing organs in any way, but is nescessary to perform the Uber Transplant. Stab it into the mega baboon heart and pump her up using the medi gun.

The Hippocrates bust
'Do no harm' is the perfect opposite of what you should do with this wonder. It also happens to be fantastic for smashing open ribcages, and a real contester for the wrench. It is, however, hard to get a grip on, which is it's main downside. I believe it's rib bashing capabilities are identical to the wrench, though.

The baseball bat
This also happens to be very useful for smashing ribs open. However, it's very long and thus it's quite easy to hit the Heavy's arm or something else.

The bottle
This is nigh useless. It doesn't even smash very easily. In actual fact, it's more of a hinderance, as the many bottles around the level can obstruct your hand from grabbing what you want. Can smash ribs, but bad at rib smashing.

The fire axe
This is more of a precision tool than the other bone-smashing weapons here. If you can use it correctly, go ahead, but the wrench is still superior.

The pliers
These are good for cutting out the heart, and aren't particularly hard to use. A very good tool overall.

The pencil
Can stab the heart open, but that's about it. Potentially better than the pliers.

The machete
Long, sharp, and dangerous. Perfect! (Please, don't use this)

The screwdriver
Identical to the pencil, basically. In a worse area to pick up, though.

The knife
A good tool for cutting out the heart, like the pliers. But the pliers are probably better.

The sandvich
Replaces your secondary weapon. Upon use, you will be temporarily unable to attack but heal most of your health. But seriously, you can slap the Heavy, and that's about it.

??????

These are all the oddities that you can bash Bob's head in with.

The spinny thing
How odd. This isn't accurate or good at smashing bone, and is only suited to ripping open organs at the expense of all the blood ever in the world. Not practical in any way, shape, or form; the best kind of surgical implement!

The pistony thing
This moves back and forth rapidly, and can smash bone easily, especially if you time your swings right. Once again though, it isn't cheap on the blood cost side of things.

The fire extinguisher/ oxygen tank
While these are mostly annoyance to bounce around the place, these are actually decent rib smashing weapons. I even managed to smash a skull apart with the Brain transplant without going under 5000 ml!

[ikasu]

Hmm. Worked for me one time, that's why I mentioned it.

[lexilogo]

@Toonkid

Tried breaking the ribs with the bottle, but no dice. However, what you said about the pencil and screwdriver was indeed correct. They do cause blood loss, though, but like all other sharp tools, not while cutting special areas like the heart's veins.

[ikasu]

You can also use the bottle to break the ribs for some reason. Might be part of why it is so hard to break. Dunno when they changed that.

[ikasu]

They changed that a while ago, I think it was in the same update that improved the graphics in the TF2 surgery (not A&E).

[lexilogo]

@Toonkid

Really? That must've been changed as of recently. I'll get testing the uses of this ASAP.

Also, it's really good that previously totally useless items have now became actual surgery tools :D

[ikasu]

The pencil and screwdriver in the TF2 surgery are not props, in fact, they can cut the arteries of the heart with no blood loss. Well, at least the pencil anyway, as that's the only one I've tried.

[lexilogo]

@Auburok

Tried your slapping method, and it does indeed work. You do have to lower your hand slightly, but smacking Bob on the side of his head does indeed get his eyes out. He clearly has some form of disease.

[Auburok]

Just to add to the eyepopping: fists were the best way for me. If you wind up and slap on the side of the head closest to the eye you need to pop out, it'll do it in one hit. Best of all, you don't have to fish for a mug, hammer or other tool, and you can even do it while you hold a scapel in your hand! It help immensely in doing the speed achievements, as if you forego the pencil or pen in favor of a scapel, you have the tool you need to cut the eyes in your hand already.

[Lukus]

Ah yes, the most useless are strangely the most useful! Glad to see you're still adding to the guide. It looks quite useful for those that are looking for the know-how.

[lexilogo]

@Lukus

Ok, good. I'll be adding these to the guide. If you ask me, however, the best way to get the eyes out after pulling them slightly is to smash them with the mug until they come out. Bloodless and MOST unorthodox.