A manual lab pipettes are usually a hand-held aspiration device that has a plunger on the top, which can be activated by the users thumb.  A grip is where it is held, freeing the thumb for this purpose.  The end, or shaft, is where the pipette tip is applied by inserting the shaft into the plastic pipette tip.  A slight twist may be needed to seat the tip properly, but in most cases, the tip should seat right when inserting the shaft.

The manual pipette can come in two styles - static and variable volume measurements.  In the static model, the size of the aspiring volume should be printed on either the thumb plunger top or the upper part of the shaft.  This will indicate the exact amount of fluid to be aspired into the pipette tips.  In the variable manual pipette the thumb knob may have increments measured out that can be rotated and clicked into place for the volume needed.

The manual pipette system can be sized for different sizes of pipette tips.  The tips are plastic, and come in a variety of volumes.  They are usually color-coded for ease of identification, and are manufactured as static-free for accuracy.  Each tip is identical to the next so no variations are present while pipetting multiple times.

Manual pipette systems can also be adapted for multiple channels, making for easy multiple well inoculations.  These pipette systems can also be used for inoculating gel matrixes for genetic testing.  They are also used for making up controls that use small volumes, such as the plasma for coagulation laboratories.  Accuracy is the need in any laboratory, and when proper technique is applied, manual pipettes can provide it.