Oof! Glad you're both alright and that there's no hard feelings.
I've only ever fed with tongs and can't imagine feeding any other way. I've got a 12" non-locking hemostat I'm using with Kuzco right now and an 18" one I'm using with Adelita. The 18" hemostat should provide enough buffer for quite a while, if not long-term, so it may be a while before I order larger ones.