Endoscopic biopsy forceps vary in size and design. The purpose of this prospective randomized study was to compare the quality and quantity of gastric tissue obtained by needle and non-needle versions of standard biopsy forceps and newly designed large capacity forceps. Fifty consecutive patients who underwent endoscopy with gastric biopsy forceps were enrolled in the study. There was no significant difference in the presence of crush artifact between the two forceps, both with and without the presence of a needle. Both needle and non-needle versions of the large capacity biopsy forceps were found to obtain significantly larger sized specimens (p = 0.02) than needle and non-needle versions of the standard biopsy forceps. Overall, there was no significant difference in the depth of specimen obtained when comparing the large capacity forceps to standard forceps. Needle versions of each forceps were found to obtain significantly deeper biopsies than non-needle versions of each forceps. In conclusion, our study found that large capacity forceps obtained larger specimens than standard biopsy forceps. Further clinical trials with a larger study population need to be undertaken to determine the impact of these findings on the determination of diagnoses. (Gastrointest Endosc 1995;41:573-6.)