What exactly do cats use their whiskers for?

Answers:
Yes, they do use them to find their way around. Some think they are so sensitive that they can "sense" objects without actually touching them, just by sensing the different air flow around objects.

They also use them when carrying live things in their mouth... like a mother cat carrying kitten or a half-dead mouse. If you ever have the opportunity to watch this, notice how the cat will have its whiskers tightly "clamped" around the kitten or the mouse. That way, it can detect the slightest movement coming from it.

This is especially important in the case of the half-dead rodent. Cats kill prey that is really quite big compared to their own size. The cat needs to be very alert to any movement its prey makes so it doesn't let it escape, or worse, gets bitten by it.

It would be safer for a cat to carry a completely dead rodent, but the mom does need to bring still-live prey back to the nest to teach her kittens to kill.

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I've heard they use them to judge how wide an opening is so they don't get stuck in a space that is too small. If you look at the whiskers on most cats you'll see they are about as wide as the cat. I know some cats have broken whiskers, so those don't count.
They also look really cute, so they use them to charm people.

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They use their whiskers kind of like insects use their feelers, for navigation.

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Judging width of spaces to get into , sensing vibration in the air, judging distance from the face.

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Cats use their whiskers to estimate and judge distance..

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Whiskers assist in determining were objects are especially at night. The whiskers check for the flow of air currents in and around the area the cat is in allowing for navigation around furniture.

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One important thing about whiskers is that they stick out exactly as far as the widest part of the cat's body. They use them to judge if they can fit through a hole.