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Thread: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

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    Default Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    The can openers today all suck as far as I can tell.
    I looked on the net and the Oxo one was advised.
    It sucks. It's fiddly.
    The others I've tried suck worse.
    Why can't there be a simple can opener that always works ?
    Decades ago, I used to have a simple steel one that worked perfect. I don't know where it went.

    I suppose I could make one if I had to, but it would be really tedious.

    Not enough money on can openers to make one that really works well, I guess.

    Has anyone found a good one?
    Mark Walberg
    Building bike frames for fun since 1973.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Swing-a-Way compact has always been good enough for me.


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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    second that swing away. Had one for decades.

    If you make one do this:

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Walberg View Post
    Why can't there be a simple can opener that always works ?
    Because the can manufacturers would have to hold to a very, very tight standard for that to work.

    The seam width depends on the gauge of the material, its surface treatments, the number of folds and the compression of the seamer which must perform its duties whilst whizzing around at impossible speeds: 2000 cans per minute is not uncommon. Put all of that together and there are inevitably small variations between cans and these can (!) cause an opener which grips and cuts adequately on one can to either slip (too thin) or not cut (too thick) on another.

    FWIW I used to have to do the QC on a canning line including evaluating seam fold pattern and integrity. I have avoided working on packaging ever since. I'll make it, you can package it.
    Mark Kelly

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    +1 on the Swing Away, but the cabinet-mounted model that actually swings away.

    And a real one, not new but used. It took me a while at yard sales and combing the eBizzle but I found a good one.
    Trod Harland, Pickle Expediter

    Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. — James Baldwin

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    I bought one of these at Zabar's in NYC years ago. I have not found anything that compares:

    https://www.wmf.com/en/tin-opener-tin-up.html
    Jay Dwight

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    We have an old Kuhn Rikon opener. All stainless steel. Cuts the top off rather than cutting out the lid. Works very well, even on dented or variable lipped cans. Looks like this:



    They don't make those any longer for some reason. Now Kuhn Rikon's version is mostly plastic. We bought one anyway, and it works well but doesn't have the same solid tool feel.

    Jorn Ake
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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    We’re experiencing the same anguish. Can’t decide if the villain is Big Opener or Big Can.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by j44ke View Post
    We have an old Kuhn Rikon opener. All stainless steel. Cuts the top off rather than cutting out the lid. Works very well, even on dented or variable lipped cans. Looks like this:



    They don't make those any longer for some reason. Now Kuhn Rikon's version is mostly plastic. We bought one anyway, and it works well but doesn't have the same solid tool feel.

    The WMF is the same design: cuts the top off. So you can the squash the can with ease. Stainless.
    Jay Dwight

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    I have a chefmate branded can opener that works like the Kuhn above. 15 years of use and I have yet to find a can it struggled with.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Hmm, I guess I don't open enough cans, but our hand-held opener works fine--mostly refried beans and then various types of canned tomato products and beans. no sharp edge, works every time. has black plastic handles--currently in the upper DW rack or I'd be able to say what brand it actually is--I think kitchen aid or Oxo.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Walberg View Post
    Why can't there be a simple can opener that always works ?
    Probably because there are no need for them anymore since all cans nowadays come with that easy opening similar to soda/beer cans. There is just no market for it anymore.
    --
    T h o m a s

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by sk_tle View Post
    ...since all cans nowadays come with that easy opening similar to soda/beer cans.
    Not the cans that matter, smartypants.

    Trod Harland, Pickle Expediter

    Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. — James Baldwin

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    31D30EFF-0AB1-40E0-9345-CEE76A87BC2A.jpeg

    Growing up on Army Posts around the world we used to think K-Rations were the neatest thing. If you didn’t learn early on how to use one of these you were left hungry. It was a rite of passage.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    I learn a lot here. To think all my life I thought some cans you had to work the can opener a little to get the top off.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by thollandpe View Post
    Not the cans that matter, smartypants.
    I guess it is a third world only thing as I haven't seen a can like that in the last decade or so. My swiss army knife isn't perfect for that but its can opener still does the job for the once every other year faulty easy opening one. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    Last edited by sk_tle; 10-05-2021 at 04:36 AM.
    --
    T h o m a s

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Amen

    I had a fiddly OXO one that I tossed in the can after slicing my finger open on Saturday.

    Following.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Walberg View Post
    The can openers today all suck as far as I can tell.
    I looked on the net and the Oxo one was advised.
    It sucks. It's fiddly.
    The others I've tried suck worse.
    Why can't there be a simple can opener that always works ?
    Decades ago, I used to have a simple steel one that worked perfect. I don't know where it went.

    I suppose I could make one if I had to, but it would be really tedious.

    Not enough money on can openers to make one that really works well, I guess.

    Has anyone found a good one?

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Confirmed mine is Oxo. We’ve had it for years and it still works fine

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Ooh i like this topic. We have been on a quest for the perfect can opener at my home. Swingaway is the gold standard but when ours was somehow damaged we strayed. Many handsome replacements were tried but none were durable or functional enough to meet our exacting standards like the Swingaway. We finally landed on the cleverly named "Made In USA Can Opener" which is basically a Swingaway clone but appeals to our love of bald eagles, freedom, and democracy.

    Search for it online and click buy it now.

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    Default Re: Why can't there be a good can opener ?

    Quote Originally Posted by pomole View Post
    Ooh i like this topic. We have been on a quest for the perfect can opener at my home. Swingaway is the gold standard but when ours was somehow damaged we strayed. Many handsome replacements were tried but none were durable or functional enough to meet our exacting standards like the Swingaway. We finally landed on the cleverly named "Made In USA Can Opener" which is basically a Swingaway clone but appeals to our love of bald eagles, freedom, and democracy.

    Search for it online and click buy it now.

    You missed the Ez-Duz-It opener:

    (I never realized that can opener manufacturers were such a jingoistic bunch in their marketing.)


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