# What's the Best Can Opener?



## BruiseLee (Oct 27, 2004)

*What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I'm looking for a can opener for my kitchen. My old GE electric cracked and jammed, and I'm finding the old manual turn the handle type can opener works extremely poorly with certain types of cans. I suspect that in recent years, cans are no longer made to a standard regulation. I never had trouble opening cans before, but now the can opener won't cut all the way thru, it will lose its "grip" on the can and not rotate it, etc.

I bought a manual can opener that cuts through the sides of cans. It works well on some cans, but not others. It was a cheapie 99 cent store buy, which means its quality could be a lot better even though the idea is sound.

Honestly, the only can opener I have that is 100% effective on all the cans I've tried it on is the can opener on my Swiss Army Knife! But, it takes a lot of manual rocking of the cutting blade to open a can. Not fast, and if you are older and have arthritis, forget about it.

Does anyone have a kick butt can opener in their kitchen? I don't care if it's electric or manual, as long as it opens all sorts of cans reliabley and with a minimum amount of effort.

Bruise


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## TomH (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I've always had good luck with the Swing-A-Way manual can openers. They are probably some of the best made openers out there.

read here: http://www.core77.com/inconspicuous/swingaway.html


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## Lurker (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I will second that. The Swing-A-Way has worked for me on any sort of can I have ever tried it on and it is about as quick and easy as an electric for me, so I don't see the point of using an electric unless you have arthritis.

I also use a "Safety Can" side cutting opener because it is neat, but it is definitely choosey about which cans it will open and it is harder to use.


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## elgarak (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Third vote for the Swing-A-Way. Works very reliably, unlike all the other manual (and some electrical) openers I've tried . The devil's in the details, I guess. And this thing is not expensive.


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## capnal (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

how much do you want to spend?
I have three different models made by Zyliss, and I like them. http://www.zyliss.com/ Once upon a time all the Zyliss products were all made in Switzerland. Now it seems all the items I find by them (especially the new ones) are marked China or Taiwan, which I find disappointing. I have quite a few Zyliss items, and I always make sure that they are marked Switzerland before I buy them.
This is my favorite one.






This is my second favorite one.





The thrid one I have I can not find a pic of.

I have also looked at and considered the Kuhn Rikon. However, they are a little misleading, too. The label says Kuhn Rikon, Switzerland, but the fine print on the package says "made in china", again, that is disappointing to me, so I have never bought one. With all that being said, it looks like a good opener.
Kuhn Rikon Deluze Safety Lid Lifter





Lastly, this is my favorite. I have not bought it yet, becuase I keep saving it as a gift opportunity to tell someone if they ask me what I want for Christmas. (So far no one likes me that well! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif)
The Rosle. All stainless steel. Made in Germany. Good stuff. This is the real deal.

http://www.roesle.de/english/





There is only one shop that I have found so far that sells the Rosle line, and it is about 4 hours from me. Anyway, I also use that as an excuse to go back to that town for weekend getaways.

I have a Rosle bottle opener and a Rosle Pizza cutter. They really are fine quality tools. Worth the extra money to get them.


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## Sigman (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

We had a General Electric on the counter for years...it finally croaked. We got a Hamilton Beach, inexpensive and cuts the sides of the tops - know what I mean - no sharp edges. We like it a lot!

Still have a couple of the old fashioned hand openers - they work, good to have in an emergency kit! 

I'm thinking about getting a handheld that opens up by cutting the sides of the lid like our Hamilton Beach. Probably go with the Zyliss...I really like the lack of sharp edges with these newer openers!


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## turbodog (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

swing a way ..... last USA made can opener. I've got one that is 32+ years old

I know that it takes exactly 9 complete turns to open a can of spaghettios!


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## eluminator (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I have a Swingaway and a Bonny and they both work. You should get one with gears so the cutter wheel on top is driven. 

The cheap ones don't have gears and the top cutter wheel is just an idler. These don't work as well.

The Bonny has Delrin gears and bearings and a brass hinge pin so it won't rust when you wash it. 

I prefer the Swingaway because the "handle" that you turn is more comfortable. I haven't washed it in years, I just wipe the blade after I use it. I'm afraid to inspect it too closely.


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## turbodog (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

If you want a manual opener that can open cans (dented or whatnot) faster than an electric go to a resturant supply place and buy a commercial one.

Last one I used was about 18" tall and it mounted to a side of a counter. You dropped it, it pierced the can, and there was a manual crank on top that was about a foot long. A few spins on that and anything came open... fast.


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## turbodog (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

restaurant model viewable @

http://www.chefdepot.net/canopener.htm


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## TrueBlue (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Swingaway. My 8 year old version works perfectly everytime and replaced my Swingaway that was over 30 years old.


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## xochi (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I've messed with a bunch of can openers with varying degrees of 'reinvention' engineered into them but nothing I've tried works as reliably/smoothly as the Swingaway (I didn't even know that was what it was called until I read this thread). I won't mess with any others anymore.


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## felder (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Another vote for the swingaway.


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## BruiseLee (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

I actually have two Swing-A-Ways and agree they are extremely durable generally excellent can openers. However, this very evening I was trying to open a can of spaghetti sauce with it. When I pressed the Swing-A-Way's handles together in a scissor like motion, the cutting wheel punctured the top of the can exactly as it was supposed to. But, the gear wheel failed to engage the lip of the can, making it impossible to rotate the can with the Swing-A-Way's key-handle.

I tried my side cutting can opener on it, too. Exactly the same thing happened. It punctured the can, but failed to have enough traction to rotate the can.

I ended up using my Swiss Army knife on it.

I'm surprised no one else seems to be experiencing this problem with their Swing-A-Ways.

Thanks for all the suggestions, though. Found a place that sells the Zyliss nearby - plan to check that out. The restaurant model seems a bit big for an average kitchen, but I'd probably go for it if I knew it would open all my cans flawlessly.

Bruise


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## smpowell (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Back around 1980 my brother bought my mother a GE 
electric can opener. After a couple of decades of 
good service, the upper cutting disk finally wore down/ 
chipped to the point where it was no longer large 
enough to cut into the lid. He bought her several 
replacements, but they were all junk compared to the 
old GE. Finally I went to a lot of garage sales and 
bought two old GE's. In both cases the only thing 
wrong with them was that lower drive gear was packed 
with gunk, keeping the teeth from gripping the bottom 
of the lid. Easy to clean with a pick and a paper towel/
rubbing alcohol.

One of the garage sale finds in service, the other 
was cleaned and sealed in a plastic bag, in case the 
other one dies.

Most electric can openers are junk, but the old GE's 
like these are worth fixing. These were put together 
with screws, so you can open them up if need be. 

Repair hints:

The lower drive gear will eventually clog up, just 
clean it.

The upper cutting assembly is easily removed for cleaning, 
but I usually disassemble the cutting disk assembly for 
cleaning and a dab of silicon grease on the mating areas.

The motor is controlled by a micro switch. On the original 
opener this switch shifted out of position when part of 
plastic case cracked. I just glued a piece of wood inside 
the case to shift it back in place. 

--------------------------------------
I use a Swing-A-Way manual can opener. Very Good.
http://www.lehmans.com item H640471


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## BruiseLee (Oct 30, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

[ QUOTE ]
*smpowell said:*
Back around 1980 my brother bought my mother a GE 
electric can opener. After a couple of decades of 
good service, the upper cutting disk finally wore down/ 
chipped to the point where it was no longer large 
enough to cut into the lid. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Something jammed the gear in mine. The electric motor still worked, though, and was powerful enough to crack the plastic case trying to turn the gear. I was going to take it apart and try and fix it, but my girlfriend started bitching at me to throw the old GE out and just get a replacement. Now I wish I had kept it.

Bruise


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## Mike Painter (Nov 7, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

The pro models are great and BIG.
Here's one that might be worth a look.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/product.asp?sku=KEY%2D230&mscssid=63K90BSLA10L9KCBS6CKT3SBUTFAAEGB 

I've been pleased with their customer service. When I asked for a replacement part for one of their cheap lights they sent me a complete new one at no charge.


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## Bravo25 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

P51. Larger model of P38, and no electricity required.


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## capnal (Nov 9, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

[ QUOTE ]
*capnal said:*
Lastly, this is my favorite. I have not bought it yet, becuase I keep saving it as a gift opportunity to tell someone if they ask me what I want for Christmas. (So far no one likes me that well! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif)
The Rosle. All stainless steel. Made in Germany. Good stuff. This is the real deal.

http://www.roesle.de/english/
There is only one shop that I have found so far that sells the Rosle line, and it is about 4 hours from me. Anyway, I also use that as an excuse to go back to that town for weekend getaways.

I have a Rosle bottle opener and a Rosle Pizza cutter. They really are fine quality tools. Worth the extra money to get them. 

[/ QUOTE ]

UPDATE:
I just got my Rosle sent to me. I bought one off Ebay for a really good price. Brand new, too. Anyway, it is really cool. I have only messed with one can so far, but I liked the way it worked. I am sure I will get many good years of use out of it.


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## HesNot (Nov 10, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Swingaway. I've had electrics and they've all conked out at one point or worse lost grip in teh middle of opening a can splattering tomatoes all over me and the counter. 

In this particular case I am convinced that there is not a better mousetrap.

Now corkscrews are another story /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## Sigman (Nov 10, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

capnal...reference the Rosle...EXACTLY what I've been looking for!! Love the build, operation, and lifetime warranty! I prefer the openers that open the side of the lid and don't get all "goobered up" with food & biological growth experiments! 

This is a well built tool! I too held off, but after reading your post, just jumped in the fire and went to Amazon.com and paid $30 for it with free shipping! Thanks for posting that!!


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## sotyakr (Nov 13, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

As my 25+ year old cheapie "bonny" can opener was looking like an artifact from an archeological dig, I figured it was time to be taken out of service, for health reasons if nothing else. Amazon.com is selling the Swingaway for $6 and I was all ready to order one, but really didn't need much of anything else from them to hit the $25 free shipping mark. As it turned out, my local supermarket had a very similar opener by Farberware on sale for $5. Although lacking in CPF-cred, and has never travelled in space, it has the same type of double geared cutting and rotating wheels and seems to be of sturdy construction. Will the Farberware become some sort of heirloom? Who knows. But, for the here and now it opens cans, works well and that's all I can ask of it.


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## J_Oei (Nov 13, 2004)

*Re: What\'s the Best Can Opener?*

Just bought a Rosle off of eBay for under under $23 shipped(!)

It will replace my old Swingaway, some Made-in-China side
cutter, and some old military version. At one point, I had even purchased a left-handed model, because they were custom built and supposed to me more rugged. (Sounds like I need to look for a Canopener board somewhere...)

I'll let you all know my impressions after the Rosle arrives.


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## BruiseLee (Dec 22, 2004)

*I Think I\'ve Found the Best Manual Can Opener!*

I actually saw the Zyliss at a store last night and bought it. Let me tell you, this is one brilliantly executed can opener! First of all, it opened all the cans I tried it on flawlessly! 






Just like the literature says, unlike the Swing-Away when you open a can, it doesn't leave you with any sharp edges on either the can or the lid. Also, the blade never touches the food, which is a huge plus. Much more sanitary, and one less thing to clean. It even has two small metal tweezer/plier things to lift the can lid off the can - works great!

I got mine for $14.99 - worth every penny. 5 year guarantee.

Only bad part is if you are old and/or have less than average hand strength, this opener probably isn't for you. I think my mom, who can't even fire my Makarov double action, would have trouble using this.

Oh, even though the Zyliss is advertised as Swiss, if you read the fine print it's actually made in China. I have to say, mine appears very well made and should provide me with many years of service.

I have to say I love my Swing-Aways, but the Zyliss seems to have them beat.

Bruise


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## FrancescaJessop (Feb 20, 2021)

In Restaurantware Store Commercial Can Opener you can easily to use. Its works very good with any issue. This Can Opener have heavy duty and dependable. Perfect for all fast-paced commercial kitchens. This can opener is perfect for most cans of all sizes at 11 inches.


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