# What is wrong with can openers today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 14, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516 "2005-12-14T00:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/41 "2015-11-18T21:53:31Z")
+1 on OXO – I don’t actually have their manual can opener, but I have several other gadgets and really love the way they’re built. For opening cans I just have some random electric thing that seems to work just fine and I’ve had for years, and a couple of manual ones in case of emergency. Mostly I’m thinking here that I probably haven’t opened a can in about six months – at least, not the kind that’s made of metal and needs a traditional opener. They’re somewhat of a fading packaging technology. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/42 "2015-11-18T22:22:46Z")
You went to a hardware store. That’d your problem. Would you buy a generator at Williams-Sonoma? It’s thr same thing. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/43 "2015-11-18T23:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I’ll bet the can opener is too. [/QUOTE] Amazingly, yes. I still have the same Oxo can opener (and the same waiter’s corkscrew!) today that I praised here ten years ago. and I still prefer it to the electric one. If we have a power failure, I’ll still be able to get into cans and wine bottles. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/44 "2015-11-18T23:48:53Z")
I have this [OXO Smooth Edge](http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Smooth-Opener/dp/B000079XW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447890575&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+can+opener) can opener and really like it. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/45 "2015-11-19T00:34:14Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > I still remember that old General Electric or maybe Kenmore can opener my Mother had when I was a kid…it was Avacado Green to match the rest of the appliances. It worked great for about 20 years. And it was heavy duty as well as heavy–like 8 lbs. When you opened a can with it, the lights dimmed and the cats came running into the kitchen. I still have my parents. It’s Avocado green, too. With (I’m not making this up) combination electric knife sharpener grinding wheels, too. 🙂 I’ve since retired it, or at least gave it a break. I use a manual type and wanted a good one. U.S.A. made “EZ-Duzit” is the answer you seek. I’m sure the Germans or Swiss make an excessively over-engineered, sleek model that costs and arm and a leg but this one works well for the money. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/46 "2015-11-19T00:45:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Interesting that this link is still alive and well 10 years later. And we still use it on a daily basis. Works great. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/47 "2015-11-19T00:47:19Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I have a dedicated Swiss Army Knife in the kitchen that is used as a can opener. _Pfft_. Real men use a P-38 can opener. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/48 "2015-11-19T01:13:09Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Our new (by new I mean 2 years old) can opener is great. I don’t remember where we got it, but it says “Good Cook” on the label. It opens cans from the side, not the top, leaving lids that perfectly set on top of the rims. The cut away tops don’t have sharp edges, they are blunt. And it cuts with absolutely no difficulty or raggedness. Great gadget. Where in the world can one find one like this? I see “Good Cook” branded kitchen utensils in great profusion in stores around here, including the manual can opener that I am currently using. In general, their products seem good but not quite great. I’ve never seen a can opener that works as you’ve described it, but it sounds like a neat idea. (Pauses to try a little experiment . . . ) Well I’ll be hornswoggled! I just tried opening a can with my Good Cook opener, using it the way you describe – slicing the side of the can just below the rim instead of the top just inside the rim. It works! I’ve never before seen or heard of using a can opener like this. As you say, the lid of the can has a blunt edge, but the cut away edge of the can itself is sharp. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/49 "2015-11-19T01:20:47Z")
Okay, I see _several_ posts above, describing can openers that open the can from the side instead of the top. But as I’ve just discovered and demonstrated (see post above), my Good Cook can opener works either way. So now I wonder if many or all manual can openers can be used either way. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/50 "2015-11-19T01:51:36Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/51 "2015-11-19T02:10:21Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Well I’ll be hornswoggled! I just tried opening a can with my Good Cook opener, using it the way you describe – slicing the side of the can just below the rim instead of the top just inside the rim. It works! I’ve never before seen or heard of using a can opener like this. As you say, the lid of the can has a blunt edge, but the cut away edge of the can itself is sharp. I have a couple of side-opening can openers and I believe what they do is not cutting into the can but instead mechanically separating the top from the can and that’s why there are no sharp edges. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/52 "2015-11-19T02:53:51Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Our new (by new I mean 2 years old) can opener is great. I don’t remember where we got it, but it says “Good Cook” on the label. It opens cans from the side, not the top, leaving lids that perfectly set on top of the rims. The cut away tops don’t have sharp edges, they are blunt. And it cuts with absolutely no difficulty or raggedness. Great gadget. [I have this one,](http://www.givinguponperfect.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DSC_0029.jpg) which I purchased 3 years ago. Mine has Pampered Chef stamped into the metal. It does everything you described so it may be the same as yours. It is, hands down, the best can opener I have ever owned. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/53 "2015-11-19T03:59:37Z")
Look for “safety can openers”. They work by the side method and are designed to cut through the crimp at the top so there are no sharp edges. Plus they leave a close fitting lid which I find very handy. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/54 "2015-11-19T04:12:06Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Look for “safety can openers”. They work by the side method and are designed to cut through the crimp at the top so there are no sharp edges. Plus they leave a close fitting lid which I find very handy. Yep, mine does this, although I haven’t availed myself of this benefit as the only cans I have contain tuna, which I eat in one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/55 "2015-11-19T07:06:50Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Okay, I see _several_ > But as I’ve just discovered and demonstrated (see post above), my Good Cook can opener works either way. So now I wonder if many or all manual can openers can be used either way. Fighting Ignorance Since 1973! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/56 "2015-11-19T07:51:31Z")
I haven’t used a can-opener in years. Any cans I’ve used come with ring-pulls that take the whole top off. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/57 "2015-11-19T14:15:31Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I haven’t used a can-opener in years. Any cans I’ve used come with ring-pulls that take the whole top off. “Daddy, what’s a can opener?” ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/58 "2015-11-19T14:31:04Z")
I apologize for adding nothing of value here. I just wanted to be part of an epic 10 year discussion on can openers. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/59 "2015-11-19T18:42:29Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I apologize for adding nothing of value here. I just wanted to be part of an epic 10 year discussion on can openers. Well, it’s about time. I’ve been a self-sufficient independently-living adult for 45+ years already and I’ve _never_ before seen or heard of the idea of a can opener cutting the lid off from the side of the can instead of the top. This ignorance fighting has taken waaaaaay longer than just from 1973 until now. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516/60 "2015-11-19T19:22:21Z")
Now I want to go home and try that can opening trick! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-can-openers-today/335516.md?page=4)