# Why the switch from Pull Tabs on soda to those things that bend in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953 "2012-01-18T22:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/61 "2012-01-21T18:55:10Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I blew out my flip flop > stepped on a pop top > cut my heel right down to the bone [Margaritaville](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jimmy+buffett/margaritaville_20071892.html): Not according to the lyrics. > [@](#): > > I blew out my flip-flop > Stepped on a pop-top > Cut my heel had to cruise on back home > But there’s booze in the blender > And soon it will render > That frozen concoction that helps me hang on ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/62 "2012-01-21T22:32:03Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > So, before then, you had to use a can opener to drink a beer? Did people drink beer directly out of the can, in those days? Well, you didn’t HAVE to use a can opener … if there wasn’t a church key handy, other tools got pressed into service, such as screwdrivers - set the can on a flat surface, place the tip of the screwdriver against the top, and bash the butt end sharply with the heel of your hand. With luck you managed to punch a serviceable hole in the can. Repeat on the other side of the can, and enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/63 "2012-01-21T22:53:36Z")
you know which ones I can’t figure out the reason for? Those Japanese glass soda bottles that have the little ball in the neck which you have to push in. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/64 "2012-01-22T00:39:35Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you know which ones I can’t figure out the reason for? Those Japanese glass soda bottles that have the little ball in the neck which you have to push in. Ramune is the brand. [Codd-neck bottle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codd-neck_bottle#Codd-neck_bottles) is the type. It’s one weird thing we _can’t_ blame on the Japanese, but the English. They are old-school, but for Ramune, I’ll guess the reason is Rule of Cool. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/65 "2012-01-22T00:42:16Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > So, before then, you had to use a can opener to drink a beer? Did people drink beer directly out of the can, in those days? Well, I was just a kid back then and didn’t drink beer. But soda came in cans, too, and I remember drinking plenty of soda out of cans. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/66 "2012-01-22T01:05:53Z")
I still have a “church key” magnetized to my 'fridge. Use it every day, as God intended. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/67 "2012-01-22T04:34:46Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I still have a “church key” magnetized to my 'fridge. Use it every day, as God intended. If it looks like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Winco-WO-CO-201-Traditional-Bottle-Opener/dp/B001VZ5EFE), it isn’t a [a church key](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key.html&h=480&w=573&sz=34&tbnid=1Ibo8_OR0A0e6M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=108&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dchurch%2Bkey%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=church+key&docid=8J2QjCMUUzwROM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yJAbT-C4D4KZiQL-oojNCA&sqi=2&ved=0CG8Q9QEwBw&dur=990). See the mild resemblance to a large key? The other kind has only been referred to as a church key for a few years. The second picture was referred to as a church key in the early '50s, and probably before that. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/68 "2012-01-22T04:51:15Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > If it looks like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Winco-WO-CO-201-Traditional-Bottle-Opener/dp/B001VZ5EFE), it isn’t a [a church key](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key.html&h=480&w=573&sz=34&tbnid=1Ibo8_OR0A0e6M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=108&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dchurch%2Bkey%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=church+key&docid=8J2QjCMUUzwROM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yJAbT-C4D4KZiQL-oojNCA&sqi=2&ved=0CG8Q9QEwBw&dur=990). > > See the mild resemblance to a large key? The other kind has only been referred to as a church key for a few years. The second picture was referred to as a church key in the early '50s, and probably before that. That’s what I thought, but how do you distinguish between that and the one with the gears that turn? I call them both “can openers.” ---
**Author:** ![Mornac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mornac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mornac)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/69 "2012-01-22T05:03:20Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > That’s what I thought, but how do you distinguish between that and the one with the gears that turn? I call them both “can openers.” –I’ve sometimes heard those referred to as “sidewinders” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/70 "2012-01-22T05:14:12Z")
I recall the openers that came with military k rations. The penny gives you an idea of size. They actually worked pretty well. Dad had bought K Rations from Surplus and we ate them at the lake and on hunting trips. I carried one on my key ring aw a teen. Last resort, you can always open a can with a pocket knife blade. Of course it will ruin the blade, its better to carry one of these tiny openers in your tackle box or pocket. They still sell them for a buck or two. I know Amazon has them. > **[PK1Slot Online Terpercaya: Situs slot online Terbaru 2023](https://wapedia.mobi/)** > > PK1Slot Online Terpercaya adalah situs judi online terbaru yang menawarkan berbagai jenis permainan, termasuk Bola99 dan Slot 99 dengan rtp slot nya Wikipedia even gives it a name. P-38 can opener > **[P-38 can opener](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener)** > > The P-38 (larger variant known as the P-51) is a small can opener that was issued with canned United States military rations from its introduction in 1942 to the end of canned ration issuance in the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. As of 2020, it is still in production and sold worldwide. > The P-38 is known as a "John Wayne" by the United States Marine Corps, because of its toughness and dependability.\[unreliable source?\]\[citat... ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/71 "2012-01-22T08:13:01Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > If it looks like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Winco-WO-CO-201-Traditional-Bottle-Opener/dp/B001VZ5EFE), it isn’t a [a church key](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.just-for-openers.org/Church-Key.html&h=480&w=573&sz=34&tbnid=1Ibo8_OR0A0e6M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=108&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dchurch%2Bkey%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=church+key&docid=8J2QjCMUUzwROM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yJAbT-C4D4KZiQL-oojNCA&sqi=2&ved=0CG8Q9QEwBw&dur=990). > > See the mild resemblance to a large key? The other kind has only been referred to as a church key for a few years. The second picture was referred to as a church key in the early '50s, and probably before that. By your definition, which is not commonly accepted. A church key is what you use to open a can or bottle of beer. The tool that pierced a triangular opening in a steel can is definitely a church key. What you cite as a church key is useless to the task of opening a beer can. Refresh my memory but didn’t Birdie (in the play “Bye, Bye Birdie”) have a church key on a chain that hung around his neck? It was like the one that will pierce a steel can. I love the Amazon link. This is what’s wrong with America. 46 cents for the church key, $5.05 shipping and handling. I’d love to know how many are getting sold at those terms. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/72 "2012-01-22T10:44:38Z")
If ya think the 80s were ancient, something that’s always amused me was how those stay-on-tabs (as Wikipedia refers to them) stuck around much longer internationally. Having grown up in Taiwan, those old tabs, especially on steel cans(!), remained well into the late 90s (and maybe early 2000s). Call it folk ignorance or whatever you will, but there used to be a period there when everyone would ply the new tabs back and forth until the aluminum broke and the handle fell into the can, just like the old ones would. Old habits die hard, I guess. I remember visiting America a few times as a kid and marveling at how advanced the country was because ALL the cans were made with the new stay-on-tab design. Aluminum, then, was an exotic new metal invented by infallible American ingenuity. Funny how now, as a 20-something in California, glass is the container of choice and aluminum is considered cheap and disposable. Oh, the power of marketing… ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/73 "2012-01-22T15:15:52Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > The other kind has only been referred to as a church key for a few years. A FEW years? I referred to the triangle punchers as a church key in the '60s… because that is what my parents called it, and I assume they were calling it that much earlier than that. Words evolve, and I think it is safe to say that after about 5 decades it is an acceptable definition. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/74 "2012-01-22T15:34:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Wikipedia even gives it a name. P-38 can opener > [P-38 can opener - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener) I have one of these on my desk at work! I love it, personally. And nobody asks to borrow it. In high school English class, we had an extra credit assignment to make chain mail armor. I made a suit for one of my dolls using the old pull tabs. They were so easy to link together. I imagine that would be much harder to do with the new style ones. ---
**Author:** ![A2Steve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@A2Steve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A2Steve)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/75 "2012-01-23T03:37:24Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Some cans of Chinese beer (notably the 330ml cans of Tsingtao) still come with the old-style pull tab. A very nostalgic brew but I no longer drop the thing into the can like I (and everyone I knew) used to. Chinese Pepsi is also sold in these cans, as of last week. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/76 "2012-01-23T04:37:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Real nostalgia is when you can remember cans you had to open with a church key. I never knew their name, but I always think of Paul Newman/Luke when I use one. [We’re talking about the same thing, right?] ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953/77 "2012-01-23T04:53:08Z")
One place where the pull tab may not have been an improvement is for cans of sardines and anchovies. The old key wound lids were a pain, too, but because of the shape of the can it’s difficult to pull the lid off with the pull tab without spilling whatever they’re packed in all over the place. Somebody needs to think of a new system for packaging small fish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-switch-from-pull-tabs-on-soda-to-those-things-that-bend-in/609953.md?page=3)