OXO Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener
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List Price: Our Price: $15.45 You Save: $6.54 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of OXO Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener
Customer Review: How to have a real "can-do" attitude!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having gone through a procession of can openers, I was tired of ineffective can openers that a) did a poor job of cutting through the lid b) were constantly dirty from being splashed by the can's liquid contents, and c) slicing myself open on lids when taking out the trash. In addition, I also have arthritis in my hands and recurring tendonitis in my left wrist, so the top-down squeezing motion put uncomfortable pressure on my joints.
Exasperated, I finally went out and bought the Oxo Safety Can Opener, and have fallen head over heels in love. Here's why: first, like most Oxo kitchen tools, the handles are covered in a nonslip, easy to wash material. The knob is large, ergonomic, and coated in the same nonslip material. It offers little resistance, so it is easy to turn. Second, instead of the traditional can opener design that requires you to squeeze the handles together, the Oxo features parallel handles that lock together, so there is minimal pressure required.
The best feature is the fact that the lid is cut from the side, so you are not puncturing the can and forcing liquid to splash out, so the gears stay clean (especially beneficial when opening sticky liquids like condensed milk and dulce de leche). In fact, you don't ever see the gears as they cut, and it's initially easy to think that the can opener isn't doing anything. Another great feature is the nifty set of metal pincers that stick out from the side--these grab onto the lid and allow you to separate it from the can without having to touch it (and yes, the lid comes off as smooth as the sample lid packaged with the can opener).
The days of struggling with cheap, difficult to use can openers are over. No more splashed liquid (eau de tuna, anyone?), strained hands, or nasty cuts from too-sharp edges and spurs left behind. For those with arthritis, this is the perfect space-saving solution to buying an expensive electric can opener.
Customer Review: Best can opener EVER!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The OXO Smooth Edge can opener is the best ever and worth every penny I paid for it!!! It's EASY, SAFE, and CLEAN.
I have serious osteo arthritis in my hands and was unable to open any can with any other opener, whether or not it had a cushioned handle. The oval knob of the Smooth Edge is very easy to grip, and the force to turn it for opening a can is manageable - even for my hands.
My ability to use it is only one aspect of its functionality. The other two are its SAFETY and HYGENE. The opened can has totally smooth edges - thus the name: "Smooth Edge." This can opener is uncontaminated by food particles in the cutting mechanism. Unlike other can openers, you need NOT wash it after every use and end up in time with a rusty tool; or not wash it and have it be the dirtiest tool in you kitchen.
The two grip teeth that dislodge the lid of the opened can are also really nifty. My husband bought my first OXO Smooth Edge and tried it out without looking at the instructions. He tried hard to find the cut edge on the can and finally succeeded - grumblingly - in prying up the lid. Shortly after, I watched my daughter open a cat food can and saw her swiftly using the little teeth on the side of the opener to dislodge the lid. Bingo! So much for not reading instruction; one little picture could have told my husband so much!
Whatever happened to my first OXO Smooth Edge? I had packed it in the vacation gear (hotplate, small coffeemaker, cutlery, paper plates, etc.) and ended up giving it to our friends we were visiting in the summer. It became the perfect hostess gift. Then I bought two more Smooth Edges, one for the kitchen and one for the travel bag.
To all the electric can opener users: Forget your electric dinosaur and get an OXO Smooth Edge!
Customer Review: After a little practice, it's perfect!
Summary: 5 Stars
The only problem is that you're used to using other openers that look somewhat like this and this just doesn't work the same way. So your habits formed from decades of opening cans with regular openers foul you up. Once you're comfortable with how this works, you won't want to use a regular opener again.
The tricky part is getting started. The opener blocks your view of the contact point so you have to learn what it feels like when you have it in the right position. But you don't break anything if you're holding it wrong - it just won't open the can.
Once you have the initial cut made, just keep turning the knob. It doesn't FEEL like you're opening the can, but you (probably) are. Again, you're used to how regular can openers feel in use and this doesn't feel the same way so it fools you. As you complete the opening you'll feel the difference in resistance - that's when it's done.
I usually use the built in "grabber" to take the lid off then. The edge can be a little slippery and the contact between the lid and the can's contents has a bit of suction to it so the grabber is the easiest way to pop the lid.
The first time I tried, it took me almost a minute to get started. The next time about 30 seconds. To practice, after emptying the can I tried opening the bottom of the empty can. The more you use it, the easier it gets.
As someone who usually eats a single serving out of 2 serving cans, I appreciate how well the opened lid slips back on the can so I can store the rest in the fridge for a day or two without rummaging for some foil or plastic wrap. And I really appreciate the time saved in cleanup because the cutting edge on this opener doesn't get dirty!
Customer Review: The Shine Fades
Summary: 3 Stars
We have had one of these for several years, and overall it does what it is supposed to do, but there are some things you might want to know before you decide to buy.
The Good:
When it's new, it works every bit as well as so many other reviewers have stated. It cuts cleanly and almost effortlessly, leaving a smooth edge that won't cut you. We had a problem with our first opener (more on that later), and OXO did the right thing and replaced it free of charge, including shipping!
The Bad:
It's rather bulky. It took up so much room in our gadget drawer that we finally relegated it to our countertop tool canister, where it easily consumes about a third of the available space. The reason it's so easy to crank is because the gear ratio of the crank to the cutting head is so high. You have to turn the crank handle A LOT to go all the way around a lid. If you have to open several cans, you might find yourself getting forearm cramps. Last, but certainly not least, when the cutting head dulls (after about a year) you will find it increasingly difficult to cut through the lid all the way around. You have to squeeze the handle harder and harder to get it to cut. Finally, it becomes almost impossible to cut any cans cleanly. You'll probably have to bend the partially-still-attached lid to get out contents. OXO designed it in such a way that the rotating cutter head is not easily replaceable. Planned obsolescence? When we complained about this growing problem is when they sent us a replacement, but the replacement is getting to the end of it's blade life now. With a second replacement in our near future, we're looking at other options.
Customer Review: Best Can Opener Ever!--for a while
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe I used to struggle with a super cheap metal no frills can opener. I also can't believe I almost bought an electric one because I was tired of hurting my hands turning impossible knobs. I was trying to stay away from electric openers because they're almost impossible to clean and seem to get gunky really fast. I had almost lost hope. Then I found this little wonder....
The best features of this can opener are:
-Super Easy to turn handle, almost feels like nothing's happening but then pop! the lid is off! I think I gave a little yipe of surprise the first time I used it and my husband thought I'd cut my finger off! No way, I don't think you could cut yourself if you tried using this thing.
-The lid NEVER falls into the can, never again do you have to fish the lid of the can out of the soup or tomatoes, or peaches..
-Super sleek looking, super comfy to hold
-Little metal 'jaws' to pry the lid off the can
-NO SHARP EDGES, nothing to cut holes in your garbage sack, no little fingers getting cuts, it's great.
Do your hands a favor, buy this super easy to use super fabulous can opener. The amazon.com price is a steal for what they sell for in my local stores.
UPDATE: This can opener gradually stopped working, to the point it wouldn't open anything at all. Thanks so OXO's great customer service, I sent it back and received a brand new can opener of a different model that I requested, (the i-series)and love it even MORE than the original smooth edge one I had previously purchased. If you are unhappy with an OXO product, I recommend contacting their customer service to help you.