OneTouch Can Opener
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List Price: Our Price: $12.00 You Save: $7.99 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of OneTouch Can Opener
Customer Review: A very regrettable purchase indeed
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this can opener because it seemed like a dream come true. Like any reasonable and lazy person, I figured I shouldn't be wasting my precious time cranking the knob on a can opener when it could do it for me! More realistically, I have no counter space for a full-size automatic can opener, and I figured this thing would free my hands up and let me multi-task better in the kitchen. And on first examination, this sleek bad-boy seemed like a real winner.
Then I tried using it.
Sure, the first time out it's fun watching this lustrous white blob of plastic slowly, SLOWLY wobble it's way around the lid of a can. The novelty wears off fast.
The package brags that it "safely" removes can lids "without producing any sharp edges". My mother had owned one of those so-called "safety-lid" can openers before, and I was a fan. Her's cut along the outside edge of the lid rim and truly did produce sharp-edge-free cans. THIS can opener actually cuts directly BELOW the rim of the lid into the side of the can itself. Sure, the lids aren't sharp, but what good does that do me when the can itself can now slice my finger in two?
This gleaming white little monster gulps down batteries like they were a tall glass of water in the desert. I had to swap in new batteries every 5th or 6th can. And boy, you sure better swap them out BEFORE they actually die, 'cause if this thing gets stuck half-way through, you're in for a world of trouble.
The batteries are changed by sliding off the lower half of the shiny, white shell. This means that if this thing's mid-way through its circular trek before it keels over, the can is stuck right where you wouldn't want it, perfectly blocking any chance of you getting to the precious battery compartment hidden below. And since the cutting blade won't retract until the very end of what it assumes is a full trip around, and there is NO way to manually retract it, you're stuck with this hunk-of-junk permanently mounted to the edge of your can.
There is a small gray screw-shaped knob on the underside of the device that acts as a manual crank for situations like these. Unfortunately, the can is almost certainly blocking any convenient attempt at shoving a screw driver in there to turn it. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the gray plastic knob is rather flimsy and easily strips.
An hour and twenty minutes, several heavy-duty tools, and a lot of frustrated cursing later, I was able to pry the lid out of this awful thing's metallic grasp. Basically what I ended up having to do is rip apart the can with some metal snippers and then forcefully rip the lid out, all whilst trying very carefully to not tear the can-opener to pieces.
Believe it or not, I've suffered with this can opener for almost two years now, partly out of laziness and mostly because I always forget to look for a new one when I'm at the store. I've found that if you replace the batteries religiously, this shiny white gadget from hell can limp along and slowly get the job done. That said, if I had any idea what a frustrating mess I was getting myself into when purchasing this over-priced piece of garbage, I would have avoided it like the plague. Actually, the plague isn't even all that bad with modern medicine. Imagine if Ebola and a flesh-eating virus were to mate and spawn some new world-destroying super-ailment. Yeah, I would have avoided it like that. Go spend 1/3 as much money on ANY other can opener and be glad that you did.
Customer Review: This darned thing actually works!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like most of us, I have fallen victim to the phenomenon of impulse buying - on line, in a store, or over the phone after seeing a compelling TV infomercial. More often than not, these purchases wind up either being returned (if they seem worth the time and trouble) , are simply thrown away or sit collecting dust in the garage or deep recesses of my closet. The reason for these sad dispositions is usually the same: they simply do NOT do what they claim. I am particularly pleased to report that this particular device - one that even sounded too good to be true when I first saw it on TV, actually works! That is to say, it does what it says it does: Opens cans easily, without causing strain on the wrist, leaves no sharp edges on the can as it makes the cut below the top lid itself and is powered by small (AA) batteries and is, thus, completely portable.
I love this kind of surprise!
My dubious expectations were reinforced when I first held it in my hand. It is small (about 6"long and 2" wide at it's widest point). I have had electric can openers five times it's size and power that did not work reliably! Further, I found it difficult to believe that 2 AA batteries could provide sufficient power to generate the torque this thing would need to do it's job. I also thought that it looked pretty vulnerable and feared dropping it for the first time.
I was delighted to be found wrong on all counts.
I have dropped it three times. Not only does it still function well, but the case never even came apart (as with many dropped small appliances); the torque created is absolutely adequate to open ANY can - and the device requires, literally, no human effort beyond that of placing it correctly on the top of a can and pushing one button. It stops itself when it is done. The original batteries, by the way, still power it fully after three months of near daily use! Did I already say I am astounded?
It is small enough to be stored on a shelf or in a drawer but not so small as to be easily lost or misplaced. It is a welcome replacement for shelf standing, plug-in electric can openers - and for the old turn-by-hand ones that my aging fingers and wrists can no longer tolerate.
I don't think you can go wrong with one of these - even if you use it only as a back-up. For the cost, it is a great value and much more reliable than most "AS Seen ON TV" products I have experienced.
Customer Review: A No-star Piece of Junk
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased one of these from Bed, Bath & Beyond, but I had to call a dozen stores and drive halfway across the state to one of the few that hadn't sold out of One Touch can openers. The fact that they seemed to be a "hot" item, and that our local news even aired a segment on them as "the only can opener you'll ever buy," bolstered my decision to buy one. I wish I'd done a little homework.
The first time we used it, the motor seemed to struggle to open a standard can, but it got the job done. Afterward, however, it stalled completely after cutting the (standard-size, undamaged) can a few inches. Releasing it from the can required holding the release button while the motor reversed itself, then holding the reset button for a long time. The whole process took at least ten times longer than using a conventional manual can opener, which is what you'll wind up doing when this product fails, and at that point you'll have to contend with a partially cut rim making that more difficult (and, in many cases, leaky).
Even using brand-new batteries didn't work. The problem seems to be with the motor, which seems to grow weaker and stop after two or three seconds.
I bought this as a "gag gift" for my wife, because I make fun of her for asking for boring, practical gifts, and she teases me for somehow ruining our manual can openers on large cans when we make homemade spaghetti sauce. She was genuinely disappointed when she didn't get a hands-free can opener in a gift exchange last Christmas. Anyhow, what was intended as a silly little lark turned into an ordeal because of this bad product. I wound up exchanging it for an Oxo smooth-edge can opener, which works well.
Do not buy this product. You'll have to throw it out sooner or later -- and not much later, at that.
Customer Review: Underpowered, leaves sharp edge on can, slow
Summary: 1 Stars
I was expecting a device that cut the roll-seam of the lid, but this one cuts the can just below the lid. The resulting edge, while not razor sharp, is hazardous--in point of fact, the instructions warn, "Note: The cut edge of the can may be sharp and shoud be treated with care." contradicting the prominent "NO SHARP EDGES" claim on the packaging.
On a typical can, the opener struggles to complete its task, coming to a near stop at times. Of course this near stalling takes its toll on the battery life. It has a fixed run cycle that will run around a typical 303 can about 1-1/2 times. For large cans you just push the button to restart it for more than one cycle until it makes it all the way around.
When the batteries give out and it comes to a stop in the middle of opening a can, there is a tiny reverse button on the underside that is used to reverse its motion until you get back to the starting poin where it will release he can. There is usually enough power left in drained batteries to backup to the release point, but if the reverse button doesn't work because the batteries are completely dead or the opener is jammed, you must use a screwdrive to turn a release screw on the bottom until the opener backs up far enough to release the can--this manual release operation is challenging (and generally messy) to perform .
The cutter--a sharp edged wheel--is not removable for cleaning, so you are left to dabbing at it with a sponge or cloth (after removing the batteries).
I recommend passing up this gadget.
Customer Review: Great at first -- then, big disappointment!
Summary: 3 Stars
When I first got this product, I would've given it a five-star rating, as it really did the job and was fun to use. However, after a few weeks I had an episode where the battery died (w/o warning) and I could not pry the opener from the can lid. Called customer support and they told me what to do, and that finally worked, but it wasn't easy!
Had this problem a couple more times, and then started having the problem where the opener would just go 'round and 'round the can, long after the can was totally opened, and wouldn't stop no matter what I did! Worse yet, you cannot get the lid off the opener when this happens, and no amount of pushing reset buttons would stop the darn thing!
You also cannot get the batteries out or replace them with the lid stuck to the opener. I finally got so disgusted, I threw the opener and the lid in the trash. Such a disappointment!
This could have been a wonderful product if just a little more thought and effort had gone into its design. For instance, a low-battery indicator would be a great help, along with a more reliable way to get the opener to release the lid if it should die mid-operation or fail to stop at all -- both of which issues you will eventually encounter with this product! I would NOT buy another one of these unless they fix these problems in future models. The only reason I even gave it 3 stars is b/c of how much I liked it at the beginning.