I have a Pampered Chef that I love; best one I have ever owned. I kept putting off getting one but finally broke down a few years ago and am glad that I did!

I don't use electric anymore. I love my OXO that opens the can from the outside in. No more lids falling into the food - UCK! Easy to use.

Thanks, Marigene. At this point I will pay anything for one that works. Even the "cheap" supermarket one was 10 bucks.

Missed your post, Dixie. I have been happy with OXO products - I'll check that one out, too! Thanks.

I still have my old Swingline and it works great, and Amanda has an OXO that she loves.

I hate electric canopeners, and will never have one again.

Annie

I still use my old Swingline.

I too hate electric canopeners. All they do is take up valuable real estate and look tacky in my kitchen.

I agree - my Pampered Chef is the best can opener I have ever had. My DH actually had me buy one for his office he liked it so much and I purchased a third one for my DS. One of the things I like the most is the blades never touch the food. Great investment!

I love my Kuhn Rikon! I have a white plastic one from Marshall's but wish I had the stainless deluxe :)

(I severed a tendon in my hand once from fighting with a crummy canopener that never worked right - you really need a good one that works.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Kuhn Rikon

Another Kuhn Rikon fan. Can't tell you how many can openers I've had over the years, but this one is the best. No "gunk" because it doesn't come in contact with the contents of the can. Stainless steel. No sharp lids to accidently slice yourself on. The model I use has a handy-dandy addition on the end. "...it makes quick work of opening bottles and cans with pull and pop tabs, threaded caps, and flip tops."

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Kuhn Rikon Lid Lifter

Pampered Chef all the way.

I have a"top of the line" Swing a way. Theymake a couple of grades and the one costing $8 or $10 is way better than the cheaper one.
at the church there is an OXO ...doesn't work...a Farberware....doesn';t work. When i havea lunch that has a bunch of cans to open, everyone looks for the swing-a-way that works.
Yes, the blade gets into the food, but I put it into the dishwasher....and all's well!
Never tried the Kuhn Rikon or the PC...but I am happy with my swing a way. Back in the house that had apantry with a doorand I had a wall mounted swing a way....that was heaven!!
Linda C

pampered chef here too..

I use the hand-held battery operated style that you just place on top of the can and press a button and it cuts the lid off just below the rim, on the side of the can. After pressing the button, you release it and watch it travel around the top all by itself. No effort at all. I've been VERY happy with mine. It happens to be made by Sharper Image but I know there are several brands and they all look and are priced the same ($20). I like it a lot - always works for me and the lid sticks to the magnetic catch + no sharp edges.

arline

I love Swing a Ways so much I had my parents bring me a couple when they cam to visit a couple of years ago.
I tried several models over here, and I just couldn't find one that I didn't have to wrestle with. Electric or hand models.
I will stick with Swing a Ways.
Lisa

I have the OXO knock off by Good Cooks and I love it. IT also cuts around the outside of the can so the lid doesn't fall in. If I was looking to replace it, I would get the same type from either OXO or PC.

Alexa

Thanks Maggie - I am struggling with this very problem!!!

After months of complaining about cans not being "round" and having my hand held can opener "skip" spots on them making them impossible to get the lid off, it FINALLY dawned on me that maybe it wasn't the cans - maybe it was actually the opener!!!!!!!!!! duh.

So last week, I bought an Oxo one that is supposed to leave no sharp edges. Now all I do is holler to Scott and Will that it doesn't work, only to have them come out and pop the lid off the already opened can. Apparently I can work it, but then I can't get the lid off! sigh.

I am following this thread - just spent $20 on that OXO, now I think I will have to try something else...

Someone should start a used can opener graveyard.

Used pampered chef and liked it a lot, now I use a swing-a-away! By far, I think it has been the best opener I've used. and the cheapest!

This will be of no help to you, but I'm still using the Sunbeam electric can opener my Mom used, and I remember us having it at least back in the 60's, so it's gotta be at least 40 years old. Before I inherited it from her I went through can opener after can opener, all manual, and they only lasted a few years. I love my old Sunbeam.

Sally

I had one of the as-seen-on-TV ones that opened on the side and it was hard to use, but it worked well. Then it died prematurely. I had forgotten I had bought one at Target years ago. Again it's a side opener, black in color and I think the brand is Chef's Mate or something like that. I believe it's Target's own brand. That thing is great! Smooth and easy to turn. I have trouble turning the handle on so many, but not on this one. At first I didn't think it was catching until I went all the way around and felt a little give and sure enough, it was opening it. I like to use the lid to cover the can in the frig.

I'm thinking about getting an extra one and keep in the drawer since it seems that things that work like they should get discontinued!

I have an old fashioned OXO that works wonderfully well and was really cheap. DC uses it between the fancy ones he buys and get disgusted with. The one advantage to those that open on the outside is that we started having a good pliers the kitchens which turns out to be very handy.

ATK tested can openers today, and their favorite was Rosle, made in Germany. It's about $35 here. It's in the category of "safe" can openers, in that it does not cut the can or lid but simply breaks the seal on the outside rim, leaving a lid and can without sharp edges. The Rosle works better than the Oxo because it lifts the lid off of the can when it is finished instead of leaving it on. If you open a lot of cans, I would recommend it, based on the demonstrations I saw on ATK. I buy very few cans and so I seldom use a can opener. About the only thing I buy in cans is tomatoes, although I occasionally buy olives in cans, since they are much cheaper than ones in bottles. I keep a few cans in my earthquake survival kit, but I have to remember to use them and replace them. I've considered buying canned salmon, since the price of wild caught Alaskan salmon has gone so high (although I expect it to go down a bit during the summer).

It's important to have a manual can opener in case of earthquakes, since there will be no electricity. My neighbor Wilma in Culver City had plenty of canned food in 1994, but only an electric can opener. I gave her food from my fridge.

Lars

SWING A WAY!!!

I have a wall mounted one in the garage - where the pantry USED to be. It's still there and I still go use it once in awhile. But I have a hand-held SwingAway. It's not their best one, so it's not perfect.

My DD2 keeps saying she's going to buy me an electric one. I told her that before she was born, I went thru one of those a year. No thanks. I've had these same two Swing Aways for years - one since before she was born, and one just bought for the new kitchen.

DonnaR/CA

OXO here too. Works very well and mine has this little 'scissor' thing on the side that open and close with the handle so once you go around the can it will pick it up off the top for you too...right into the garbage, you never touch the lid and the lid never touches the food.

Stacy3 - does yours not have that thingy to help with removing the top once it's opened? Maybe mine is a different model...?

dreamhouse. Thank you. I didn't notice the "thingy" and had to figure out how to work it - but hey - it works! It's such a tiny little thing - I didn't notice it. And you have to hold the can opener at a different angle to use it.

But you saved me from continuing a search - I am currently happy with the OXO.

Stacy

I've had many can opens over the years but none better than the Kuhn Rikon. Very easy on the hands. I have their Rikon Small Saftely Lidlifter.

I've been using this one now for about 4 years.

As I stated above I have the OXO and really like it. Others that I know that have bought them told me they didn't work. I couldn't figure out how I had no problem with it but others did. Come to find out they were turning it to the side instead of using it straight on which is the way it is designed to use. Also the small scissor that takes the top off after opening the can - most people don't realize that it is there.

I've had the OXO for at least 3 years, and I adore it. See below.

Here is a link that might be useful: oxo can opener