<p>My old one is worn out and doesn’t work anymore. It is getting harder and harder for me to get the lids off of jars. Has anyone found a really great one? DH is a great one, but he’s not always available.</p>
<p>A sqaure of thin rubber, big enough to generously cover the lid.</p>
<p>Also, for tricky lids, I take a heavy knife and tap around the edges of the lid and then remove it.</p>
<p>Piano and tennis lessons.</p>
<p>^^
Yup, that works, too.</p>
<p>Bag of wide rubber bands. Wrap them around the lids.</p>
<p>If you have real issues, you can get an automatic opener or buy a channel lock pliers. The pliers adjust to pretty darn wide and they lock in place (thus the name). Otherwise, a flexible silicon thing gives a good grip.</p>
<p>We have one of the rubber ones, which works pretty well. For stubborn glass jars with metal lids, run the lid under very hot water. That will expand the lid slightly and make it much easier to turn.</p>
<p>At one point, my little brother jumped on the bandwagon and bought one of those yellow Livestrong bracelets. He never wore it and eventually it disappeared, until I was confused one day to find it in the silverware drawer. When I asked my mom about it, I found out she’d be using it to open jars. She had no idea it what it was supposed to be and found a purpose for it. </p>
<p>Also, as I learned via Google during a particularly intense struggle with a jar of olives, that if you take one of those pointy can openers used for putting those triangle shaped holes in the top of cans, you can get the jar to open. What you do is stick the point under the edge of the lid and pry it up a bit. It will break the vacuum seal and the lid comes right off.</p>
<p>Turn the jar upside down and hit the bottom with the palm of your hand; this will release the air in the jar allowing the lid to open with ease-sometimes! You can also use a knife to release the air buy inserting the tip under the edge of the lid and lifting up a bit.</p>
<p>That all said, I just use a large rubber thingy first.</p>
<p>google “Un-Skru Jar Opener”. I don’t recall which one of those home visit ‘shops’ (like tupperware) my Aunt bought the version I have, but it has a serrated metal strip on one side. You wedge the jar lid into it and turn. I LOVE this little thing. The nearest to it I could find is the Un-Skru Jar Opener.</p>
<p>I have one that attaches to the cabinet underside. It’s essentially a metal “v” with teeth. Slide the lid into the wide end of the “v” as far as possible, then turn. Greatest invention ever. If you search on under cupboard jar opener, you’ll see them turn up. </p>
<p>Since it’s attached to the cupboard, you can always find it. :)</p>
<p>Put on rubber gloves…Bluettes are good if you can find them. There is enough stickiness between the rubber and the metal to open most jars…at least for me.</p>
<p>When ya’ll get that one figured out, maybe somebody could tell me how to open a shrink wrapped blister pak.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about Chinese nuclear weapons half as much as Chinese packaging glue. Man, that stuff is amazing. Half the stuff in the pantry, I can’t open. They sell these gourmet kitty appetizer packages – the target market is surely “old cat ladies” who want to pamper their kitties. I can’t peel the foil top off the packaging to save my life. It’s embarrasing. It says “PULL HERE” and I’m like on my hands and knees on the kitchen floor wrestling stinkin’ package of cat food and losing. Good lord.</p>
<p>Oh, and after that, how about the shrink wrap plastic around the twist off caps of bottles like olive oil and fancy wine vinegar. My god, I’m like going after it with a butcher knife and just praying I don’t slice a finger off and can’t put a dent in the stuff.</p>
<p>This one is great:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Amco Swing-A-Way 711BK Comfort Grip Jar Opener, Black: Kitchen & Dining](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Amco-Swing-711BK-Comfort-Opener/dp/B000HMC5JA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Amco-Swing-711BK-Comfort-Opener/dp/B000HMC5JA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)</p>
<p>I find using and old fashioned bottle opener on the lid to release the pressure works great, you know the ones that are rounded on one end and pointed on the other end.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for these great suggestions!</p>
<p>Yup, we’re a bottle opener and kitchen shears family. Just stick the bottle opener under the edge of the jar, the seal will break and you’ll hear the release of air and it opens. The other essential kitchen tool is a pair of kitchen shears…forget the “tear here”, “rip here”, just take the shears and cut the darn things open. Works for those plastic wraps on the twist off caps. Take the shears make a tiny snip and it will tear easily. Less chance of cutting one’s finger off with a knife.</p>
<p>I’ve used a number of things over the years–and all seem to work for different situations…a rubber tourniquet-thingy that blood drawers put around your upper arm opens most bottles, a plastic can-opener-like thingy that breaks the vacuum seal for tough bottles, a husband thingy that can handle the toughest bottles.</p>
<p>I don’t have problems often because I take tennis lessons…</p>
<p>This is the one we use: [Best</a> jar opener I’ve ever tried - OXO 8.5-in. Black-Handled Jar Opener - Viewpoints](<a href=“http://www.viewpoints.com/Oxo-8-5-in-Black-Handled-Jar-Opener-review-fa0d0]Best”>OXO Good Grips Jar Opener Reviews – Viewpoints.com) It nearly always works. If it doesn’t running the jar lid area under hot water and trying again or banging the can on my kitchen floor (tile) generally will make the difference.</p>