<p>Adding a vote for the manual Swing-A-Way can opener. Have been using it for 25+ years with no problems at all. Plus, I try to keep as few things on the counters as possible.</p>
<p>Off topic from original post, but since coffee makers were mentioned … Received a Krups as a wedding present. Worked great for about 12 years, then started leaking water. Went through several more of various brands in quick succession – all junk, and none delivered really hot coffee. After a fair amount of research I bought a Bunn (the home model). It was more $$ than the ones you can buy at places like BB&B, Walmart, etc., but not nearly as much as the fancy, gourmet machines that do everything but wash the dishes. It’s been great, and delivers really hot coffee.</p>
<p>We have a Swing Away can opener too…in fact, we have two (don’t ask me why…but we do). I personally do not want my counters or hanging space under my counters cluttered with one more small appliance. I’m perfectly happy to put my can opener in a drawer. I agree with Binx…this one does the job well…and if it ever did break, I’d buy another one.</p>
<p>We got an OXO Good Grips can opener that sits in a convenient drawer, runs through the dishwasher once in a while, and works GREAT. Best choice I ever made.</p>
<p>I have a Black and Decker Gizmo, which I like. It’s cordless and can be thrown in the drawer. I don’t open lots and lots of cans except during chili season.</p>
<p>We use the Swing-Away at home. We are on our second one but it took many years to wear out the first one.</p>
<p>I still have a Vietnam-era P38 which sits in the coin bin in the car. It is slow, but certainly dependable. The rust is no big deal. Contrary to the legend, it does not seem to get better with age. It works about the same as when it was new.</p>
<p>Pretty soon we won’t need can openers. More and more cans are coming with a pull tab.</p>
<p>Electric can openers make as much sense to me as a plug-in wrist watch, grew up with a swing-away mounted on the wall, and have a hand held swing-away with soft grips that works fine.</p>
<p>What I have learned is that if you openly question the workability of an appliance, you may as well throw it in the trash right then. Once we lose faith in an appliance, it gives up the will to live.</p>
<p>My mother was horrified when, as a newlywed in the 1970’s, I did not want an electric can opener. Unless you are opening dozens of cans per day, why would you need an electric? Why would you want it to take up space on your counter? Why would you want to use electricity for such an easy job?</p>
<p>It’s been a long time since I had to use my Oxo can opener. The only canned food regularly consumed in our house is cat food (of course, the cats eat it, not the humans), and those cans can be opened without a can opener. We still have the cheapo old electric one given to us as a housewarming gift 15 years ago - when I saw this thread last night, I located it in the back of the lazy susan cabinet and THREW IT AWAY. Sorry, I can’t help the OP - we are a manual can opener household :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. As I mentioned, I’ve got two (maybe three) manual Swing Aways in the kitchen drawer. Each kid got one when they went to school as a matter of fact. They are the old reliable, and will probably peel back the sheet metal on a vehicle if pressed into service if a “Jaws of Life” unit is not available. </p>
<p>As for these, as well as a manual operated wall model, the missus is starting to have arm, wrist issues that are compounded by using a manual. Hence, the “need” for an electric that is effective. While I do 95% of the cooking, after 30 years plus of wedded bliss, I’ve found that part of keeping the bliss is in eliminating the little annoyances.</p>
<p>Perhaps my issue is that I’ve used professional grade tools all my life, and while I expect to pay more, I also expect the tool to do the job for which it was made. Alas I would just bite the bullet and get a commercial grade electric, but can’t justify a $1000 for a unit that will probably outlast my children. There’s not much if anything available in the midrange. A few around $50, and the rest are WalMart type specials.</p>
<p>I shall look at some of the suggestions offered.</p>
<p>I dumped my annoying electric can opener a couple of years ago.
I bought a manual Kitchen Aid. It’s pretty heavy duty, opens any can easily.<br>
I think I bought it at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
I also like my Kitchen Aid Pizza Cutter.</p>
<p>violadad, I hereby agree that your family <em>totally</em> qualifies for an electric jobber-do. I hadn’t thought of the need to avoid the wrist action and/or grip of even a good manual one… But I bet my day is coming :o.</p>
<p>Somehow or another, I missed the part of your OP that said you already had swing-aways! Oops. Sorry. Since you do most of the cooking anyway, if I were your wife, I’d simply use the lack of a decent can opener as the reason to take away that last 5%.</p>
<p>(Last year, I helped out at a wedding and loaned my apron to someone who has yet to return it. He apologized last time I saw him, and I said that was okay - I’ve been gettin mileage out of it. “Can’t possibly cook - Friend still has my apron.”)</p>