Looking for a good can opener

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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Feb 11, 2016
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I'm looking for a good hand held manual can opener thats made to last, preferably American made but will settle for European.
Definitely nothing made in China or Taiwan.

Currently I have an old Swingaway that's not quite so effortless anymore, and an EKCO that worked extremely well and was my goto.
Sadly it ended up under the sink somehow and a leak resulted in it rusting a bit too far to salvage.


Any recommendations for a good US made option that hopefully won't break the bank ?
 
Many years ago, before I was married - around 17ish years or so? - my mother gave me this can opener for Christmas. Swiss-made and it hasn't failed me since. It operates a bit differently in that it leaves no sharp edges on the can.

I've not needed another can opener since. I'm not sure if it's still made but you can't go wrong with this one.

3wCFVLG.jpg
 
Thanks for the reply, that looks like a good one.

It seems they no longer offer that model sadly and the current offering though reasonably priced seems a bit gimmicky with a built in cap lifter and some other nonsense.
Probably a quality tool, but I want something basic and straightforward.
 
Eli Chaps said:
Order a stone or knife from Baryonyx (forum sponsor) and he'll likely include a P38 can opener. At least he used to. Don't get much more basic than that. ;)
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I've got a couple p-38's and a p-51, not to mention the Vic's and leathermans.
I used my leatherman PST today to open a couple cans of soup and that got old fast, almost made me wish I had just made it from scratch :D
Can't make Nachos without my Riccos though and lately the cans have not come with the pull tab.
 
Pàdruig said:
Many years ago, before I was married - around 17ish years or so? - my mother gave me this can opener for Christmas. Swiss-made and it hasn't failed me since. It operates a bit differently in that it leaves no sharp edges on the can.

I've not needed another can opener since. I'm not sure if it's still made but you can't go wrong with this one.

3wCFVLG.jpg
Click to expand...
I have one of those, still going strong.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Thanks for the reply, that looks like a good one.

It seems they no longer offer that model sadly and the current offering though reasonably priced seems a bit gimmicky with a built in cap lifter and some other nonsense.
Probably a quality tool, but I want something basic and straightforward.
Click to expand...
There are a few models they offer, some less "gimmicky" than others. But it's a can opener. Just buy one, open your cans and be happy.
 
Check out EZ-DUZ-IT can openers, made in the USA, and can be found on that South American river site. If Japanese can openers are OK, look up a "Gangy" I believe also on the same site. It is like a "B52" with a big handle for more leverage. Just a minor rant, do not know why people call the bigger can opener than the P-38 a P-51. The P51 was a smaller plane than a P38, and when those can openers first came out they were called B52's, at least in the Army. The reason they were made bigger as more and more women were coming into the Army and they some did not have the hand strength to work a P38, so they made it bigger to a B52, to give them more leverage. John
 
John A. Larsen said:
Check out EZ-DUZ-IT can openers, made in the USA, and can be found on that South American river site. If Japanese can openers are OK, look up a "Gangy" I believe also on the same site. It is like a "B52" with a big handle for more leverage. Just a minor rant, do not know why people call the bigger can opener than the P-38 a P-51. The P51 was a smaller plane than a P38, and when those can openers first came out they were called B52's, at least in the Army. The reason they were made bigger as more and more women were coming into the Army and they some did not have the hand strength to work a P38, so they made it bigger to a B52, to give them more leverage. John
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Thank you, the EZ-DUZ-IT seems to be exactly what I'm looking for and I will be buying a couple of them.
 
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I just ordered two EZ-DUZ-IT can openers, one for me and the other to gift.

Never heard of the company before, and I like to learn a little about every American manufacturer I discover.
I read that the John J Steuby company purchased the original equipment from the Swingaway plant which they now use to manufacture the EZ-DUZ-IT, if this is true it would explain why it looked so much like my old worn out swingaway.
My old swingaway is a smaller model without the cap lifter , but the similarities are definitely there.
 
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20 years ago, my bride thought I was nuts for my loyalty to Swingaway. Then she used it. When we found another at a yard sale, still in the package, we bought it. For reserve.

I've heard good things about OXO, too.
 
number9 said:
20 years ago, my bride thought I was nuts for my loyalty to Swingaway. Then she used it. When we found another at a yard sale, still in the package, we bought it. For reserve.

I've heard good things about OXO, too.
Click to expand...

I got my 2 in and it's excellent, literally an exact copy of a swingaway ( my old one was a smaller model ).
I read that John J Steuby had purchased the original swingaway machinery and looking now I can see that this is very very likely true.
They relocated the cap lifter hook to the top on the models that have one, but otherwise they're identical.



I absolutely love the writing on the package too, you can tell the company is very proud to be Manufacturing it in the US.
 
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number9 said:
That looks just like the one in the drawer. (Ours is red.)
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Well if your swingaways ever need replacing then you know what to look for;)
But you can actually get rebuild kits on Ebay with the new blade...ect, so a whole new one may not be necessary I suppose.
 
My wife got one of those Pampered Chef ones that don't leave a sharp edge. They work OK. I still keep a P-51 in the drawer for that occasional stubborn can.

Funny can opener story- Several years ago I was at my in laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Someone brought something in a can, we couldn't find a can opener in the kitchen. Fortunately, I had a P-51 on my key ring. Don't use it too often, one has lived on my key ring of in my pocket since I was a teen.
 
Phydeaux said:
My wife got one of those Pampered Chef ones that don't leave a sharp edge. They work OK. I still keep a P-51 in the drawer for that occasional stubborn can.

Funny can opener story- Several years ago I was at my in laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Someone brought something in a can, we couldn't find a can opener in the kitchen. Fortunately, I had a P-51 on my key ring. Don't use it too often, one has lived on my key ring of in my pocket since I was a teen.
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Last year they had a birthday thing at work for one of my coworkers and there were two large cans to open and no can opener.
The only can opener around was the one on my multitool, boy is it a pain to open even one of those large cans let alone two with a multitool can opener.
It was a Utica multimaster too, and the can openers on them are nowhere near as good as a leatherman or Victorinox.
 
I have the black plastic OXO good grip , it works well and has held up for 5+ years now. I would guess Taiwan origin as I cannot recall the packaging. Comfortable and easy to use but has some flex on thicker cans, a decent tool but definitely not a heirloom.
 
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