ZYLISS EasiCan Electric Can Opener, Red

Thumb arthritis forces me to find tools that are easy on the hands. I've been using this style can opener for about 3 years. I don't have the counter space to devote to an electric can opener. The size of these battery operated ones don't take up much space in a drawer. I've had the Zyliss for almost a year now and so far it's been reliable. It's easy to use once you get the hang of it. Sit the mechanism on the edge of the can and push the button. When you want to stop it you push the button again which will reverse it for a few seconds. This disengages the blade from the lid. Remember that it will still run when that button is pushed the second time; it does not shut off immediately. The opener cuts the lid below the edge giving a very clean cut. Due to the fact this opener cuts under the edge of the lid, sometimes a long sliver of a paper label can end up in the can. I don't find this to be a bother. It's for "one and done" cans- no way to snap on a plastic lid, you'll have to transfer left overs to another container. I use it about half a dozen times a week. So far, battery life has been very good. I've had other brands of this kind of opener, purchased on Amazon and at BBB. None of them have lived longer than about 6 months so as of now this Zyliss is a winner for me. And it's red : )

Just as an update, After receiving the third replacement we have been working flawlessly for a while now. The customer support is very easy to work with and did what they were supposed to do. I think they may have a manufacturing issue with some of the openers. This is my opinion and only based off my experience and reading what I have seen in reply to my original comments. I ordered my first Zyliss EasiCan opener on 9/8/2013. It opened a few cans without a problem until it started acting up. When you push the button to second time, the opener is supposed to reverse and release the lid and STOP. Mine would reverse, but never release the lid. I had to pull the batteries to make it stop. It finally got to where there was a can lid stuck permanently in the opener. I contacted Zyliss customer support for warranty and they agreed to send out a new one under warranty. A few weeks later I realized that I had not received the replacement, so I contacted them again via email, their preferred method of communication. The email chain I got back looked like someone had dropped the ball, but the new opener showed up just a few days later. Right away I put the opener to the test. It opened the first can just fine, until I pushed the button the second time. To the opener's credit, it did not just keep running this time without releasing the lid. Instead, it died. It died a very quick death. No warning, nothing, just no power at all when pushing the button. Of course, it died with a lid stuck in the mechanism. I tried a few extra new batteries to see if that helped, but sadly this CPR did no good. So, now I am the proud owner of not one, but TWO very stylish Zyliss EasiCan openers, one red, one green, that are not even good paper weights. We shall see what customer support says this time, but I can;t imagine ever having one of these openers that works as advertised for very long. Side note, and this is a problem with all of these lip cutting openers. If you open a can with this opener it removes the lip of the can. All plastic lids for cans use that lip to hold the lid. The end result id a can and lid that do not mate very well and that the lid comes off easy. This is a potential for major failure in the refrigerator!

I have hand and wrist issues, so opening a can with a manual can opener can be a painful struggle. The can opener attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer stopped working and replacement is ridiculously expensive so had to find something else. I don't really have spare counter space or want to devote any cabinet storage space for a standard electric opener so decided to give this a shot since it'll take up very little drawer or cabinet space. I've used it to open several sizes of cans without any issue. Love that it cuts into the can and not the lid, thus the lid doesn't partially tip into or fall into the food in the can (I've always had to wash can tops as the lid getting in my food drives me nuts!) It really couldn't be any easier to use. For people having trouble getting it to stop, it has to keep going after the button is pressed to retract the blade, so simply press the button and wait, it'll stop in a couple of seconds. Whether it remains reliable long term with regular use remains to be seen, but so far I am very happy with this purchase.

This is a handy little can opener, allowing me to store the bulky standing one I've used for decades. Does a fine job of cleanly cutting off the lid, but has one problem: It will NOT let go of the lid nor will it shut off by itself. Only this morning I decided to see just how long it would squirm around after finally falling off the can itself, still grinding away at the lid, upside down on top of my counter. Finally, unwilling to wait until the batteries simply turned up their toes and died, I did what I have had to do each and every can: Using brute force, I pried the lid away from the cutting mechanism by pulling hard on it in the opposite direction from where it wanted to go. Wasn't easy -- it is stubborn. Pushing the button to turn is off as it turns it on is not an option -- simply doesn't work that way, the button working for "on" and not for "off." Since the only cans I open these days are pricey food for my dog, and it's worth the price of admission to watch him spin and circle, whining in anticipation, I will keep at it. But I do wish it would simply know when to quit!

I've had this less than a month so I can't comment on durability. I had 2 One-touch can openers prior to this one. The first one-touch lasted over a year, with several battery changes. The second one-touch only lasted about 6 months and abruptly died so I looked for other options. This kind of can opener is invaluable to me because I have arthritis in my hands and I also don't want to clutter the counter with a standing model. I do like the function of it better than the one-touch because you align it with the side of the can and just press once to turn on -- then when it's gone around, you press the button again to turn it off -- it does a quick reverse and shuts off. The one-touch went around the same length of time no matter how large or small the can, so it kept whining and whining and you couldn't shut it off and remove the lid until it was done. This Zyliss does have trouble with certain can rims so it's not a 100% winner, but I think it's the best in this model and it is a reputable brand; hopefully it will prove to be durable too!

Can openers have been a battle ground in our family. My parents used to complain that I did not have a big bulky electric one. I used to love the pampered chef one (which leaves no sharp edges) but the rest of the family complained it was hard to use. They liked the traditional one, but I had a hard time using them... And then there's my son that has very limited use of one hand. When your kids are in high school, you really want them self sufficient opening cans, especially boys who eat constantly. On a lark, I tried this opener, and to be fair I just got it, so I can talk about long term issues. But it truly hooks on the can easily and then you simply push a button and let go. We were astounded that this little guy just walks around the can. Next thing you know, it's open! If you are looking for a can opener that's easy, or that can be used one handed, this is it! BTW, there are fewer sharp edges on the opened can than with traditional openers, but there are still sharp edges to watch for.

While the item does work, it does not do what was expected and has some design flaws. It has to be placed on just right to lock on and cut. About 1/3 of the time I start it the unit is not on properly, even though it seems that it is. Granted, that is an operator error, but it is a bugger to line up just right. The bigger issues is that it does not cut on the top band of the can. It cuts below the band down a little bit on the paper label. This creates a few issues. First, it is not a smooth edge--you can easily cut yourself on it & it will quickly slice any plastic you may try put over it. In its defense it never claimed to be a smooth edge can opener. I am used to the can openers that cut on the side being that, but again, my fault, I assumed it would be smooth edge. However, a product issue that is not my fault is that it cuts so low it slices off part of the label and that thin strip of paper is constantly getting into the cooking. Another issue is that with how low it cuts the can it spills liquid all over if there is liquid in the can. If you are using it for something more solid like refried beans or dog/cat food you should be fine. Items like kidney beans, fruit, etc. that have juice with them you will need a towel to mop up the mess each time. Also the can opener does not stop when it has gone all the way around you have to push the button for it to kick into reverse a few seconds and let go of the can. I believe the description tells you this in advance. I was expecting it, but it is also a bit of a pain. I will say a positive side to this unit is that it is small and being red easy to find in a drawer. It is a nice size to fit in most adult hands. For some people this may work fine. I know some people who always remove labels before they open their cans and if you aren't opening juicy things and have time and patience this could be just what you want.

Excellent! i bought this for my 84 yr old mother whose hands and wrists are getting weak, so that she can't open tins by herself anymore. i didn't want a upright, stand-on-the-counter type of electric opener, because that involves more 'handling', moving a heavy tin from one place to the other etc than she can do nowadays. this is just brilliant. the tin sits on the counter - no lifting, no grasping involved - you put this little motorized kidney bean on top of the tin, so that it catches the lid, press a button and off it goes all by itself. no hand strength or mobility needed AT ALL. when it's done you press the button again and it reverses for 1 second then turns off. tin is already on the counter, the opener is tiny and light weight, she just puts it down on the counter and voila, one more small step to keeping her independence and doing things for herself. it is battery operated, but for my mother at least, they probably won't need to be replaced for at least a year. and it looks so darn cute! this makes her laugh and enjoy using it, which is just a little bonus to any already awesome product.