Customer Reviews

Amco Swing-A-Way 107RD Compact Can Opener, Red

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Unless you're suffering from arthritis, I have never understood why people buy electric can openers. They're noisy, they take up counter space, and they require electricity so they must be placed by an outlet.

I have always been happy with Swing-A-Way can openers, and just replaced my old one of eight years with this one. The grip is better than cheaper made ones you would find at dollar stores and this is the compact version so it stores neatly in my utensil drawer without being an eyesore on my countertop.

Also, surprisingly, this can opener is proudly stamped, "Made in USA".

NOTE: This is the smaller opener for people with smaller hands. The mechanism is the same. The full-sized model can be found here: Amco Swing-A-Way 407WH Portable Can Opener, White.

I bought one of these in 1982. It still works as well as it did 25 years ago. The white handle is off-white now instead of bright white, and the blade and gear area isn't shiny. Back then cat-food cans with pop-tops were not the norm, so pulling it out of the drawer was the signal for the cat to go nuts.

It cost half of what you have to pay now, but in inflation-adjusted dollars, it may be cheaper. You couldn't buy an electric can opener back then for the same price, they were much more expensive, but they were made to last, too. Certainly the quality appears to be as good now as it was then. Definitely a lifetime purchase. Cheaper can openers may be available, but do they work as well? Looking over the top-selling manual can openers on Amazon, many appear to be knock-offs of this one.

Why would you buy an electric opener which takes up space on the counter or in the cabinet, has to be plugged in, can break down, and uses more resources to manufacture? Not to mention how unpleasant it is to have to try to hold that spinning can and operate an electric opener and not cut yourself all at the same time.

You can wash out the mechanism with hot soapy water or even use a little Bon Ami and an old toothbrush every once in a while, just shake out the water and make sure it dries out well. I probably wouldn't run it through the dishwasher or soak it.

Pros:
* Works very well at opening cans, easy to use.
* Well made, long-lasting.
* Takes up little drawer space, no counter space, and doesn't occupy an electrical socket.
* Well-priced.
* Easy to clean.
* Wise use of environmental resources in materials for manufacturing, length of service, and energy in shipping and use compared to electric models.
* Good utilitarian industrial design.
* Works when the electricity is out.

Cons:
* Does not open cans with tight corners, like some rectangular sardine or terrine cans.
* May not be appropriate for people with severe arthritis or other manual disability--an electric may be better. But, this is a better manual model than the cheapies--has a soft plastic grips that only have to be squeezed in one plane and the turning mechanism is easy to grasp.
* If you don't pay attention, the lid might fall in the can. Never has been a problem for me, but you should always wash the top of a can before opening it, regardless.

Tips:
* Choose one of the colors other than white for the handle so it won't yellow because you will probably have it a long time.
* Makes a great useful and unexpected gift for graduating high school students or anyone establishing a household for the first time.

UPDATE: I checked at the store in February 2010 and I was very surprised to find that some were made in the China and some were made in the USA and were clearly labeled on the package with an American flag. More importantly, I closely examined and compared them and could see no difference other than "Made in USA" imprinted on the metal of the appropriate one. Everything else appeared to be identical. So regardless of how you feel about the place of manufacture, the quality is still there.

First of all let me say that I've used Swing Away can openers since back when they were advertised as the can opener the astronauts used (you may remember back when American companies produced American products for American consumers). When my second regular sized opener finally died I was saddened to see that the current ones are made in China. When I saw that this compact version was still made here I decided to spend a couple bucks extra and go with the smaller model. So much for that plan. The "Made in U.S.A." stamp is no longer on this one either and when you look closely on the label the "Made in China" notation is there. It goes without saying that finish is much worse that on the old ones and the rivet holding the crank is extremely sloppy. So much for another good product.

I CERTAINLY THOUGHT I WAS ORDERING A RED CAN OPENER MADE IN THE USA. I BOUGHT AN EXPENSIVE ONE NOT LONG AGO (MINC) AND IT BROKE APART IN NO TIME. I SPENT QUITE AMOUNT OF TIME TRYING TO FIND A BASIC CAN OPENER MADE IN THE GOOD OLD UNITED STATES BUT ALAS I END UP WITH THIS PIECE OF CRAP AND IT'S BLACK NOT RED! THE ITEM IS INFERIOR TO THE ONE I'M TRYING TO REPACE. I COULD HAVE PURCHASED A BETTER PRODUCT AT MY LOCAL SUPERMARKET BUT THEY ONLY SELL APPLIANCES MADE IN CHINA BY CHEAP WOK LABOR!

1CLOONEY

I have purchased this opener just for one reason. Made in USA.

But when I have received the opener I was shocked to see that it is made in CHINA.

The picture shown on Amazon is misleading and has to be removed.

I found that it is very dificult to find a opener made in USA. I went through 7 different openers in 3 years. All of them were made in China. And all of them broke after 2-3 months of use. I have already spent about $50 in 3 years just on chinese made openers.

Quality of this opener is usual chinese quality. If you look carefully, the parts are not precisely made. There are huge clearances in all moving parts. Because of these clearances the moving parts are floppy. This would lead to excessive wear and failure.

Do not buy this opener. It is NOT made in USA. It is made in China and not worth even one US dollar.

The same people who used to make the swing a way's (in USA) are making a can opener called Ez-Duz-It that is exactly like the swing a ways but they are made in USA and the better quality that we were accustomed to with the old swing a ways. They are being sold at Fantes.com currently for 6.99. I received mine and indeed it is exactly like my old swing a way except it doesn't have the bottle opener on the side, I can live with that.

Since 2008, models 107, 407, 709 and 6090 appear to be made in China and are inferior to the original which had "Made in USA" stamped on the metal arm.