Customer Reviews

Black & Decker KEC600 Cordless Can Opener, White

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

I would have never imagined opening cans would be a task someone would actually want to do. But my kids now fight over whose turn it is to open the cans! The hands free operation of the can opener is easy to start and fun to watch, as the opener works its way around the can. The handle is easy to set in place, release it, and the opener starts up with its race around the can, on its own, then shuts down when the job is complete.

The recharge unit, almost small in nature, can sit on the back of the counter, and the unit sits in the cradle. The unit seems to hold its charge without a problem, easily handles 5 cans at a time, the most we have ever needed at once, although my youngest would do the whole cupboard if I let him.

This system allows something that I have NEVER been able to do before, actually wash the cutting blade! The removable blade is dishwasher safe for easy and effective cleaning. The other can openers I've owned, which were full units and could not be submerged, could only be cleaned by wiping with a damp clothe. This is MUCH more sanitary.

A great system, and it makes meal prep time, fun time.

Pros: As others have already written, this Black & Decker Cordless can opener works great at first. It's really handy and convenient being cordless.

Cons:
1. Getting a can lined up so it will start opening a can is a little challenging and frustrating.

2. Battery slowly loses its rechargeable charge capability, it's difficult to find a replacement battery, and the battery is too expensive to be practical to replace.

Now that I've had it about 1 year or so, it's obvious that the battery is starting to lose its rechargeable charge capability. It will still open a can, but it's not very powerful now and it's fading, and it sounds like it's barely going to be able to finish opening a can.

Someone else wrote in that it was difficult to find a battery and Black & Decker wants $24.95 for a replacement battery.

3. Life of this can opener is only 1 year, maximum 2 years with only occasional use, due to the impracticality of the battery replacement. In my opinion, it's not worth paying $24.95 to replace a battery once a year, especially for a $20 can opener!

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So, would I recommend it to anyone else? Only if you don't mind having to replace the can opener in about a year or two or spending $24.95 every year for a new battery, depending on how much you use it. Personally, I won't buy another one like this for that reason.

In contrast, my old plug-in electric can opener lasted about 20+ years with fairly heavy use before it died -- lots of can opening with a family of four, raising two kids, and doing a lot of cooking!

I'd give a higher rating if the Black & Decker cordless can opener lasted AT LEAST 5 years, preferably longer, and if the battery replacement cost was only a few dollars. As it is now, I won't buy another one and I won't recommend it to anyone, either, even though I do like the can opener when it's new and runs with a good enough charge.

I love this unit. I had an Oster stationary. It was annoying. It would pop the lid at the end of the cycle, causing liquid to splash on the counter top, and finally the nylon gears went. This Black and Decker does none of that. It runs around the can, and comes to a stop right at the end of the run. No runs, no splashes, no errors.
The convenience of being able to use it anywhere in the kitchen is like using a 900 mghz phone for the first time. It's fun. As odd as it may sound, I now look forward to opening cans.
I noticed that the other Black and Decker model had some problems, but the reviews on this model were great. I can see why.
How many years of use I get out of it, I do not know, but the price, convenience, and quality of the job it does, this is a winner.
One more thing, I noticed that it does not open part of the can, and miss part.You know that annoying problem, of having to go over the top several times to get it completely open. This unit does not skip anything. It is clean, complete, and does what it is supposed to do without a glitch the first time. Buy it you won't be sorry.
This is an edit to my review, or it would be better for me to say, this is in addition to my original herein contained review. I am back after two years exactly, (It's October 2004 and I bought my first one in October 2002) I am here to buy another one. The two year old one is still working but it moves very slow. The nature of NIMH batteries is that they recharge very quickly, run for a longer amount of time, but their shelf life is limited next to a NiMHD. It's a trade off. I love this can opener. It is easy to use unless you are opening cans with your mouth. All you have to do is use it properly. Take a moment when placing it back on the charger to make sure it is properly mounted. Additionally, you have to hold it in the proper position when starting to open the can. If you are opening a little can like tomato paste, then yes you should keep an eye on it, because the opener is larger than the can. But on average size to larger size cans, you can start it and go about your business while it opens. It even automatically stops when it comes to the end.
Pertaining to how long it lasts, I think two years of use, for something that is so convenient and well engineered, for only 83 cents per month is well worth it. If you leave it off the charger for weeks and it runs out of juice, and then you force it to trudge around the can, then you will wear the battery out sooner than two years. Keep it on the charger when you are not using it.
Another nice feature is that the entire cutting head comes right off and is dishwasher safe. They make some other models that are getting mixed reviews, so I would be sure to get the KEC600. It is possible that some of the reviews written here are about the other models. Overall I highly recommend it.

It is so convenient and fast. It took a couple tries to use it the first time but once I got the hang of it, it's so easy. My husband even loves it. It's also nice to have a separate base for across the kitchen or storage. It also keeps a charge, which is nice for a power outage. It is also fun to use.

My first cordless black and decker can opener was great. I used it for many years until the battery would no longer hold a charge. So in spite of some negative reviews here, I purchased this one. This one is junk. I open maybe 2 cans per week. In less than a yera, this opener broke, I super glued it back together, and now it broke again,and can't be repaired. The cutter is cheap and poorly designed. The battery is so weak I didn't think it would make it around 1 can before completly drained. Save your money.

I am very pleased with this can opener. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but once you do it's easy to use.

It holds a charge for a long time and is super-lightweight.

It will move easily around larger cans so you don't get the marks all over the counters from spinning the cans around the opener. (or is this just a problem I have?!)

I highly recommend this model.... I wasn't sure this would be any good because of the price. Happily I didn't get burned --
I took a chance on it and I'm glad I did. It runs rings around my expensive one that only lasted 3 years.

This thing will last a little under a year with daily use, eventually it will fail to charge (even if you keep both charging contacts perfectly clean).

I bought this based on the other reviews, but mine stopped working within six months of purchasing it. It needed constant cleaning of the part that wasn't removable, in addition to sharpening ... and no, I wasn't using it to cut steel or pouring syrup all over it - just opening cans. We ended up buying a replacement at a drug store for $8 that has worked exponentially better than this thing. I am quite comfortable saying that it is by far the worst appliance I have ever owned. Save your money.

This was a terrific gadget--for a few months. It then died. While it seems to be charging OK (limitation: there's no charge light on the base, so you just hope for a positive mechanical connection), there just isn't enough oomph to get around even one can, at least most of the time, without major coaxing. The backup: open a drawer and use the old manual model. That appears the only reliable "cordless" device available.

Black & Decker's quality on small appliances seems to have really gone down the tubes over the last few years. I'm replacing this with a corded model from West Bend; B&D will never again darken my kitchen.

Although it's hard to get too excited over a can opener this little gadget was awsome. I am purchasing my second one today, my first one lasted 10 years and is about to give out on me. I highly recommend this item. The compact design saves counter space but is always easily accessable and easy to use. It's a little noisier than your average can opener but well worth it to have the small footprint.