Customer Reviews

KitchenAid Can Opener, Red

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

The opener that comes part of a set is different. You can tell by the lack of chrome at the end of the handles. This is heavy duty and much more sturdy. Some reviews are comparing the wrong product!

My entire kitchen is Kitchenaid. I bought this can opener three years ago. It was awful...difficult to use, shredded the paper at the top of the can's label, and was very difficult to get started. Because I love Kitchenaid products so much, I assumed that this was just a defective can opener, threw it away, and bought another. The second one was even worse! It worked okay the first couple of times, but now it barely cuts at all. It grinds the top of the can, making dents, but won't actually make a cut. Once I can get it started, I cannot finish it because it "messes up" the can pretty badly. This one is going in the garbage as well. :(

I've always preferred hand-operated can openers to electric; they take up less space in the kitchen, work just as well (if not better), and open cans without that annoying grinding noise. When my old faithful can opener became dull, I shopped around for a new one and settled on this KitchenAid model. The main reason I chose it was because it felt good in my hand - heavy enough to feel sturdy, but balanced enough not to feel as though I'm wielding a club. It cuts through cans the first time with a smooth turning mechanism. The gripping handles, while thicker than most, are not too large for small hands. The windmill handle is substantial as well, allowing for a good grip that doesn't cut into the hands.

Although I chose this can opener for its heft, I like it because it does its job well, with a sharp cutting wheel and an easy-to-use design. Oh yeah. It also looks great.

When we first got this can opener (and, yes, we have this model, not the one that comes with the set, it has the chrome on the handles), we were quite impressed. It has a good heft and sliced through lids like a hot knife through butter, it's also quite attractive.
Then one day it didn't work quite as well, then a little worse, and a little worse. Now it just makes holes in cans and kinda mangles their edges if you squeeze it hard enough and really, really crank the handle.
Upon careful inspection we discovered that the teeth of the gears weren't lining up correctly this had caused them to grind down each other's teeth, which only made things worse. We kept looking and discovered that the gear misalignment problem was caused by a misalignment of the handles. I bent the handles back inline (so their holes lined up) and was suprised at how easily they bent (but this explained why sometimes, if I held them just right, the can opener would work a little better).
And therein seems to lie the problem. The handles, though heavy, are made of a very easliy bent metal, and once they are bent, the can opener is pretty much worthless.

When we first bought it, it worked nicely and smoothly. Thought we do not need to buy another opener again. Boy were we wrong! After the third use, it will open only a small gap and the handle will just keep spinning. Reminds me of a car turning it's wheels will all smoke and noise but no results. Glad we still kept our old opener from a much lesser known brand. This opener certainly does damage to the KitchenAid name!

This is a real disappointment from a name brand that has built it's reputation on quality. (How hard can it be to build a good can opener??) The blade & gear that are supposed to hold the edge of the can, don't meet well. If you DO get it to cut, it requires tremendous hand strength and multiple stops and starts, leaving uncut gaps in the rim. The handle is loose, but can't be tightened. You can buy 4 cheap can openers for the same price, that will last you for years.

It is hard to believe - but IT DOES NOT OPEN CANS. Seriously. Christmas morning with food preps well underway we discovered our brand new opener would not open cans. Unbeliveable!!

It looked like it would work,
It turned like a high quality item
It won't open even 1/6 of a can as a newly
purchased item.

Go cheap and shop old time stores for
can openers. This is an over-engineered
benz-lemon of a can opener.

I'm taking it back to Nob Hill tomorrow
morning.

A few weeks ago, my manual can opener broke...it wasn't that old. I decided right then to find a can opener that I'd likely never have to replace. The reviews for this can opener impressed me, but [the price] seemed like a lot for a manual can opener. But, I reasoned that buying a cheaper one (I suspect designed to break) was much more expensive in the long run. I've used this can opener a few times now...and it's a dream. This red one is very pretty, heavy/high quality, it clicks right into the can without a problem and most importantly and what truly makes it worth every cent is that when I'm opening a can of tuna and hanging it over a sink of dishes, I don't worry one iota that the can and all the tuna slop is going to slip out and fall into the sink...no tightness in my stomach...this can opener is an unexpected stress reliever...I love it.

How much precision engineering can possibly go into a manual can opener? If it's a Kitchaid can opener, A LOT. This thing is a monster, it can put any electric model to shame. It's sturdy, and weighs twice as much as my other can opener. It looks cool. And most importantly, it opens cans with minimal effort. Worth every penny.