Customer Reviews

Krups 404-70 Open Master Can Opener

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

This thing opens cans like no other can opener. It leaves unsharp edges and a close fitting top. Instead of trash, you get a reuseable container. Until the cutter wears out. Then you have an nice, ergonomic gadget with a swell motor which begins to not work as well as it did over the past four or more years. All it needs is that little thing you put over the lip of the can. Daddy could fix this if he could get the part, but he can't.

I've bought my second Krups model 404. Probably I'll buy a couple more before I die.

This opener could unseal a tank! The unique design keeps the lids from falling into the can which has always been my problem. Those little magnets that the other openers have just never worked right and usually got gummed up with whatever was in the can, not to mention the cutting blade funk! I will admit the Krups can opener does take a bit getting used to as far as getting the unit to grab the can on the first try. I think it is because of the hand-held design and need to have the correct angle of can-to-opener so stringent that getting it aligned is a learned thing although not impossible. If Krups could open the 'window of opportunity' for grabbing the can, I think they would have the ultimate can opener on the market. With a small amount of patience and putting the unit in a strategic location near the pantry and a counter (for grab-open-place operation) you will never want to use another can opener. At least until they make them out of lasers!

The three most positive things about this can opener are (1) the can lid is left with no sharp edges, making it safer to handle and dispose of. (2) Even tall cans may be opened with this Krups product, as it is hand-held as opposed to standing on a counter with a limited height space for the can. (3) There is nothing to clean on this product. Since there is no "cutting blade," nothing gets "gunky" or dirty. It is light-weight and easy to operate by using your thumb to push the button to activate. Since the can sits on the counter or other flat service, a heavy or large can is not a problem.

The only problem one may encounter is getting the opener "connected" to the can lid. It isn't difficult, it just takes a little getting used to and the pros definitely outweigh the one slight con. I like my Krups Open Master so much, that when I had to live with a family member while recovering from surgery, I took my opener with me.

Operates fine when new, but began chewing up canlids after 5-6 months(spinning without grabbing). When I took it in for warranty repair, the repairman said that replacing the teeth is the most common repair. This opener is ergomonic and is relatively light. If Krups would give it longer lasting teeth, I would give 5 stars.

Although this opener is a little hard to use at times, it does a great job of opening cans without leaving sharp edges on the lids. You can also store items for a short time right in the can by reusing the lid.
I bought one for my mother-in-law who has had a stroke and can't use both hands. She is able to open any size can by herself and doesn't have to worry about cutting her "good" hand. My mother has arthritis and enjoyed using mine this past summer. I am buying one for her for a Christmas gift.
This item is perfect for people with children (no sharp edges!), folks with handicaps, and those of us who dislike dealing with sharp objects if we don't have to.

This is a great can opener. You NEVER have sharp edges and removes the lids so easily. I have owned other brands that claim to have no sharp edges but in fact they don't have sharp edges on the lid but do have sharp edges on the can. This is such a safe way to open cans and you never have to worry about metal shavings in your food.

I'm so happy with this product that I've just ordered another as a Christmas gift. I've had mine for about a year and it cuts along the outside of the rim. So I no longer have cross contamination of food and the problem of the lid falling into the food. The cutting wheel stays clean! Also, there are no sharp edges around the lid like the old-style openers.

A previous reviewer mentioned metal shavings--- I can't see how this is possible unless their unit was defective somehow. The only complaint I have is it is sometimes difficult to line the cutting wheel up with the can and I sometimes get a false start. Once it engages, it runs without a skip! Oh, by the way, I've tried the manual versions of this new type of opener and they take a lot of muscle. Stick with the electrics.

This can opener was given to us as a wedding present. We previously owned a Black & Decker cordless hand-held can opener which we loved and when it comes time to replace the Krups, we'll be looking for another Black & Decker.

One of my primary complaints about this opener is what makes it unique: the crimping edge which removes lids from the side instead of the top. I often use canned items such as cranberry sauce or tomato paste. The best and easiest way to remove the food from the can is to remove both ends of the can and push one end through the can. The food is removed from the can cleanly and completely. However, you can't do this with the Krups Open Master Can Opener.

Another thing Krups could have done to make this opener more versatile is to make it cordless instead of having to be plugged into the wall. We have a large kitchen and it's much easier for me to bring the opener to the food prep area than the other way around. Unfortunately, there is no outlet near that end of the counter area!

Additionally, the Krups is often difficult to attach to the cans and I find myself using a hand held Swing-A-Way $5 opener 95% of the time instead of the more expensive electric model.

This opener is much more sanitary than the cutting wheel type.
I am about to replace mine again, for the second time, even though I find three deficiencies:
1. It doesn't last more than about two years.
2. It requires careful "jiggling" to engage the opener with the can.
3. There are some few types of cans that it fails to open.

But health considerations win out.

This review relates my experience, and anyone who tries the repair described below does so at their own risk.
After about 4 years, our Open Master quit opening cans. The motor was OK, but the can wasn't open after running around it. Being recently retired, I thought I'd give repair a shot.
First I brushed out the opener head with a stiff brush and got out a lot of black junk. Then, I hit the bottom of the vertical wheel with some white lithium grease (in a pressure can with a tube attached). Black junk everywhere, but kept mopping up with a paper towel and blowing stuff out until it seemed clean. At this point the vertical rotor seemed to move into the case about 50% more than previously.
The little horizontal rotor at the bottom of the mechanism seemed to be frozen. I rotated it with a tool and gave it a shot of lithium from below. I found the mutilated can I had tried to open earlier, and it removed the bottom pretty much the same as when it was new.

Love the machine when it works, but wish you could snap in a new opening mechanism cartridge for $9.95.

good luck!