Customer Reviews

Pacific Precision Metals THE CRUSHER Aluminum Can Compactor

5 star:		(145)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I would rate this aluminum can crusher 4 out of 5 stars out of the box and only following the supplied instructions. BUT here is how to make it a 5 out of 5 product and arguably the best crusher for functionality, value, and price.

What I did right from the start:

1. Use bolts. washers, and nuts to secure it to a solid surface. I drilled neat and appropriate holes in the side of my cupboard and fastened the crusher over my sink. Using the supplied screws will likely result in them pulling loose from the surface. A great deal of pressure and force (although easy to pull) is used to crush the can to abt 1". With bolts and nuts the Crusher stays secure and shouldn't rip away from the wall. Also, the small amount of liquid from the cans drips right into the sink.

2. Alter the bottom lip of the Crusher so cans will not shoot out the front side while crushing them. They can become quite the missle as they shoot across the room. This alteration is accomplished in one or two ways. Use pliers to bend the bottom lip up abt 3/8 to 1/2". The cans will then stay firm in the Crusher unit as they are compacted. OR you can drop a large head screw or bolt in the hole (already in the product) in the bottom of the lip. This will assist in keeping the can from slipping out. The first method seems to function the best in my experience.

3. Lubricate the inner/outer moving parts with Crisco type shortening or paste. I use this since it is near my sink and dishes. If your Crusher is not near food or cooking items then any oil lubricant or grease would work.

I mounted my Crusher to function with left-hand (I'm right-handed but because of medical reasons my left is much stronger)operation. Be sure to mount it for your convenience and functionality

The lever on the Crusher is fairly easy to pull. A quick fast pull functions best for me and the unit really does crush aluminum (no thick metal or some small pet food cans)cans to about 1/2". Crushed cans require about 5 times less space than un-crushed ones.

The surface of the unit is white, attractive, and durable and blends in quite well with my kitchen decor.

In summary, I don't know what I'd do without the Crusher. It performs better than expected, is durable, attractive, and the price is very reasonable. I read several reviews regarding numerous crushers and this one seemed to me to have the greatest potential and with some adjustments it can be about the best one around.

I hope this review is helpful and your cans become flattened as you contribute to Recycling and the betterment of us liquid-drinking species.

Length:: 3:08 Mins

I bought this to replace another can crusher only to find it has a similar problem with the handle pivot. This model can be fixed easier than the other I was using. I really liked this one and think it will work for a long time given some modifications.

I've had one of these crushers for nearly 8 years now, and it has crushed thousands of cans, yet it is as good as new. It also crushes the cans completely flat (which most others don't do) which saves a lot of space when storing and collecting crushed cans. It's definately worth the price.

What a difference from the other can crusher offered everywhere else (including this site) which was difficult to use and broke after 6 months... This one is SOLID, and works VERY well. Easy to use, very heavy steel construction throughout. No flimsy mechanism, heavy gauge steel construction and very durable looking finish. I am very impressed with "the Crusher" even though I just got it today! Maybe my opinion will change with more use, but I have a very good feeling about this item. If you have a need for a can crusher this is by far the better alternative to the others that are out there. Buy it.

I'm looking for another one of these, nothing else seems to be anything like the quality and durability. We have two, one upstairs and one downstairs... in our office building. After several years they have both broken. One has worn completely through one side of the pivot and the other has cut through the back where the bearing surfaces of the crusher plate uprights stop the crusher plate from folding over. We've worn about a 15 degreee angle on these parts.

But we crush probably 100 cans a day, and this was looking pretty worn nearly two years ago when I joined the company. So another 40,000 cans have worn it to the point where it sometimes jams and sometimes kicks cans out the front, but it's still working.

This can crusher is very good and very strong. But the installation instructions are a little too short. First of all, there are three drill holes for mounting screws in the top... you'll only need the center hole if you are like most people who will mount this to a wall stud. The side drill holes will only hit dry wall. And second of all, this device will wobble unless you have about 100 pounds of torque when you mount the screws into the stud.

My best suggestion is use a one inch wide washer on the outside of the surface before you put the screws into the stud. About a 16th inch thick washer would do it. I didn't realize at first that the install of the screws would require impossible torque, but now I wish I had used two washers. I may remount it someday, and then use washers on the outside surface. But for now this thing wobbles at about 10 degrees.

Other than that, it crushes can like a powerhouse. Just keep it oiled from time to time.

It's construction is heavy duty. I've had it for a few months now and it's still working perfectly with very little wear. Definitely better than other crushers I've seen. They've all worn out rather quickly. One thing to note, if you're limited on where to put it and can't get it in a stud(as happened to me), first mount a board to the wall and then mount this onto the board. Otherwise you end up pulling the screws out of the wall.

I bought this device about a year ago because our recycling bin sometimes was overflowing on trash day. I've mounted it on the deck outside and occasionally give it a spritz of oil. It's fun to use and smashes cans to wafer dimensions. Occasionally cans pop out, but making a thumb size indentation in the can first greatly reduces the pop outs. It looks, feels, and is heavy and substantial.

Very durable. Only problem is that the can pops out sometimes when you go to crush it. Quick fix is to dent/squeeze the can a little bit. Then it works perfectly.

" The Crusher " is a quality appliance - crushing of aluminum cans is simple and the end product is as pictured on the handle of the unit. However,the baked enamel finish is inferior and peels off leaving an unattractive, bare-metal appliance (ours is installed outdoors (in a covered area) and the bare metal is starting to rust. " The Crusher " would deserve a Five Star rating if the enamel finish problem was corrected.