Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have stronger German and Swiss can openers, but this is my favorite. It is the same 1932 design as the Swing-A-Way wall-mount long-arm can opener which was screwed to the wall in everyone's Grandmothers' kitchen. We do a LOT of cooking and, these days, that involves a LOT of different sizes of cans, including the huge 3 to 10 lb tomato cans (pack, juice or sauce bases). This long arm crank opener makes them fly open. With small cans (tomato paste, olives, vegetables), you have to open the can next to the edge of a counter or chef's table to provide clearance to that long-arm crank handle. Once you get used to that, you never reach for any of those beautifully engineered, wonderfully designed and remarkable $25-$40 German and Swiss can openers -- even the best Kuhn Rikons which leave a clean top rim. My wife and my mother both suffer from arthritis affecting thumb and fingers, so I tried this opener for them, but I got addicted to it's virtues myself. Now, I buy this opener for every gift recipient who has arthritis. Cleaning advice from the 1960's: To keep this can opener clean, fold a piece of paper towel to quarters and clamp it into the geared jaws of this can opener. Then wind it through the opener with a couple of cramks of the handle. This action will pick up any residue in the mechanism without having to dunk the can opener in dish water for a mere vegetable can. If you are opening a can of meats, fish or rancidable fats (most soups), you should wind paper towel through first, then whisk it in clean, soapy dish water, then immediately rinse it, then wipe it dry and then immediately wind another piece of paper towel through the opener to get that last residue of water out. Now, it will last about five or six decades without any risk of corrosion. Store this opener on your main can shelf or on a hook or strong magnet on the inside of the pantry cabinet door so that you can grab it and the can in one motion. Life does not have to be complicated. Simple is GREAT! ----------------- UPDATE: It's been 5-YEARS and a couple months since my original review and this can opener is still working perfectly, with absolutely no sign of wear or tear. I stick with my cleaning regimen and that contributes to the service life of this tool. Essentially, I've finished the first HALF DECADE of an expected FIVE or SIX DECADE LIFE! NOTE ON DRAWER STORAGE: I've had relatives complain about this, especially when an expandable or other divider insert is in a shallow drawer. I solved it by setting the divider about 1/2" off of the left or right edge (side) of the drawer, leaving a slot between the divider and drawer side. Now you can turn the can opener upside-down and lay it into this slot with the laid across the top of the divider frame. If the slot is on the left, the handles point away from you; if on the right, the handles point toward you. Still simple ... still GREAT!