Hand Held Safety Manual Can Opener by Zulu Quality - Made of Stainless Steel and Silicone - Side Cut Action Leaves Smooth Edge and Replaceable Lid

I've purchased lots of handheld can openers - mostly at grocery or discount stores. While they usually look sturdy and shiny and will open cans well when they're new, the key parts (rotary blade and gears) almost always start rusting after you wash it a few times and then they get hard to use. Putting them in the dishwasher just makes the problem worse.The Zulu safety can opener is the only one that I've been able to run through the dishwasher without getting any rust. Of course that wouldn't matter if it didn't do a good job of opening cans - but it does a great job! It can take a little getting use to it since you don't use a lever to close a blade and gear assembly like most handheld openers but after you learn how to position it at the edge of the can, it works fine. And it doesn't leave any sharp edges on the can or the lid. It's also nice that the company is U.S. veteran owned. The only thing that could be better was if it turned out it to be made in the U.S. (I actually couldn't find any information on the manufacturing site but I'm going to assume that it's not in the U.S. or I think the company would make a point of that fact on its packaging. But every other handheld can opener I've bought in stores has been made in China so even if the Zulu opener is made there too, that's no worse than any other company.) The bottom line is this is the best can opener I've found and I highly recommend it!

Wow. I never thought I'd take the time to write a review about a can opener. I'm even more surprised that I am so excited about a can opener. It actually makes me want to open cans, and I usually don't open very many cans. This opener is so cool, so easy to operate, and is FUN to use! My girlfriend was not impressed or excited when she opened the package and asked me what it was that I had ordered. (It doesn't look like a can opener, so she had to ask what it was.) She gave a kind of a sigh when I told her about it. She did not exactly say I was wasting my money, but I could most definitely tell she was thinking it. I opened a can, by myself, hidden from her view in the kitchen. I said "Wow" to myself. My girlfriend heard me and when I came into the living room where she was, she said "Oh, Brother!. Keep in mind that she is a major, and I mean MAJOR cook in the house. She just loves cooking more than anything. But she just would not try it at my insistence. It was "just another junk item for the drawer". But i would not let down. I wanted her to try it. FINALLY she tried it, because she knew it was the only way to shut me up.Then SHE said "Wow". She immediately said that she was giving one to her mom and sister for Christmas. I said I was giving one to each of my two sisters. We then both laughed at how silly it was that we both got excited about a can opener. Then we opened two more cans. Just for the fun of it!Okay, this is the deal: 1. My girlfriend likes electric can openers because of the arthritis in her hands. It hurts her to use a "normal" hand can opener. Because of her pain, I go along with the electric opener, but I do hate it. That little cutting wheel and gears get food on them from the cans, and my girlfriend does not always put that part in the dishwasher. So it is disgusting to me.2. This can opener does not cut the lid off. It LIFTS the lid off. It pulls the lid off the top of the can. So no sharp edges, and the lid comes off 100%. It does it with such ease, the arthritis-stricken hands don't hurt. Somehow, the food doesn't get on the opener. It is as clean as the outside of the can. I'll have to monitor this with a few more cans to see if that claim really holds up to all types of cans. Our test was with small cans of Hunts tomato sauce. The reason I can't tell you right now how clean it is with all types of food, is that we just got the opener an hour ago, and I'm so excited about it, I wanted to immediately write a review! Silly, huh?3. By getting rid of the electric can opener, my girlfriend now has more countertop space.UPDATE: The company representative is so polite and nice. She sent me an email genuinely asking for any feedback of my opinion of the product. She included with the email a free ebook on a .pdf. I have no idea what it is yet, as I am currently too busy. But it was such a nice gesture, that I do plan on reading it, regardless of what it is. And I don't even read books. The instructions that come with the can opener even are worded in a way that is slightly humorous. The way these communications are worded, I almost feel like the representative is part of my family. LOL. I know, weird. Point is: In addition to a good can opener, the company appears to be a good one that values their customers.INCREDIBLE!

This opener is well-built and feels good in the hand. However, it only works most of the time. I'd like it to work all of the time—ya' know? For whatever reason, it just will not completely open some cans, some times. I don't see any pattern to it.After struggling with a half-open can last evening I came here to return the opener, but the Amazon Return Window closed ten days ago; looks like I'm screwed.UPDATE 3-23-19: While going through the reviews here, I read several that suggested the "cutting" wheel may not be turning, which was causing the opener to fail. The suggested remedy was to lube the cutting wheel, so I hit mine with some silicone spray lubricant. That does appear to have solved the problem, but I'm disappointed I have to manage the device. I suppose it's worth it to not have the razor-sharp-can-edges problem. I don't open a lot of cans, so it'll be a while before I know how the lube works out long term. I'll update if necessary.UPDATE 4-13-19: After opening less than ten cans, the opener is back to only partially opening a can. The problem I'm having is with steel cans—aluminum cans (cat food) open fine. I guess I'll try lubing the cutting wheel again...UPDATE 7-30-19: I am done with this thing. The cutting wheel just ain't turnin'. At. All. And I'm not gonna spend any more time on it.

They company contacted me and it sounds like I may have gotten a defect. I've had the replacement for a while now, and it has worked great for a while now. Hopefully that stays true, but great customer service either way.I was happy to find a new safe edge opener, especially a slim one they wouldn't take up a lot of drawer space. Unfortunately it only opened the first few cans cleanly, and now only shreds them. It won't open the cans, and leaves them with dangerous, thin slivers that could end up in food, or your finger. Maybe I got a bad one, but it didn't hold up to light use. This is so bad I've resorted to a Swiss army knife opener for now.