1
Best Overall, Manual
OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Can Opener
Pros
Inexpensive
Ergonomic
Long-lasting
Cons
Looks like your grandma’s can opener
We didn't know a can opener could inspire devotion until we crossed the OXO Good Grips Soft Handled Can Opener. With easy-to-grasp handles, an ergonomic crank, and a blade that won’t quit, some testers reported having this can opener in their drawers for upwards of ten years. One reviewer with fibromyalgia loved that with this can opener they could “tear through cans with no problems or pain.”
2
Best Overall, Electric
Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric Automatic Can Opener
Credit: Hamilton Beach
Pros
Easy to use
Safe to use
Sleek look
Cons
Hogs counter space
One touch of the Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric Can Opener and voila: a smooth-edged open can. Side (rather than top) cuts mean there’s no jagged edges to rough up your fingers or snag your sweater. Reviewers note, “This automatic can opener performs well and looks great.” Downside? You’ll be looking at it a lot as it commands some of your precious counter space.
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3
Best Electric, Compact
Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener
Credit: Kitchen Mama
Pros
Compact
Cute look
Easy to use
Cons
Requires batteries
Every once in awhile, an innovator disrupts a well-established hierarchy. In this case, the electric can opener division has been upended by this upstart: the hand-held Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener. The tiny bestseller comes in a rainbow of ‘gram-ready colors. Unlike some electric can openers, reviewers note it’s “not too screechy or loud,” but it does require four AA batteries.
4
Best Budget
EZ-DUZ-IT Deluxe Can Opener With Black Grips
Now 41% Off
Credit: EZ-DUZ-ITThis all-metal, made in the U.S.A. can opener doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it gets the job done at a sweet price. As reviewers note, the EZ-DUZ-IT “simply works, every time.” In other words: exactly what you want in a can opener.
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5
Best Safety Feature
OXO Good Grips Locking Can Opener With Lid Catch
Credit: OXO
Pros
Magnet that lifts lid
Cons
Needs to be replaced every year or two
A built-in magnet lifts the released lid right off the can with one hands-free, hygienic swoop, thus further reducing your chances of accidentally slicing open a finger. However, this safety feature has a trade off: Long-term testing showed OXO Good Grips Locking Can Opener might not have the same durability of standard can openers and “the magnet didn't work consistently.”
6
Most Chef-Approved
KORIN Japanese Can Opener
Credit: KORIN
Pros
Low-tech
Good looks
Cons
Slight learning curve
Requires a bit of muscle
This Japanese import is beloved by chefs for a reason. It doesn't have a crank or gears that can get rusty and crusty. Simply insert the Korin Japanese Can Opener’s blade and slide around the rim of your can. (And because there’s no crank, it can cut a straight line, too.) Reviewers love that “it's sturdy, sharp, and large so you get really good leverage.” With sleek design and a head-turning poppy-red hue, we suggest hanging this looker on a magnetic strip.
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7
Best Design
Tupperware Can Opener Black and White
Credit: Tupperware
Pros
Modern design
Suitable for righties and lefties
Cons
On the bulky side
If a can opener could be born the love child of a Brâncuși sculpture and a Picasso, it would be this curvy wonder. In striking black and white, the ergonomic Tupperware Can Opener can accommodate both righties and lefties. But this is not a case of form over function; one reviewer noted it was “the easiest can opener I’ve ever used.”
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