Amco Swing-A-Way 107RD Compact Can Opener, Red

Unless you're suffering from arthritis, I have never understood why people buy electric can openers. They're noisy, they take up counter space, and they require electricity so they must be placed by an outlet.

I have always been happy with Swing-A-Way can openers, and just replaced my old one of eight years with this one. The grip is better than cheaper made ones you would find at dollar stores and this is the compact version so it stores neatly in my utensil drawer without being an eyesore on my countertop.

Also, surprisingly, this can opener is proudly stamped, "Made in USA".

NOTE: This is the smaller opener for people with smaller hands. The mechanism is the same. The full-sized model can be found here: Amco Swing-A-Way 407WH Portable Can Opener, White.

I bought one of these in 1982. It still works as well as it did 25 years ago. The white handle is off-white now instead of bright white, and the blade and gear area isn't shiny. Back then cat-food cans with pop-tops were not the norm, so pulling it out of the drawer was the signal for the cat to go nuts.

It cost half of what you have to pay now, but in inflation-adjusted dollars, it may be cheaper. You couldn't buy an electric can opener back then for the same price, they were much more expensive, but they were made to last, too. Certainly the quality appears to be as good now as it was then. Definitely a lifetime...Read more

First of all let me say that I've used Swing Away can openers since back when they were advertised as the can opener the astronauts used (you may remember back when American companies produced American products for American consumers). When my second regular sized opener finally died I was saddened to see that the current ones are made in China. When I saw that this compact version was still made here I decided to spend a couple bucks extra and go with the smaller model. So much for that plan. The "Made in U.S.A." stamp is no longer on this one either and when you look closely on the label the "Made in China" notation is there. It goes without saying that finish is much worse that on the old ones and the rivet holding the crank is extremely sloppy. So much for another good product.