Amco Swing-A-Way 6090 Easy Crank Can Opener

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...Read more

Permit me to add my voice to the favorable comments above. Before my can opener was delivered I wondered if perhaps it would not be quite as good as others have said.

It is that good.

It is a pleasure to use. Now my wife and I do rock-paper-scissors to see whose turn it is to open the next can.

I intend to buy more openers and use them as Christmas gifts for older friends and relatives. I'm sure I will get weird looks when they open the gifts, but after trying them out, I know they will be delighted and appreciate my perspicacity.

We do a lot of cooking and freeze it for weekday meals and have noticed how poorly electric can openers work on large cans. A friend of ours mentioned that this opener would be far better and easier and she was right!!
While I will keep the electric can opener for now, it is going in the cabinet purgatory in favor of this can opener which is so easy to operate and takes far less counter space.