How long do can openers last?

Gather App
Guns.com Vault
R

Rick Courtright

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
7,897
City & State/Province
Redlands CA USA
Hi,

Ok, silly subject time, courtesy of needing a distraction from an ever so boring online continuing ed class!

A strange conversation came up last time I saw my sister. She was complaining of having to buy a new can opener (old school manual, not electric) every two or three years. She's bought "cheap" ones and "yuppie designer" ones and most everything in between she could find, and I'd bet a lowly P-38 would probably do as well as many of them. They seem to have one thing in common: if they could speak, it would be in Mandarin.

On the other hand, I have this old Swing-A-Way which will probably last forever. Why? It's horrid avocado green, and it seems almost any item of that color will last indefinitely! In fact, "Uncle Rick's ugly can opener" has long ago attained "family story" status! Left by a roommate decades ago, they were dated when they were US made and this one says "76" on it. For all I know, it was a free gift when someone bought a shag rug!

Now it would be easy enough to just take 15 minutes and go buy a new one in a more pleasing color, but while they still make that model, the new ones are reputed to be nowhere near as good as the "old" ones (hint: a current date code might say "Year of the Rat" or similar.) Besides, then there wouldn't be a story to tell. So it gets a reprieve as long as it keeps working. I figure in the nearly 40 years it's been opening cans, this one's possibly done close to 10,000 at the low end rate of about five a week. And it's nowhere near worn out. My sis would have to be doing about 60 a week to keep up with one of her "three year" models, not a likely thing!

So is she exceptionally unlucky? Have our friends the Chinese simply doomed us to a life of unopened cans? Or am I just the victim of the "Avocado Green Curse" and don't know it? Inquiring (or bored) minds want to know!

Back to that class now... ;)

Rick C
 
My mother still has her wall mounted swing away from the same era as yours. I buy hand held swing away openers. They seem to be the same quality. Mine don't last because my wife & kids leave it in the sink with the dirty dishes. Then it goes into the dish washer.

My mother's wall mount gets washed by hand occasionally, dryer, & oiled.
 
I think it is obvious... the Chinese plan to take over by selling us all this crap.... the only reason I would like to go to china is to see if they make this stuff for themselves or do they have high quality tools that aren't allowed to be exported.
 
I'd bet it is softer steel.



blume357 said:
I think it is obvious... the Chinese plan to take over by selling us all this crap.... the only reason I would like to go to china is to see if they make this stuff for themselves or do they have high quality tools that aren't allowed to be exported.
Click to expand...


Nope, they sell junk to their own too. I had to go buy tools when I was there because where I was working didn't have any. I left them with the mechanics I was working with. You'd have thought I left them gold bars they were so excited.
 
The Chinese used to make pretty good stuff -- about 2000 years ago. They had a formal quality control system that was enforced by the Emperor. This was especially true for weaponry - bows, arrows, swords, armor, etc.. If a shop or factory produced something that didn't meet specifications the workman responsible, and often the person in charge, would be "terminated" -- Permanently. Things really started going downhill about the same time as the Communists took over.

Ref: J. Juran, A History of Managing for Quality: http://www.amazon.com/History-Managing-Quality-Joseph-Juran/dp/0873893417/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445341402&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=juran+China%E2%80%99s+Ancient+History+of+Managing+for+Quality
 
I have a manual opener that I have had since the early '60s. It is a P-38. Still works every time. :) :roll:


As to those that knock the Chinese work just turn the keyboard over you type on and see where it was made. Now look at where your tablet or PC was made. Seems their QC has gotten a wee bit better over the years.
 
Fox Mike said:
I have a manual opener that I have had since the early '60s. It is a P-38. Still works every time. :) :roll:


As to those that knock the Chinese work just turn the keyboard over you type on and see where it was made. Now look at where your tablet or PC was made. Seems their QC has gotten a wee bit better over the years.
Click to expand...

Not mechanical stuff, but a pair of Chinese doors I have that were made by a Chinese craftsman about 200 years ago. The point being that the Chinese can make excellent quality products if they are allowed to, and the incentive is there to encourage pride in workmanship.

chinesedoors-1.jpg~original


One of the carved panels:

cs9.jpg~original
 
The Chinese goods that are sold over here have probably been built to the specs of the company that imports and sells them here,and else where.
When the product is built at a lower cost,doesn't always mean it has to be inferior.
 
I have a hand held swing-a-way. It's a few years old. The previous one was maybe 10 years old and rusty. If I remember right, this current can opener was made in China. It is in fact, I do remember correctly. When we bought it, it said made in China, so we weighed it for some reason. It was heavier than the previous US made can opener.

Last Friday we went to this dinner. The keynote speaker was talking about Chinese made goods. He seemed to think China will never surpass America because China is concerned with speed and producing the most the fastest, not with quality. If they start to be concerned with quality, profits will naturally follow, but they cannot get passed the speed and producing more type of opinion.

He gave an example. Disney is opening a theme park in China, Shanghi I think. It will have 33 million visitors per year. They poured the cement floor for one venue in record time. Their secret? They didn't use rebar to support the floor, so sure they beat all speed records. But will it last for 33 million visitors per year? Doubtful.

This is why America will always be the best! We as a whole care about quality, not quantity. Anwyay, sorry to digress. I wouldn't want a wall mounted can opener. We rented a house once. It had one...broken. So there it was, a great big broken built in can opener in the kitchen. Can't find parts or fix it. My trusty hand held swing a way, still swinging.
 
I dumped my 20 year old electric opener and bought an Oxo manual an opener a few years ago.
http://www.oxo.com/products/preparing/can-jar-openers/smooth-edge-can-opener
It is easy to work with padded handles and doesn't leave metal shavings.
Made in USA I think. It actually cuts the lid off from the side. A little strange until you get used to it.
 
Rick Courtright said:
So is she exceptionally unlucky?
Click to expand...
I would bet on either careless maintenance or gullible.

I have a "Swing-Away" manual that I bought some where between ten and
fifteen years ago. It replaced a similar unit that had relatively sharp edges
on the turn handle. Mine is marked "Made in the USA", so I'll hope that is
in the United States and not in Usa Japan (or now China). I think it was $6
 
Mine is a Swing-A-Way and was made here,even has "Turn" and a CW arrow engraved into it. :lol: I bought it in '89 or '90. I don't eat from cans much and it needs some oil on the working parts. I have some 3-in-1 somewhere.

This kind should last a very long time. I'd had some cheap ones and didn't want another of that type.
 
Kevin said:
For oil on a can opener, I would think olive oil or food grade mineral oil would be better than machine oil or motor oil.
Click to expand...

I like the taste of oil in the morning...yeah food grade sounds much better. :lol:
 
I would worry less about the oil or lube, than any "left over food stuff" on the gear or cutter...............we only worry about oil and lube if it gets into ,onto or drips from your powder measure when reloading using any automated, progressive reloaders..... :roll:
 
We have a hand-held version of the Swing-A-Way, and then an old wall mount Swing-A-Way that I kept when we remodelled the kitchen. But have not found a good place for it. We also bought a new USA made Swing-A-Way anticipating replacing the old one. Still have not wore one out. The oldest might be from the 1928 remodel.
 
My parents had an old fold out can opener that lasted I guess more than 40+ years right next to the cast iron Coke-Cola bottle opener fastened to the door jam. :D
 
Hi,

Sounds like the old Swing-A-Ways enjoy a pretty loyal following! I'm not so sure how true that is about the new Chinese ones: a few people seem to be ok with them, but overall, it doesn't look like there's a lot of love for the new ones.

Good news, though:

The people who made the original Swing-A-Way in the US are still in business! According to their story a couple of years back, they were allowed to keep all the tooling and have been making the "same old" can opener here since then. A buddy's old Swing-A-Way is only about two or three years newer than mine, still working fine, but he wanted a spare "just in case." He and I found the same thing about the same time, and there's one of these in each of our kitchens, both still unused:

http://www.amazon.com/EZ-DUZ-IT-3028-Deluxe-Opener-Grips/dp/B0071OUJDQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_79_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BHN9R5GB6EWQ2DRVNQF&dpID=31qN1OcRpYL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR90%2C160_

I've seen what seems to be the same can opener sold under two brands, "EZ-DUZ-IT" and "Made in USA Can Opener" at various price points. Even with shipping, mine was still a few pennies under what the local Ace Hardware store wanted for a Chinese Swing-A-Way!

Now, if you choose to order one under the EZ-DUZ-IT brand, make sure it's their Deluxe version, sometimes listed as #3028. It has the gear driven cutter you want. The original Swing-A-Way was also made in a "light" version which didn't have gear drive for the cutter. There's one of those in the camping box, and while it's easier to use than a P-38, it's nothing like its big brother. It seems EZ-DUZ-IT must have made some of that model, too, judging from a few complaints where reviewers said they didn't get what the picture showed. Just a word of caution...

Rick C
 
Rick Courtright said:
http://www.amazon.com/EZ-DUZ-IT-3028-Deluxe-Opener-Grips/dp/B0071OUJDQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_79_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BHN9R5GB6EWQ2DRVNQF&dpID=31qN1OcRpYL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR90%2C160_
Click to expand...
Click in the page to look at the price change as the quantity changes.
(HINT . . . . BUY 1) :roll:
 
I like the side-openers. I've picked up a couple of them at yard sales. One stopped working after a couple of years, but the other is going strong. You can dish out half the contents, then cover the rest with its own lid and put in the fridge. Very clean, safe, and handy. Get a good side-opener, and you'll toss that clunky Swing-Away in the scrap bin.
 
I would think like any cutting instrument its blade will dull with use. Who here has ever sharpened a can opener ?
 
I've got an old side opener that my parents had when I was a kid. It still works fine. We were cooking out for my wife's family reunion & my father-in-law brought the chili. He had bought a brand new one to use there. It did not work at all. I wound up opening the cans with my pocket knife.
 
blackhawknj said:
I would think like any cutting instrument its blade will dull with use. Who here has ever sharpened a can opener ?
Click to expand...

Hi,

My buddy said he tried to sharpen the blade on his old Swing-A-Way. I'm not sure if it needed it, or he just wanted to see if he could (not an unlikely scenario!) Regardless, he said that cutter blade was harder than the hinges of Hades, and I dunno if he made any progress or not. I do know he's still using that can opener to this day.

Rick C
 
Don't know who made my manual can opener, It's one of those that clamps unto the can and separates the Lid from the can leaving no Sharp edges.
We've had it now for about 8 years !!
 
I have a swing away from 1971 that still works like a charm....that was when I moved out of my parents home to my first apartment.

Now, my other long term appliance is a 1945 toaster, still going strong, every day since my parents wedding on Dec. 1, 1945.

They don't make them like that anymore. :mrgreen:

Viking Queen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
One thin dime, how much can it buy?
2 3
Replies
63
Views
2K
Cholo
Cholo
Joe Chartreuse
How do you store them?
Replies
15
Views
544
snowman04
S
xTopGun
Air quality today - how do we sue Canada .....
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
dadstillsurfs
D
GunnyGene
How many screws do you need on a holster?
2
Replies
41
Views
1K
Dan in MI
Dan in MI
gnappi
Drove a new Bronco last week
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
kmoore
K

Latest posts

Back
Top