We've had ours 21 years...

I couldn't agree more. We've had can openers galore, and this one works every time without any problems. Simplify, simplify. ;]

Yep, that's the one you gotta use! I've tried others, and nothing compares to that one. My family has had the same one forever and now I've got one in my house and it never fails me!

Yes! I only wish ours had such pretty red handles.

It is indeed the best. I bought one of those "no edge" openers, and it just makes the sharp edge on the can, rather than on the lid. And it doesn't open every kind of can!

This opener, though, will open every kind of can, every time.

I love it too. It's so satisfying to hear and feel that pop/punch through the lid and then the steady twisting and turning... one of the many little joys of the kitchen.

I stopped using one like this a couple of years ago when I gashed open my hand on a just opened can and needed to go to urgent care for stitches. I now use a smooth edge one from OXO.

I think there's one improvement to the basic can opener which is oft overlooked and extremely useful - and rosebud has already mentioned it:

The "safety" can opener. These cut through a different part of the can seal, rounding the cut in such a way that you don't end up with sharp edges (well, they're blunt enough that anything short of deliberately trying to injure yourself on the parts should keep your flesh intact).
I believe most safety can openers also let you replace the lid back on top of the can (mine certainly does), acting as a way to temporarily cap the can if you don't use it all in one go.

The pictured opener is exactly the one I use. I have painful arthritis in my thumb joints, and this one works great for me.

My husband and I have gone through probably a dozen hand held can openers over the last couple years. We always bought decent ones (usually $8-15) but they always seemed to stop working soon after purchase. A few months ago, we found one at Ikea for $3 and haven't looked back. It works better than ANY can opener I've ever owned.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30082645

My favorite is the Pampered Chef no edge ones. I adore it. I dunno if it's because I'm lefty or what but the other kind? I always had trouble with. I love the PC one, though.

I am with you on this one. I haven't let an electric can opener through the front door since 1999. And I continue to hold firm.

We've had the standard oxo one for years but just got the kuhn rikon one as a gift. I'm not used to it yet!

I recently bought a can opener from Target, from the Michael Graves collection (somewhere around $10...), and it's just like the basic can opener except it has a relatively strong magnet that you can use to lift up the lid, instead of digging it out of the can. I don't know how well the whole thing will hold up over time (although it seems pretty sturdy), but the magnet seems like a pretty good feature.

Um, no, that ISN't the most basic you can buy. There are a lot of crummy can openers out there. That is a Swing Away and they are awesome. Classic American design.

I can't believe you blogged about an awesome piece of equipment and didn't even give it credit. Imitations are terrible. You want the real thing.

Sheesh.

My mom's had here's for at least 32 years, because she has had it as long as I can remember...

@ judiau - is correct it is a swing away... it is the best...

I use a Pampered chef safety can opener that a roommate left when she moved out. It's about 8 years old. it doesn't open EVERY can, but I'm okay with that since the little guy doesn't get cut and I can reuse the big cans for storage.

I bought a couple different ones, fancy ones, and they all broke. This one is amazing and always works. My parent's have had theirs for at least 24 years.

I picked up a no-nonsense Ekco metal can opener at the thrift store for $0.50 and it's been going strong for 5 years now.

I have to strongly disagree here. I have gone through several "nicer" hand-held openers like this and they keep breaking. And if you're left-handed, they're a pain in the butt to use. I finally gave up and bought an electric opener and it is much easier for me to use.

I love, (Love!) our kuhn rikon opener. It opens the cans in such a way that you can put the lids back on! It also takes much less force to open the can, which is important for us folks without the wrist strength for traditional openers.

My parents have that very same red opener, but it stopped opening at one point. I guess they have a life span of 10 years, which is plenty.

Much (MUCH) prefer the Kuhn Rikon smooth edge opener. For a couple of reasons. Obviously, the smooth edge. No, it does not leave a sharp edge on the can. It doesn't *CUT* the can or the lid, it separates the lid from the can where it was glued (yes, glued) together. Both edges are completely smooth, and as Robynthegeek noted, you can actually put the lid back on if you want.

But most importantly, I have RA in my hands and wrists, and therefore limited strength. The Kuhn Rikon has a huge knob, and takes much less effort to open the can than the old fashioned guys. I wouldn't trade it for a whole lot of money. I've had mine for about 15 years, and it's still working perfectly, and I open a lot of cans (have 2 dogs, so dog food is in regular rotation....)

if you care about others, youll get the Kuhn Rikon smooth edge opener. so much safer. so so much safer

IF you truly love this can opened as i love mine, you had better really take care of it. Last year i wanted to replace mine that is still working exceptionally well, except i cannot clean the cutting disk properly. I was able to find out that the company that made them for so many years, an AMERICAN company had gone out of business. It was put out of business by a Chinese company that mfgs. an opener that looks identical to the American one but doesn't use the same quality metal, thereby undercutting the price. So prize what you have.

My Swing-Away stopped cutting well after... 6 years or so? It still works, but not nearly as when it was new. I'm trying out the Lee Valley Nogent Super Kim can opener now. So far, I really like it. We'll have to see how it holds up against time.

This post is terribly incomplete. As has been noted, the pictured can opener is a Swing Away. There are many, many similar looking copies of the good old original. I have tried many other brands, some fancy-schmancy, some Swing Away copies, but none - I repeat NONE - can compare. I swear I have used at least a dozen crappy can openers, even way too expensive ones, and no others slide into the can like butter with a gentle squeeze (and the satisfying pop someone mentioned), glide around the can with ease and very little cranking pressure, and leave no uncut gaps where you have to put the opener on again and again to catch them. This is the only can opener you will ever need, they last forever.

Yes, the ORIGINAL Swing Away company(made in the USA) has been out of business for a couple of years now and the 'newer' ones (made in China) are nowhere near the same quality although they look identical.