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See why.The Best Electric Can Openers
Electric can openers make a difficult job easy, but some models are unreliable. Could we find one that works flawlessly every time?
By Published Apr. 15, 2021
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What You Need To Know
Whether you open a ton of cans, find it uncomfortable or difficult to operate a manual can opener, or simply prefer automatic appliances, an electric can opener is an appealing option. There are two styles: small countertop appliances and even smaller battery-powered models that sit on top of cans. To find the best openers, we assembled a lineup of eight models (five countertop and three battery powered), ranging in price from about $16 to about $50. Testers, including one with arthritis, used them to open more than 100 cans of varying sizes—from 5-ounce cans of tuna to 28-ounce cans of tomatoes. We even included dented cans and cans with pull tops, both of which can be difficult to open. We evaluated how easy the openers were to operate, their cutting styles, and their durability.
How They Work
The countertop models all operated similarly. They each have a lever and a circular blade that latches on to the can’s rim, suspending the can in midair. Once you’ve positioned a can in place, you push down on the lever to engage the blade and the opener spins the can, cutting as it goes. When it’s done, you lift the lever, extract the can, and then remove the opened lid.
To use each battery-powered opener, you position it on a can’s rim and press a button on the device that causes the opener to slowly make its way around the rim, cutting as it goes (no hands needed). After the opener has completed a full revolution, you press the button to turn off the opener (or it will continue spinning and cutting), and then you remove it along with the opened lid.
Operating the Openers
A can opener’s success depended in large part on how well it latched on to cans. Five models were difficult to use; they required that cans be positioned just so, without clear indicators for ideal placement. The three other models latched on to cans with ease.
We also noticed that some models were more stable than others. All the countertop models required us to keep pressure on their levers in order to operate their motors; lighter models started to topple over when we took our hands off them, threatening to spill a can’s contents and even cut us with blades or sharp can lids. Only the heaviest models were sturdy enough to suspend 28-ounce cans of tomatoes when we took our hands off them. Two of the battery-powered openers often wobbled on the cans’ tops and nearly fell off. The third was stable during each revolution.
Opening a can should be quick, but opening speeds varied among models. The countertop models took an average of 12 seconds to open a 28-ounce can of tomatoes, whereas the battery-powered openers took 34 seconds on averag...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This reliable can opener safely cut through more than a dozen cans of every imaginable size, leaving clean, smooth edges every time. Positioning and attaching cans to its latching mechanism was straightforward and simple, and it was sturdy enough to suspend and open 28-ounce cans. Even pull-top cans were no match for this model.
Recommended
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
This opener was the best of the battery-powered options. Its cutting mechanism left behind safe, smooth lid and can edges, and it was easy to operate with a few pushes of a single large button. It stayed stable on cans of all sizes, even narrow 6-ounce cans of tomato paste. Its cutting wheel became slightly bent after opening more than a dozen cans, but it was still able to open cans without issue.
Recommended with reservations
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We liked that this opener latched on to standard cans very easily and was simple to operate. But it couldn’t latch on to pull-top cans, and it created jagged edges on cans’ lids. It was also too light for some of the heavier cans. We had to keep pressure on it to steady it during operating, lest it tip over.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We liked that this opener was solid and sturdy; it had no trouble with heavy 28-ounce cans of tomatoes, and it survived our durability tests unscathed. But it was occasionally difficult to lock cans into place using its latching mechanism, and its blade created jagged, unsafe edges. It also failed to open pull-top cans.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
Securely attaching cans to this opener was slightly difficult at first, but it became easier with practice. It was reliable with standard cans and performed well even with dented cans, but it had trouble latching on to pull-top cans. It left behind lids with sharp edges that were difficult to pry off its lid-removing magnet.
Not Recommended
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get the hang of attaching cans to this opener’s poorly designed latching mechanism. It was also too light to hold up heavier cans, and it left behind jagged, unsafe edges.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1.5 stars out of 3.
This model was unreliable, wobbly, and unsteady on the tops of cans, and it left sharp edges behind. It got stuck on pull-top cans and was extremely slow. Its motor failed and a gear fell off during testing, and the second copy we tested gave us similarly inconsistent results.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1.5 stars out of 3.
This opener was frustrating to use, frequently getting stuck on can tops, cutting sharp edges, and refusing to relinquish can lids once they’d been opened. Indeed, we had to use needle-nose pliers on more than one occasion. The opener died toward the end of testing, and the replacement we ordered was just as unreliable.
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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Chase Brightwell
Chase is an associate editor for ATK Reviews. He's an epidemiologist-turned-equipment tester and biscuit enthusiast.
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