Many, many moons ago we bought our first one of this type of can opener...at Big Lots for five bucks. It worked flawlessly for about fifteen years until it finally bit the dust - and our ten year search for a replacement began. We quickly discovered that prices had gone way up while quality had gone way down. We went through at least a half dozen different brands in our search. We found ones whose motors were sorely underpowered that struggled valiantly to make it all the way around the can and soon quit trying. We tried the ones with the cylindrical cutting head that hangs down below the rim and discovered they were extremely difficult to place on the lid to get them started. Until our most recent purchase before this one every one of them (including our first) had the ridiculous design failure of placing the battery compartment cover under the opener, which meant that if the lid got stuck or the batteries failed while you were cutting you couldn't get to the battery cover to replace the batteries.

We thought we had finally found a winner with our most recent replacement - it took four batteries instead of two so the motor was plenty strong and instead of cutting for a given amount of time until automatically stopping (which allowed previous models to cut long enough to go around essentially any size can before stopping) it was designed to keep on cutting until you pressed the button a second time to stop it. That would have made it ideal...except that it didn't work! Pressing the button a second time reversed the cutting direction - but would never stop it! This meant that EVERY TIME you cut a lid you wound up having to remove a battery to stop it (which you could at least do now that the battery cover is on top rather than on the bottom) but then you still had to pry the lid out of the cutters - which is extremely difficult and a bit dangerous to do. So it also went into the trash and we searched anew.

We came across the Canslab opener and nearly passed on it for two reasons: first, it is quite expensive compared to other models out there, and second, because - while it has a respectable overall rating of 4.4 - there was a one star percentage of about 8%, which was quite worrisome. We rely heavily on customer reviews, reading both the good and the bad, and found that a significant number of the one star ratings involved openers that worked only a relatively short time before they failed. So like I said, we nearly gave it a pass.

But then we started thinking about it. We really like this type of can opener: my wife is a lefty so manual openers are pretty much a non-starter, and we knew from our very first one that if you can find one that works well it is a truly excellent device and worth even the considerably higher prices charged today. Finally, by tossing in a few bucks more, we opted for the Asurion extended warranty so that if it turned out to be flawed we would at least be able to get it replaced for three years.

This review is a bit premature as we only received the opener yesterday, but I guarantee you that if we discover a significant problem we will revise our review. So for now, we're giving it an absolute five star rating for a number of reasons:

+ It cuts smoothly and cleanly and stops - and releases the lid! - when it is supposed to. That alone is pretty much all we ever asked.

+ It uses a USB rechargeable battery, which will eventually save us some of the cost as we no longer have to replace batteries.

+ Although we did not discover it until it arrived, even the rechargeable battery is replaceable in case it ever fails - which is absolutely wonderful.

+ It really wasn't a factor for us, but they advertise that it is much quieter than other openers - which it is.

+ It uses the disc shaped cutter rather than the cylindrical shaped one that hangs down over the lid which, as I noted earlier, never worked for us. Curiously, the cutter on this opener is oriented at ninety degrees to the cutter on all other openers we have ever tried, but it seems to be a much better arrangement as it is by far the easiest opener we've ever encountered to position at the start - just plop it down on the lid, push the button and off it goes.

+ The little pry bar to remove a stubborn lid is a nice added feature - hope we never have to use it!

+ The included magnetic holder is also nice, even though we'll probably continue to keep it in the drawer right beside the oven where we've always kept our opener. But it's nice to have the option.

+ The overall design and build quality is clearly superior to anything we've had before. Time will tell if it will prove successful in the long run.

So our rating is a full five stars - we are quite impressed. We're both in our seventies and hints of arthritis as well as my wife's left-handedness are fully in play now, but if our initial impressions pan out, we expect that after ten years of searching we have finally found an opener that will meet our needs into our nineties...and beyond!

UPDATE: Coming up on one year on and we still love this thing - and discovered one little thing that we felt we should pass on to others. This opener cuts so cleanly that often you can't tell that it has actually cut. The lid doesn't come off the can apparently because it doesn't break the vacuum seal! It is equipped with a little pry bar that didn't work very well, but I soon discovered that I could use an old fashioned "church key" type beer can opener to poke a little hole in the top and then pry it off. It worked but I wasn't too happy about it. Then I recently found a better solution:

1. After the can has been cut, place your hand lightly over the lid.

2. Take the back end of a butter knife or pair of scissors or something else with a bit of weight, and give the side of the can a good tap. Your hand is on top of the lid to keep it from flying across the kitchen and making a mess and the lid pops right off. It works every time and is actually weirdly satisfying. Hope this helps someone.

Oh my this is a game changer. My family was skeptical but I showed them. Its compatible with any can (not pop top obviously) you press the button and around it goes. It stops when it’s done and releases. It’s lightweight and fits easily in my hand and its easy to grip unlike a manual opener. This is much easier on my aging hands and it fits perfectly in the drawer! Cuts the cans throughly with no sharp edges. So far it’s the most functional opener I’ve ever used and it’s rechargeable which I haven’t needed to do yet in the couple months I’ve used it so the battery lasts. You should just get it, you won’t be disappointed.

***UPDATED 2-27-26***

Still loving this can opener! As a point of interest, I said it will not open ring top cans. I was just struggling with a can of Goya beans, unable to pull the lid off. I wiggled the ring tab off and figured I would give the opener a try without the ring tab. It worked perfectly!! So now I have to take back what I said about NOT opening ring top cans. With a little fiddling it WILL!

I have arthritis in my right thumb which makes using a standard can opener impossible. After a LOT of research by my husband and I, we settled on this can opener. I would like to give it 4.5 stars because when it works, it is amazing. However, it will not open a 6 ounce tomato paste can (yes, I tried to open it from both the top and bottom of the can) nor will it open a can with a ring top. I know, I know...but I was hoping for help with ring top cans as well because these are also hard for me to open.

That being said, it worked like a champ on each of the cans you see in the photo...standard tuna can, 2.5 ounce sliced olive can, 8 ounce tomato sauce can, and a 15 ounce can. I have not used it on cans larger than these.

Some people say it is slow. For me, it is quicker than me trying to open the can with a traditional opener and a bum thumb. The other issue seems to be noise. The noise didn't seem excessive to my husband or to me. I wear hearing aids and the noise didn't interfere or bother me at all. It is quieter than a standard (stand up) electric can opener.

As others have stated, the entire lid comes off and the edge of the top of the can is smooth - no risk of getting cut. It basically separates the lid from the can. I have a manual opener that does the same. I prefer the way these work - no lid falling into the contents of the can, and no sharp edges to worry about.

There is a magnet to grab the lid and this works with smaller lids (the olive can and the tomato sauce can) but not for the larger cans. Not a problem because there is a little hook that slides out from the bottom and you can easily lift the lid (similar to how you would take a cap off of a soda or beer bottle).

The opener is shamelessly easy to use. You literally just place it on the can top (easily aligning the mechanism with the rim), push the button, and away it goes. It even does a little backwards dance to let you know it has completed the job.

There is little to get in the way of cleaning - no real exposed parts underneath - so keeping it clean is not a problem. Wiping it with a damp paper-towel after each use keeps it in like new condition.

It was pricier than others available on Amazon, but after much research, this was clearly the winner.

I like this opener so much that I have already gifted one to my brother and one to my sister.

I cannot speak durability as I have only been using it for two weeks but it seems to be well made. I am hoping it will last through many can openings!

This opener is so cool. It just open your cans by itself. I have arthritis in my hand now and have trouble using a manual opener. This has saved me a long time, mostly when I open my larger cans from food storage. It hangs on the fridge or wherever very nicely. Very nice to look at. I attached it a bit too close to the door opener and it has fallen a couple times and has not broken. The ergonomics couldn’t be simpler. Safety too. It doesn’t leave raw edges.

It works amazing this is my second electric can opener this one works better than the last it opens smoothly. It’s quiet and lightweight.It also comes with a hold, which is very convenient. i’m glad I went with this one. It might be a little pricey, but it was worth it.

I love this can opener it frees up counter space it was easy to put the mounting holder onto the front of our refrigerator, it frees you from only being able to open cans in one area on the countertops. It's easy to charge it uses a C- charger just like my cellphone. I charge it once a month and it's never run dead since my purchase in April. I am disabled and have lost alot of strength and mobility in my left hand, this charger has been a game changer. No sharp edges once can lid is removed. On the bottom of opener is a device to lift the lid completely off of the can.

LOVE this little can opener! We felt the charge lasted great. Recharging is fast and easy. It opens cans quickly and easily. The bracket to hang it on the wall was easy to put up and the can opener slips on and off smoothly. Highly recommend!!

This thing is amazing. No effort required, just slot it over the rim of a can press a button. It clamps down goes around the can and it’s done. 95% of the time the lid comes up with the magnet. If not you either just lift it off or it has a little prying tool imbedded in it to pop the off. Seriously no sharp edges on the lid or the can. Great if you have any arthritis in your hands because you literally do nothing. It’s fun to use even with good hands, never have to crank an opener again. Worth every penny.

Buen producto abrelatas las latas sin problema además que no deja filosos los bordes, es muy práctico

Nice item to work with but the batterie didn’t last

No funciona en latas grandes y en las pequeñas no hace falta por qué traen su sistema de apertura incorporado . Una decepción

Awesome Can Opener. Even on small tuna and salmon cans. Like magic. Magnet could be stronger to lift lids off after the tin cans are open. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. However, 100% of the time it opens the cans and most importantly no more sharp edges.

Works great.