Are all can openers the same, or are some actually better than others? What about “safety” can openers? Are they really safer? And are electric ones worth it?
To answer these questions and find out which can opener is truly the best, I tested the top 10 models across all types.
With each one, I opened small cans of tomato paste, medium cans of beans, and large cans of crushed tomatoes.
I took note of how easily each opener bites into the can, how smooth and effortless it is to turn the knob, how many cranks it takes to get all the way around, and whether it leaves behind a sharp or jagged lid.
I also paid attention to how messy the process was, how easy the lid was to remove, and how loud the electric models were.
To test durability, I dropped each opener twice from table height onto a concrete floor — once on the handle side and once on the blade side — then opened more cans to see if the drops affected performance.
To get a second opinion, I hired another tester to run the exact same tests. All in, we opened more than 70 cans.
In this review, I’ll quickly go through the results and show you which can openers are worth buying — and which you should avoid. I’ll start with the least expensive and end with the most premium.
Key Takeaways
- OXO Soft-Handled performed the best among traditional manual can openers. It’s smooth, comfortable, and reliable, but like all top-cut models, it leaves a sharp lid edge.
- OXO Smooth Edge is the top safety-style manual opener. It cuts from the side, leaving smooth edges you can safely touch. The handle and lid grabber feel sturdier and more refined than the Kuhn Rikon.
- Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch is the best electric can opener overall. It gives the best results with the least effort, producing smooth, safe edges like a safety opener without any manual cranking.
- Cuisinart Deluxe and Amazon Basics 3-in-1 are solid electric options for the price, though both leave sharp lids.
- I don’t recommend the Kitchen Mama. It’s slow, loud, struggles with small cans, and has a high failure rate over time.
- You should also avoid the OXO Lock & Go. Its locking mechanism frequently slips mid-turn, making it unreliable despite the helpful concept.
Use the links below to navigate the review:
- EZ-DUZ-IT Can Opener
- OXO Lock & Go Can Opener
- KitchenAid Classic Can Opener
- OXO Soft-Handled Can Opener
- Amazon Basics 3-in-1 Electric Can Opener
- Cuisinart Deluxe Electric Can Opener
- Kuhn Rikon Safety Can Opener
- OXO Smooth Edge Can Opener
- Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener
- Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric Can Opener
- Bottom Line: Which Can Opener Is the Best?
EZ-DUZ-IT Can Opener
EZ-DUZ-IT is made in the USA and is ranked the Best Overall Can Opener by The New York Times and runner-up by America’s Test Kitchen. The large metal knob provides good leverage and turns with minimal effort. It’s noticeably heavier than the other manual openers I tested, which give it a more durable feel.
It takes about ten cranks to open a medium can, which is on par with the other traditional openers. There was no damage from the drops, and it performed perfectly fine in each test.
On the negative side, the handles rattle a bit and the knob isn’t as smooth as some of the others. And because it cuts from the top, it leaves behind a sharp, jagged edge, and the lid drops into the can.
OXO Lock & Go Can Opener
OXO Lock & Go is a manual can opener with a locking mechanism that clamps onto the can so you don’t have to keep squeezing the handles while you turn. It also has a small magnet that lifts the lid off once you’re done cutting, which is a nice touch.
When it’s locked in properly, it turns smoothly and requires very little effort, which is helpful if you’re opening multiple cans in a row. But there’s one big problem with that locking feature. More than once, it popped off the can mid-turn and I had to reattach it. It wasn’t just me. The second tester experienced the same issue, and it’s one of the most common complaints in user reviews.
It weighs 0.48 pounds and takes about 10 cranks to open a medium can, which is standard for traditional models. It cuts from the top, leaving a sharp lid edge. During testing, it had difficulty attaching to small and medium cans, and the lock button sometimes didn’t engage until cranking began. The magnet lifted the lid well when the cut was clean, but if the opener slipped, the lid tended to fall back into the can.
It survived both drop tests with only a small scuff on the lock button and continued to work normally. Once it’s cutting, it performs fine, but the locking feature that makes this model unique also makes it unreliable.
KitchenAid Classic Can Opener
KitchenAid Classic is a manual can opener with rounded handles and a smooth, easy-turning knob. It feels smoother than the EZ-DUZ-IT, and there’s no rattling when you move it around. The handles don’t open very wide, so lining it up on a can can feel a bit tight at first, but once it’s attached, it bites in easily.
It weighs 0.6 pounds and takes about 10 cranks to open a medium can, which matches the other traditional openers I tested. Like the EZ-DUZ-IT, it cuts from the top, leaving a sharp lid edge that drops into the can. The plastic knob feels less substantial than the metal ones but turned smoothly and didn’t show any damage after being dropped twice onto concrete.
I’ve owned this opener for several years and it still works well. The gears will rust if you leave it wet, which is typical for stainless steel can openers. To prevent it, rinse after use and dry it completely before storing.
OXO Soft-Handled Can Opener
The OXO Soft-Handled Can Opener has a classic design with the brand’s signature grippy handles. It’s sturdy and well-built with no looseness or rattling. It was named Best Overall by both Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen, and after testing, it’s easy to see why. It bites in cleanly, cranks smoothly through the can, and the handles are comfortable and secure in your hand.
It weighs 0.49 pounds and takes about 10 cranks to open a medium can, matching the other traditional openers. The smooth-turning knob requires little effort, and the blade engages the lid consistently on the first try. After two drops onto concrete, there was no visible damage, and performance stayed the same.
The only drawback is that it cuts from the top, leaving a sharp, jagged edge. The lid drops into the can once the cut is complete, which can make removal a little messy.
Amazon Basics 3-in-1 Electric Can Opener
The Amazon Basics electric can opener also includes a bottle opener and a knife sharpener, but the main reason to buy it is for simple, hands-free can opening. Once you press the lever down, the blade bites into the lid and starts cutting automatically. When it’s done, you lift the lever and the magnet lifts the lid while the can drops away.
It’s easy to use and stays stable, even with large 28-ounce cans. It was the second-quietest electric opener I tested, measuring about 74 decibels, and it has the longest cord of any model at 36 inches. The removable cutting assembly makes cleaning straightforward, but you need to handle it carefully since the exposed blade can easily cut your fingers.
On the downside, it cuts from the top, leaving a sharp, bent lid that often drips when removed.
It also struggled to latch onto smaller cans consistently, sometimes requiring a few attempts. The built-in cord storage is another weak point—you have to push the cord into the compartment, and it doesn’t always stay in place.
Cuisinart Deluxe Electric Can Opener
The Cuisinart Deluxe operates almost the same way as the Amazon Basics model. The main differences are that it doesn’t include a knife sharpener or bottle opener, the cord is shorter at 26 inches instead of 36, and it’s slightly quieter at around 69 decibels, making it the quietest electric can opener I tested.
It’s sturdy, well-balanced, and handled large 28-ounce cans without tipping. The lever design makes it easy to operate. You press down to start and lift to stop, but you need to keep a firm hold on the can when releasing it or it can spill. I learned that the hard way with a can of crushed tomatoes.
Like the Amazon model, it cuts from the top, leaving a sharp lid edge that can’t be placed back on the can.
The removable blade assembly is easy to pull out and clean, and the cord storage in the back is much tidier than the Amazon version.
Kuhn Rikon Safety Can Opener
The Kuhn Rikon Safety Can Opener cuts around the outer edge of the lid instead of through the top, so there are no sharp edges and you can place the lid back on afterward. It’s a cleaner, safer design that keeps both the lid and can completely smooth.
The trade-off is that it feels different from a standard opener. Because it cuts from the side instead of puncturing down into the lid, you don’t get the same feedback when it first engages. It usually takes a couple of turns to know if you’re actually cutting, and it needs about 13 turns to get around a medium can, a few more than a traditional opener. It also takes a bit more effort to crank since the blade cuts through the side wall instead of the thinner top panel.
It weighs 0.35 pounds, making it the lightest manual opener I tested. When you’re done, the lid doesn’t pop off automatically. You need to peel it back using the built-in grabber, and sometimes it feels slightly sticky because the opener slices through the food-safe sealant that bonds the lid to the can. That can leave behind a few thin glue-like strings, which are harmless but noticeable.
This type of opener takes a couple of tries to get used to, but once you do, it’s precise, safe, and mess-free. It showed no damage or performance issues after both drop tests.
OXO Smooth Edge Can Opener
The OXO Smooth Edge can opener works almost the same way as the Kuhn Rikon. It cuts along the side instead of through the top, so there are no sharp lids or jagged edges. Like the Kuhn, there’s little feedback when it first connects, so it can take a couple of tries to line it up correctly. It also takes slightly more effort to turn than a traditional top-cut opener.
There are three main differences between this OXO opener and the Kuhn Rikon. OXO cuts slightly lower on the rim, which makes the lid edge even duller and safer to handle. The handle has a soft, grippy texture that feels more secure in your hand. And the built-in pincher that grabs and lifts the lid feels sturdier and more responsive, so you get clearer feedback when you press the release button.
It weighs 0.39 pounds and takes about 12 cranks to open a medium can. It held up perfectly in both drop tests and consistently produced the smoothest, safest cuts of any manual opener I tested.
Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener
The Kitchen Mama is a handheld electric can opener that runs on four AA batteries. You place it on top of the can, press the button, and it spins around the rim automatically. You have to pay attention and press the button again to stop it, or it will keep spinning until you do.
It cuts from the side, so the lid isn’t sharp and can be placed back on the can. It’s cordless, compact, and fits easily in a drawer. The blade never touches food, which means there’s nothing to clean after use.
It weighs 0.73 pounds and takes about 30 seconds to open a medium can, compared to 8 seconds for plug-in models. It measured around 79 decibels, making it the second loudest of the four electric models I tested. Because it spins on top of the can instead of securing it upright, small or dented cans can cause issues. Mine opened all sizes, but the second tester couldn’t get it to open a small 6-ounce tomato paste can despite several attempts.
There are also widespread reports of the motor weakening or the unit breaking after a few months of use. That didn’t happen during my tests, but it’s a common risk with small battery-powered kitchen tools like this one.
Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric Can Opener
The Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch electric can opener is sleek-looking and simple to use. Start with the lever up, place the can underneath, press it down to lock it in place, then press slightly farther to start cutting. When it’s done, release the lever to stop and lift it to remove the can. It cuts along the side of the lid, leaving both the can and lid completely smooth with no sharp spots.
One feature I really like is that the lid stays attached to the can instead of being lifted off by a magnet like the Cuisinart or Amazon Basics models. This design prevents drips and makes cleanup easier.
It weighs about 3 pounds, making it the heaviest electric can opener I tested, and it measured 83 decibels, the loudest of the group. It handled large 28-ounce cans without tipping, but the other tester had trouble with small cans. The opener attached and spun normally but didn’t always cut through the lid completely.
Despite that, it produced consistently smooth edges, felt sturdy, and gave the most premium overall experience of any electric can opener I tested.
Bottom Line: Which Can Opener Is the Best?
The first thing you need to decide is which type makes the most sense for you.
Traditional manual can openers are simple, familiar, and effective. They open cans quickly with relatively little effort, but you have to keep squeezing the handles while you turn, and they always leave behind a sharp, jagged lid that drops into the can.
Safety can openers eliminate that sharp-lid problem completely, and you can place the lid back on to store leftovers. The trade-off is that they take more effort to crank, can be tricky to attach, and it’s not always clear when the cut is complete.
Electric can openers require almost no effort, but smaller cans can trip them up. They also have more components that can wear out over time and cost more than manual versions. If you choose an electric model, it’s worth keeping a manual one as a backup in case of power loss or malfunction.
In the traditional manual category, my favorite is the OXO Soft-Handled Can Opener. It has comfortable, grippy handles, bites in cleanly, turns smoothly, and feels solid in hand. It takes about ten cranks to open a medium can and performed flawlessly after drop testing. The differences between the top traditional models were minimal, but the one to avoid is the OXO Lock & Go, since the locking mechanism frequently pops off the can mid-turn.
If sharp lids are a deal-breaker, the OXO Smooth Edge Can Opener is the best safety model. It left the smoothest lid edges of any manual opener I tested, and its soft-grip handle and sturdy pincher design make it slightly better than the Kuhn Rikon.
For an electric option, the Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch stood out as the best overall. It combines the smooth, safe cut of a side-cut opener with the convenience of an electric model. The Cuisinart Deluxe and Amazon Basics 3-in-1 both performed well for the price, but I don’t recommend the Kitchen Mama. It’s slow, loud, struggles with small cans, and many users report that it breaks or weakens after only a few months.
Read more reviews and compare the current prices of all 10 can openers at the links below:
- EZ-DUZ-IT: Amazon
- OXO Lock & Go: OXO.com, Amazon
- KitchenAid Classic: Amazon
- OXO Soft-Handled: OXO.com, Amazon
- Kuhn Rikon Safety Can Opener: Amazon
- OXO Smooth Edge: OXO.com, Amazon
- Amazon Basics 3-in-1 Electric: Amazon
- Cuisinart Deluxe Electric: Amazon
- Kitchen Mama Electric: Amazon
- Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric: Amazon
