Safe-cut can openers
You probably use the tooth-wheeled cranking can opener design which was invented in 1931 by Charles Arthur Bunker. This is called a top-cut can opener. Most people haven't given a second thought to can openers since. It's still the bestseller, but not the best can opening product.
Top-cut can openers puncture and cut the lid of the can. You need to maintain a grip on the handle to prevent the cutting wheel from detaching from the can. When you finish the cut, you need to dig the sharp lid out of the can and food. Shavings of metal can find their way into your food, so you need to look for those as well. In the end, you get your food and the experience is fine only because you’ve put up with it before.
Safe-cut can openers don't actually make a cut. Cans are not sealed shut, they're double-seamed with a can seamer machine. Safe-cut openers drive a steel roller against the outside rim to gradually separate the lid from the can body. This leaves a smooth edge and no metal shavings. And the lid can be placed back on the can as a lid.
The one downside to safe-cut openers is that you need to turn the knob more than top-cut openers. A top-cut opener has a direct cutting action where the blade is constantly engaged with the can lid, unless your blade is dull. Safe-cut openers can require more rotation because they tend to lose contact with the side at times which leads to more turning. And thicker cans can increase rotation effort even more.
I use an older model OXO safe-cut Good Grips can opener, pictured above. It's better than top-cut openers overall, however I can't say I would recommend it compared to other safe-cut openers. I struggle to rotate the very rounded, three-segment turning knob especially with slick hands. And the footprint is large, so it doesn’t store well and it’s occasionally difficult to align the wheels to the can's lid.
Their newer model uses a flatter, longer two-segment turning knob, but isn't ambidextrous like my old model. The handle is now split in two, making it even bulkier to store.
A slimmer can opener with a flatter turning knob, like Kuhn Rikon's, would be my recommendation to anyone interested in buying a new can opener. Or a design similar to it.
