Best Electric Can Openers – Consumer Reports

Price paid: $28.99
Where to buy: Amazon, Kitchen Mama, Walmart

What we liked: The Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener comes in very Instagram-friendly packaging—a cute, color-blocked box with punny messaging: “YES YOU CAN.” I felt empowered just looking at it. The design ethic extends to the machine itself, which is oblong-shaped and matches the same color blocking on the box. As someone who often prefers form over function, I also appreciated that the Kitchen Mama is available in a few different colors, so you can match your kitchen aesthetic. 

“This one has the best design of all the handheld ones,” Viv agreed, as we watched the Kitchen Mama circle the top of a can of adobo peppers. 

Luckily, this can opener isn’t all just looks. After placing it on the rim of the can, all our testers had to do was press a button and it would begin to circle the can, making a cut not on top but along the rim. This yields a “safe cut” with no sharp edges. You can also replace the top of the can like a cap. You don’t have to worry about it falling into the food.  

This can opener is not too screechy or loud, though it does click as it cuts around the can. There’s also no auto-stop. 

“The opener lowers its position on the can when it gets all the way around,” Anna observed. “But you do have to press the button again to stop it.”

Once you press the button, the opener reverses by an inch or so, presumably to make sure the top has been fully cut open, then it stops. When you remove it from the can, the top clings to the opener, which is a nice feature because it keeps it from clattering on your counter and leaving a mess.  

What we didn’t like: The big drawback for this can opener is that it requires four AA batteries—and they don’t come with the machine. After I unboxed this model, I had to run out for more batteries because I could only scrounge up a few in our odds and ends drawer.