what kind of opener are you using?

I have a Kuhn-Rikon bottle opener. It works well with several type of lids, pull tab, bottle opener, beer cans etc. There is also a type for opening regular cans too. NO cut fingers for me. I bought mine from QVC many years ago. I use mine almost daily.
Mary

I have an OXO Smooth Edge Can Opener - the type that takes off the edge of the can along with the lid. I don't open very many cans these days, most of the preserved food I buy is frozen, not canned.

No problem here with an old cranker. Buy a new one?

Electric can opener

Sounds like the OP needs to buy a new opener!

No problems with my OXO opener.

Buy a Swingline brand opener. The astronauts used one!

I have the OXO can opener too. It's a little hard sometimes remembering how it works but after a few times you get the hang of it. No sharp edges to deal with.

I have the opposite problem. I seem to have no strength in my hands anymore and find it difficult to get the cutter down into the metal! I also have a hard time prying open those self-closing plastic bags.

I like the smooth edge openers, too. Most have a little duck bill on the edge to help pry up the top once you've finished opening the can.

I use an electric can opener to open pet food cans and have a Farberware hand crank can opener and a Swing Away for when I open cans for myself....but we don't use very much canned food.

I have an electric can opener and a hand crank OXO. Both work well.

I gave up on the old-style can openers, including the electric one - I now have 3 of the smooth-edge can openers that I love.

Mine are like this one:

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodPrep/tools?productId=10008175&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10017809&utm_source=channelintelligence&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google

Here is a link that might be useful: Smooth-edge can opener

I know what you are saying Bee. I am a cook in a restaurant. We were always buying can openers and they would work just like you described. We finally bought one of those industrial ones that you attach to the counter. It was cheaper in the long run.

How about an electric circular saw?

All the time. And my son never has a problem! Never. It bugs me, but I just make him open the cans. He says it's the quality of the cans. It's not my strength or the can opener? So it must be some other factor. Maybe it does take a lighter touch with flimsy cans? Who knows.

Mine is a Swing-A-way attached to the wall with the hand crank. I don't think it is worn out (it's not real old, I could get dh to use the circular saw, Jim-1, but he is soooo messy in the kitchen!

I think it is the quality of the can, too Rob. The lids are quite flimsy. I will try the "light touch". Or, could your son come open cans for me... I won't call him overly often. LOL

Bee, I have one of those too... mine is old. I had it before all my moving started in 98. :)

Unfortunately there is no decent spot here to mount it.

I now use an oxo hand held one from Target. So far, no problems, but I also don't open many cans anymore.

Moni

I think it's oxo at target..get the "plain" one not the locking one...under $10....has a nice fat black handle. easy to throw in the dw....

Bee, he's so sweet, he would do it. but that is one long commute!

I also have a oxo hand held can opener. it is easy to use and you have no sharp edges to worry about. Really don't use canned food a lot at our house.
Mary

I have the Oxo smooth edge can opener too. The great great advantage of it is that you can not cut yourself ever! Sometimes though, the first time around doesn't completely sever the lid, so I just make it a habit to crank it around twice before removing the lid. There is a bit of a learning curve. Mine has a little gripper (like a tiny pliers) on the bottom that you use to grip the lid and pull it off with after you cut it. The gripper is really tiny and it took us a bit to notice it and figure it out, but we do like the can opener and have been using it for 3-4 years now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oxo can opener

Our can opener was great for the first 15 or so years, then starting leaving more and more of the lid un-cut, no matter how hard we tried pushing down. We gave up and bought a new one (whatever replaced the swing away brand), and it works great. Comparing its teeth to the old one, it was clear that our old one was just plain worn out.

Hand-held can opener, on the occasional times that I use it, seems to be working O.K.

My teeth are pretty well worn out, too - actually, most of them are gone.

And I'm to have the third last one removed by surgery tomorrow - dental school didn't want to do it, as I'm on blood thinners.

No one suggested that I go off of the thinners for a short while.

o j

I've had the same problem. We have two hand held can openers, but I couldn't get the can open with either one. Had to wait for DH to come home from work. He does all the cooking, so I am spoiled. Luckily, we don't eat much canned food. Sometimes canned refried beans if he hasn't had time to cook them from scratch. If we got an electric can opener, I don't know where we would put it!