Faithful readers of this blog (that joke never gets old) will have noticed that I haven't blogged for a while. Well, I've been busy. Very busy. Unspeakably busy. I am tired. I am weary. I am grumpy. However, I am also strong. I am beat, but not beaten. I am bent, but not broken. I am shaken, but not stirred.
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| Best Bond Ever |
The good thing about a gruelling workload and complete exhaustion is that it makes you want to tell other people how miserable you feel. What better time then to unleash some hate on a piece of crap that nobody should ever buy?
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| KitchenAid Can Opener Crap |
Yes, I'm talking about a can opener. A KitchenAid can opener. A Kitchenaid can opener that is a piece of crap. I'm an engineer and I don't think it would really be that hard to make a good can opener. And you know why? Because I know how diamonds work. A diamond is (almost) the hardest substance known to man. And everybody knows that a diamond can put a scratch in just about anything because it is harder than just about anything. So things don't scratch diamonds. Diamonds scratch things.
It is that simple. If you want to cut something like, oh I don't know, a can... you need to make something like, oh I don't know, a can opener... that is made out of stuff that is harder than the can. This isn't rocket science. But this seems to be beyond the comprehension of the incompetent designers at KitchenAid. My lovely wife bought this can opener a couple years ago for $15 bucks. Big handles, beefy looking construction... what is not to like? What is not to like is the "unable to open cans" part. Look at this.
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| Looks OK? |
So what is the problem, you ask? Take a little closer look.
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| Look Again. Craptastic! |
See how the gear that is supposed to grip the can is a mashed up mess? That is the top minds at KitchenAid not understanding how diamonds work. Because whatever this gear is made out of, it isn't harder than the tin can it is cutting through. Instead of the can taking the damage, the gear does. I sent this KitchenAid Crap Can Opener off to where I'm sure a few million other KitchenAid Crap Can Openers can be found.
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| One Man's Garbage Is Also Another Man's Garbage |
You know, it occurs to me now that maybe the folks in KitchenAid's Can Opener division aren't really incompetent. Maybe they think this is a brilliant planned obsolescence idea. Maybe they think that people will just roll over and spend $15 bucks on a brand new KitchenAid Crap Can Opener every couple years. Maybe. But in this day and age of the Internet and the ability of people to spread the news of what they've learned, that shouldn't happen. So screw you, KitchenAid Crap Can Opener Division.
We can't be can-openerless in this day and age. After some research (and I research
everything now), My Lovely Wife and I decided on this bad boy.
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| Meet The New Boss... |
Meet the
Nogent Super Kim Can Opener from the fine folks at
Lee Valley. The blade is made of tempered carbon steel, and it works (so far) like a damn. It is great in that it doesn't leave that sharp little sliver just as you finish cutting the can through like every other can opener seems to do. It has a very smooth mechanism, does not leave a sharp edge, and takes up very little space in the drawer. However, rest assured. If this thing craps out in a couple years, you'll hear about it.
This wraps up the first Public Service Announcement from Mad Scientist Labs. There will be more.
I am super disappointed in my Kitchenaid can opener. For the first week or two it was like butter. I sang it's praises. But now the gears just sit there and don't turn. During the honeymoon phase, I got my mom one as well and now hers doesn't work either. How stupid is that? $14.99 a pop. What a waste of money. I think I may try your recommendation for the Nogent.
ReplyDeleteThe Nogent hasn't skipped a beat since we got it last spring. Highly recommended.
DeleteHad mine two
DeleteMonths now it’s non functional. Piece of garbage
Agree with your assessment of the kitchenaid being craptastic. Unfortunately, the Nugent Super Kim is no longer available! Sigh, guess I am on my own!
ReplyDeleteDAMMIT!
Deletewe thought buying an expensive Kitchen Aid can opener would guarantee quality, not so much. Wish we had seen this article before.
ReplyDeleteSame here, I just complained on-line to the Kitchenaid customer service. I bought it on sale, I thought it was me, I just needed to figure out how to use it. Then my husband came home with another brand and whammo it worked right away, I didn't need to wine and dine it. Stupid can opener. Nice bit of landfill.
ReplyDeletePampered Chef also sells a durable can opener that doesn't leave sharp edges. A bit pricey, but theoretically a one-time purchase. ..
ReplyDeletePampered Chef also sells a durable can opener that doesn't leave sharp edges. A bit pricey, but theoretically a one-time purchase. ..
ReplyDeleteJust spent 20 minutes filing and bending my kitchen aid piece of shit, it works again, for how long who knows. All I know is I will never buy another one!
ReplyDeleteI think Craptastic is on to the problem. I think it has to do with the superior quality of the scrap steel that America and Canada is sending to China to be made into new food quality steel. The north American can companies should make sure the Chinese steel they purchase for their cans is made from recycled Russian steel thus ensuring that the can will always be softer than the can opener,,,, in my honest opinion
DeleteLooking to buy a can opener of this design.
ReplyDeleteWon't bother with Kitchenaid, as they seem to make their gears out of plastic.
Lots of ads say the cutting wheel is made out of durable steel, but haven't seen one that says that the gears are made to last.
Anyone found a reliable brand?
Wow, I thought I was alone in my disappointment with my nearly new non-functioning Kitchenaid can opener. It actually worked great for 5 cans, now it doesn't. UGHHH.
ReplyDeleteYUP ! Kitchen No Aid, would also be a better name for this item. Recently purchased one of these that cuts great great and the gears don't strip but now the shaft that has the drive wheel ( the one that rotates the can ) binds up ! At first I thought it might be from the dishwasher so I oiled it with mineral oil, got it working for 30 seconds ! Craptastic !
ReplyDeleteI too fell victim to the curse of the kitchenaid crap can opener. It made it about 1 year before giving out. Used 2-3 times a week maybe. The tough thing to accept is that it wasnt an inexpensive purchase. It was around $15. I thought I would finally buy a "better" can opener. My cheap one gave out after many years of service. Then, last week it started not working well, now it has completely given up. Extremely disappointing. I guess I'll try to disassemble what I can to at least recycle the steel. I'll never buy kitchenaid again...
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm joining the party of crappy kitchenaid can opener owners (sigh). I found this page when I searched for how to fix it. I found other videos but the can openers in the demos all had removable gears. Kitchenaid doesn't even provide that! So in the trash it goes. Going to try an OXO this time.
ReplyDeleteYes my kitchen aid crapped out today after about 9 months. Kichen Crappy is the real name for this can opener.
ReplyDeleteMy kitchenaid can opener broke too
ReplyDeleteThe Kitchenaid hand can opener is crap. Didn't even work for a year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this informative information about silicone handle opener with us. It's very helpful. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen aid twist knob just came apart. I originally thought no problem,it just needs to be screwed back on...wrong! The axle is made of plastic so it just sheared off. How stupid (or smart) to make that part out of plastic? It broke from the twisting action of opening a can. This reeks of a planned failure by Kitchenaid to make more money...but it's failed...fool me once,shame on you..fool me twice, shame on me.
ReplyDeleteAfter about a year mine is going to the scrap heap to.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd how the finish is still perfect and it looks like 3 months old but when you try to use it the thing just spins.
Kitchen Aid you need a tent and a couple ponies you could start your own circus. Get those gears and cogs heat treated..
What a huge disappointment
ReplyDeleteMy experience as well. First use, the blade is completely blunt, does not cut. The driving wheel damages the can instead of driving the opener. Tried to call Kitchenaid, got a message saying that my wait time was 90 minutes; ten minutes later the same message said 92 minutes! Tried Live Chat, got a brainless bot. Tried to email them, got rejected because I could not provide Model # and Serial #. Tried to find a Kitchenaid center in Philadelphia, there isn't one, only major appliance contract repair centers. Not only crap product, crap service too.
ReplyDeleteIt’s junk
ReplyDeleteMade across the pond junk.
ReplyDeleteKitchen Aid name is in the toilet.
ReplyDeleteyou can't possibly be a mechanical engineer because you have no idea how your can opener actually works. the spiked gears mesh with each other, not the can lol. the fine toothed outer gear is hardened so it will dig into the lip of the can. the reason the spiked teeth are wearing is because of user error...
ReplyDeletemaybe you can get a job at kitchenaid?