As Someone With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, This Can Opener Is a Game Changer for Me

Never did I think that an electric can opener would be something that excites me. I’ve only ever lived a kitchen life that involved a very old—pretty sure it’s vintage at this point—manual can opener. And in general, it didn’t get much use since the cans that I buy always have the ring you pull to open it. 

The core of my issue, though, is that I have bad carpal tunnel syndrome. On really, really bad days, I can’t make a fist nor get a steady grip on utensils. So to have a device that does all the work for me, without requiring me to grit my teeth through pain and discomfort, that something becomes my little savior. That something being Kitchen Mama’s Orbit One Electric Can Opener. 

Kitchen Mama The Orbit One Electric Can Opener

When the brand sent me the Orbit One to try out, I admit that I was a little intimidated. I had never had an electric can opener before, and the fact that there were extra parts made it seem like I was encountering a complicated problem versus the solution I later realized it was. The set comes with a charging cable, a blade screwdriver, a cylinder blade, and a triangular blade (this one is the default attachment). The cylinder blade is for cans that are 96 ounces or larger, and the triangular blade is for standard sizes and soda cans. 

The gadget itself is very simple to use: Place the Orbit One on the top of your can, line up the blade to the edge of the lid, hit the button on the top to start it, and it’ll follow the grooves of the lid to create a clean—and not sharp—edge. It takes about 30 seconds to work around a standard can, and when it’s done, the gadget auto stops. For 96-ounce cans, like the tomato sauce ones you use for making bulk marinara, it takes a little over a minute to finish the lid.

While you can absolutely use this to easily open up your canned foods (beans, corn, Spam, tuna, etc.), I’ve actually been using this most for my afternoon treat: a cold can of Coke Zero. Why? Fewer dishes to clean, and my beverage stays ice cold right in its original can. Add some ice directly into your new cup, stick in a glass straw, maybe add a lemon if you feel extra fancy, and voilà, you have a perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Being hands-free is a game changer in itself, but I especially like that the opener creates a fully new cut around the can’s exterior and not just within the lid itself. The included blades are designed to hug the bottom edge of the lid so you’ll never have a lid that’s smaller than the can’s actual circumference. Meaning, your separated lid won’t ever fall or tilt into the can, a small detail that is such a win in my books. 

No more using a butter knife to lift an impossibly flat ring on a can, no more straining my bad wrists to lift open the lid, no more cutting myself from the sharp edges; just an easy, strain-free, can-opening experience. It works so well and so smoothly that even my mom (someone who loves to do all her cooking old-school) loves to use it, too. 

While I can’t recommend the new Kitchen Mama Can Opener enough, the brand is already popular amongst shoppers for other versions and designs of can openers and kitchen gadgets, one of which has over 70,000 five-star ratings. 

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