I recently tried out two types of kitchen tools that I hadn’t before. The first was the Lefty Safety LidLifter and the second was the Deluxe Gripper Jar Opener, both sleekly designed by Kuhn Rikon. The Helpful Hubby used them too and even my mother-in-law when she had visited. Let me say that strength is not my big issue when trying to open jars or cans, but pain from the force applied to my wrists can get uncomfortable and limit me.

The jar opener was great at grabbing onto jar lids of all sizes. You just rotate the knob until it is fits the right size lid, tighten and start pushing the handle away from you to open the jar. This made opening new jars with tight seals much easier. No more red, hurting fingers, palms and wrists! If it was uncomfortable for you to put pressure on the steel handle you could easily wrap a silicone pot holder or even a dishrag around the handle before turning and it’d still work well. The product itself is fairly light weight. The only downside I found was when using it on a really wide jar. It was harder for my hands to keep a good grip on the large jar which I needed to counter the force of pushing the handle to open the jar.

The LidLifter is basically a can opener that can be used by a right or left-handed person. It removes the lid using a totally different motion that any other mechanical can opener I’ve used. Instead of twisting a knob you lift a lever up and down as it goes around the can. It requires much less strength than a typical can opener, but more motions overall. I did have to read the instructions carefully to figure out how to use it at first, but after I figured it out, it was easy. The opener creates a smooth edge, which is where the “safety” part of the title comes from. It also has a little metal piece that you can use to lift the lid off of the can. One perk of the way the LidLifter works is that it doesn’t cut on the inside of the can. Instead it cuts on the outside rim of the can meaning you don’t end up with messy, unsanitary food bits on any part of it.

Have you ever tried either of these types of tools?

Jar Opener and LidLifter

Disclaimer: The only compensation I received was product samples. This review is comprised of my own, personal opinions.