That ad reminds me of the classic Honeymooners episode, "Chef of the Future."

Ralph and Norton buy a truckload of a gadget that does several things -- peels potatoes, opens cans, something else. Their brilliant idea is to market it with a television commercial.

Norton plays the chef of the present, having a miserable time doing simple kitchen tasks until Ralph, chef of the future, shows up with this mircale gizmo and, zip, zip, zip, tasks are done.

The funniest part to me has always been Norton, struggling to peel a potato the old-fashioned way. Just like in the commercial mentioned above, how hard is it to peel a potato? What's more, the new gizmo has the same kind of peeler the chef-of-the-present is using.

Amazing how this ad model has lasted for so many years!

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I love my OXO Smooth Edge can opener. It has huge grips and doesn't hurt my hands, and there aren't any metal shards in my food. Looooove.

https://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?section=10053&item=48106

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Word. This is yet another example of how lazy the American culture is getting. Also, an exhibition of the fact that people will buy just about anything.

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yeah, i saw those ads and had a good belly laugh. if you watch carefully when they show those "safe" edges you'll see that the hand model doesn't actually touch the edge, just the raised bump in the lid. why?

because there's still a sharp edge there!

i so rarely use a can opener. i'm buying food at the market, not cans. and when i do i don't find my trusty swing-a-way to be anything but smooth.

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People with crippling arthritis in their hands are NOT just being lazy; using a manual can opener really DOES hurt our hands and wrists. Just because you don't need an advertised product doesn't mean you have to criticize and belittle the people whose life could be made easier by using that product.

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I usually threaten the can/jar with a big hammer. Nothing is more satisfying ( my speeling isn't that great) than to beat an aggravating can or jar to death. Makes dinner/workout go much smoother.

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Scary thought, but did you know the can opener wasn't even invented until commercial food canning hade been popular for over a decade?

Used to be, you wanted to open that can, you got yourself a hammer and awl...

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Have you tried the pull tabs on cans of soup, etc. Feel sorry for people with arthritis. Call the company, they will send you a tool that slips under the tab and then pull up. Still be careful as it might slip. Would rather use the old can opener.

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Just a reminder to those who use can openers, manual or automatic; Wash the things once in a while! I have been to friends' homes and went to use an opener only to find the thing gunked up and nasty.

I prefer to use a manual one because I can pop it in the dish washer. Just hit it with a quick shot of aerosol cooking oil after it comes out of the washer and it works wonderfully.

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I like the manual opener, I rarely see electic can opener in the dept. store the only time I saw it was in a cooking saw can't really remember. Anyway for me there's nothing like a manual can opener as long it doesn't get dull..have you tried using a knife?

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I bought one of those "hands-free" can openers. The batteries lost power about 1/5 of the way around the can, and the opener is still attached to the can! I have not been able to pry it off! I had to try and squeeze the contents of the can out manually.

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Ditto the remarks about people with arthritis. I use very few canned products but open a can of dog food every day for my beautiful Great Dane. I've tried a dozen types of manual can openers with varying degrees of difficulty and/or pain. For those of you who ridicule us for using whatever device might work for us, heaven help you when your own fingers throb and ache.

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If one has arthritis in one's hands it is extremely difficult to use a manual can opener. The electric ones are even worse - that's when the can falls on the floor. etc. I'm willing to try this "new" style.

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Re: Pull-tab cans:

The one time I needed to go to the emergency room, I sliced my finger trying to open a can of catfood.
I have several stitches in that finger and nicked the nerve so a slight loss of sensation.

And my cat patiently waited for her dinner, sitting half-open on the counter where she could probably smell it, for hours until I came home again.

I still delegate opening of such cans to my husband whenever I can.

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My mother has severe rheumatoid arthritis and the only way she can even hope to open a can is with a self-rotating electric can opener. I got her one a couple of years ago... it has a charging stand and is cordless. She just loves it. So I agree with an earlier post on this subject... just because something may seem "lazy" to you, doesn't mean it isn't a necessity of life to someone else. Try to remember that not all of us have things so easy. My mother has had this disease since she was 11 years old. Doesn't let it stop her, but sometimes she does need help.

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Although the subject has been adressed previosly, I'll throw in my two cents. My mom has had the same electric can opener for about 40 years. Lazy? No. The can opener just shaved a few minutes off the day while she was raising three children. Now my 86 year old mom has severe arthritis and the can opener allows her another small piece of independence. Could you imagine having to limp over to a neighbor's house asking to open a can of soup? I'm thankful for these products that continue to allow my mom some amount of dignity.

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I have to agree with Jennifer, I too have a mother with very limited use of her hands and those tools(made of quality)are a source of independence for them. I myself use an old fashion hand held it never slips off the electric blade.

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Upon seeing the birth of my first great-grandchild, (October 1, 2006, thanks fo asking.) I have noticed that my arthritis is making soem tasks more difficult than they used to be. Being a tough old son-of-a-gun I have independent ways and a stubborn streak a mile wide. I am not about to let a can of chicken noodle defeat me, no sir. I will attack that little tin bastard with my manual can opener as long as I can actually picke the benighted thing up! However, as things deterioriate, I might just dig that old electric opener somebody gave us for a wedding present back in the neolithic age out of the storeroom and hook it up. Might even try it once or twice. Only when it hurts so bad I can't turn the crank on that manual at all. Then I'll sit in the corner and curse the arthritis and my aching joints until I run out of spit.

Meanwhile, any device or product advertised the way that one is is probably not worth spending a nickel on to start with. Caveat emptor. For those of you too young to remember Caesar Augustus personally, that means, "Buyer beware." In other words, don't buy a sack of donkey shit unless you have a really big garden to fertilize. Yes, I have likened the can opener in question to a sack of donkey shit.

What the heck, like the person somewhere above said, buy fresh and forget the cans anyway. You'll get less sodium and more fiber in your diet.

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I'm still stubborn. I'm convinced I'm tougher than the pain. I still say, "Ouch! @#$@!^%#@&%!!!)" when I'm done using the manual opener. See? Stubborn!

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Get used to devices like this! Our population is getting older. My kids and grandkids have to open cans for me because of my painful arthritis. Knobs to turn on lights, long shoe horns, button pullers, etc. Now if it was voice activated.....

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