07.20.02
Can't Openers
I was looking at a can opener in the grocery store yesterday and there’s a fundemental flaw with most of them. There’s three pieces that are at issue: the circular blade, the geared gripping advancer, and the hinge.
The blade and the advancer only work well when they remain aligned, right next to each other. The cutting of the top of the can only works smoothly if the force from each side are focused closely together.
The mechanism that keeps them aligned is the hinge of the two arms of the can opener. This hinge is made to swing open *very* easily for no particuar reason. It is also very loose and it wobbles so that the alignment between the blades and the advancer slips more and more.
It seems to me that a spring assisted mechanism should be used to hold the two pieces together. I think we should look to a scissor based tool where the hinge is stronger, more like a cutting shear, or a pair of pliers.