Triple threat: those cheap a$$ spray bottles, kiddieproof caps on other bottles, and can openers tha

[Rgarner]

Is there a particular type of spray bottle to get or avoid? I tend to have trouble with the spray tops because the triggers stop working and/or start leaking. Then there are those impossible lids on for instance bleach bottles. Two of us couldn't get the job done and it's still sitting there unopened. Finally, I got a can opener a while back, one that takes the whole lid off from the side, no sharp edges, etc. It worked great for a while but about a week ago it stopped working. I thought it might be the can but no, I tried it on another one and it's definitely not right.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Is there a particular type of spray bottle to get or avoid? I tend to have trouble with the spray tops because the triggers stop working and/or start leaking. Then there are those impossible lids on for instance bleach bottles. Two of us couldn't get the job done and it's still sitting there unopened. Finally, I got a can opener a while back, one that takes the whole lid off from the side, no sharp edges, etc. It worked great for a while but about a week ago it stopped working. I thought it might be the can but no, I tried it on another one and it's definitely not right.

I can't help you with the first two, but I have a great suggestion for the can opener. Mine just recently quit--after more than 10 years!--and I replaced it with the identical (well, the upgraded identical) one: Hamilton Beach can opener. This sucker is so easy to use it's ridiculous! My mom easily used the previous one without issue, no failures at all, it just always works effortlessly. It does just what you want, takes the entire lid off with no sharp edges. Once you snap the can into place, just let go and it works on its own. Once it's stopped, the can just hangs there until you release the lock--it never drops or spills or anything. I love mine!

 

[Rgarner]

That sounds great. The price is kind of high...mine was about 10, 15 bucks. I suppose I could save up for it. By the way, how do I edit the title of my thread? I wasn't quite done typing it.

 

[puppykickr]

I hate modern packaging.
Even cans that have pull tab tops- the tab just comes off and leaves an unopened can, often with the seal broken so that it makes a mess when I have to open it with something else.

'Child - Proof' is nothing of the sort- human proof is more like it.
Of course, that is not true for 'child-proof' lighters, that a three year old with one hand and two broken fingers could light.

I gave up long ago on those can openers that cut the top off like you mention, because they do not last.
I have never found one that was well built or repairable.

The electric ones are ok if you can afford them, but they always seem to make as big a mess as if I had opened the can with the claw end of a hammer- at least when I use them.

The only one that lasts a few years is the old fashioned type that has a bottle opener on one end, a juice can opener on the other, and a butterfly handle that turns a gear wheel so that the can spins under the blade.
Even when dull, you can still open a can with enough effort.

But the very best, most long lasting can opener?
The P-38 Military issue.
Never fails.
Lasts basically forever (til you loose it or it gets stolen), and it can be sharpened.

If you want to open cans, by far the best for at home is an 'industrial type'.
This is what restaurants use to open ten 5 lbs cans of tomatoes in 5 minutes.

the 'butterfly' (my name for it)

the P-38 (great for camping!)

the industrial

 

[puppykickr]

As for your other horrid packaging, a strap wrench and/or a chain wrench can work wonders.

If you are not good with tools, then look online for things that feeble and elderly use to open stuff with.
Arthritis is a bitch, and twisting power is one of the first things to go.

For a spray bottle, go to a Tractor Supply, Big R, Rural King, Farm And Fleet, or other farm supply store.
Spend the extra money and get one that is able to spray chemicals (it won't break down as easy).
A large capacity (~1 quart) 'horse sprayer' is what I use at work to find leaks in tires and to degrease engines.
The degreaser that we use is quite caustic. It is supposed to be diluted, but we use it straight. It destroys spray bottles quickly.
Mine is a horse sprayer, and one other guy has a Zep Cleaner spray bottle.
Everyone else uses junk that gets eaten up by the degreaser.

 

[Rgarner]

Where the heck would I get a horse sprayer? It sounds huge (and expensive). I know somebody who at least used to have that military can opener. I guess it's pretty good, cheap and portable, but there's that problem with the sharp edges. Is there some way to fix a broken "smooth" one? I don't SEE anything wrong with it. By the way, how did you get those pictures on there? I learned quite a while back how to upload photos but they are kind of clunky with all the stuff around the edges.

 

[puppykickr]

My horse sprayer is 1 quart capacity- 32oz.

Not too big, but large enough to degrease an engine if it was full to begin with.

I paid less than $10 for it, and it is chemical resistant.
I have had it for years, and only recently did an ape at work break the trigger on accident. (It fell onto the concrete floor from about 4 ft and the bottle was full.)

I bought a new trigger head from an Army Surplus store and it is working fine.

As for the sharp edges on the P-38, put a key ring through the hole.
Don't put keys on it.
The ring gives just enough leverage to nake it much easier to use.

You can try to sharpen an old one, but just get new.
They only cost a buck or two for a few of them.
Army surplus stores used to sell them for a quarter or 50¢ each.
If you are careful with them they last for many years.
Don't put one in your pocket. The hook opens, and catches the inside of the pocket.

For tge photos, I did a quick web search for what I wanted (with another browser, while this one was still open) downloaded the photos, then came back to this browser and uploaded them.
I made sure to select 'full image' before I posted.

 

[puppykickr]

Really, if any restaurants are going out of business, try to buy the can opener.

Industrial can openers are amazing.

No batteries, no power, fast as heck, and able to open any size can.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I gave up long ago on those can openers that cut the top off like you mention, because they do not last.
I have never found one that was well built or repairable.

The one I linked to definitely lasts! As noted the one it replaced was over 10 years old--I'm not sure any more if I brought that with me from Dallas, which would mean it was more than 15 years old, or if I bought it here. It's in pictures coincidentally taken in the kitchen 10+ years ago, so it was at least that old. It never failed, not once--it just worked perfectly and with zero effort. As does its replacement. On Amazon, it's 5-star rated, and deservedly so.

BTW, I DETEST those horrible 'child-proof' or 'tamper-proof' tops. I've been brought to tears trying to get something open that I needed right then, but could not get open, and no one else was around to help. At CVS, they continually put my meds in child-proof bottles--despite my explicit choice in my account NOT TO. I've called and spoken to the pharmacy manager more times than I can remember; they always assure me that they've made it REALLY noticeable and it won't happen again, blah blah blah. Guess what? It happens again!!

 

[MoodyBlues]

That sounds great. The price is kind of high...mine was about 10, 15 bucks. I suppose I could save up for it.

It's worth its price. Definitely.

By the way, how do I edit the title of my thread? I wasn't quite done typing it.

When you're in the thread, at the very top of it there's a 'settings' wheel; hover over that and you'll see a 'thread tools' menu--the first choice is 'edit title.'

 

[olbriar]

The trick for any spray bottle is to keep it clean. Spraying soapy water through it after use and then clean rinse water sprayed through the nozzle is the key to using it more than once.
I am an old scout and want my can lid to fit back into my emptied can.
I have no problem in using a standard can opener that I manually operate.
I can manage the push down or squeeze safety caps. Where I struggle is the foil covers so intensively sealed to a container that it can't be peeled off. I no longer struggle with them. I take a kitchen knife and pierce the foil and then pry up with the knife.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I am an old scout and want my can lid to fit back into my emptied can.

Mine do. I just slide them in vertically, and they fit fine.

Oh, I use your knife method for those damned tops that cannot be opened otherwise.

You know, I'm all for safety and everything, but good grief! Safe from children is one thing, impossible for adults to open without crying and/or throwing things is insane!

 

[Rgarner]

I totally agree. The lucky thing is I found someone with I guess the same job as puppykickr who was able to open it for me in a second or two. You guys are really strong! Also, I tried the title fixer but it didn't work, probably because the darn thing's too long.

 

[puppykickr]

Uggh, those blasted foil covers!

Motor oil, ketchup, mustard, aspirin, everything has them now!

I have resorted to punching through them with my knuckle (take careful aim, it hurts to miss!) and then pulling the crap out and off.

 

[Rgarner]

I sure hate that garbage. I'd almost rather have the plasticy things with the pull tabs that seldom work. It's probably a matter of cost, those cheapos.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Just wondering, how many others--besides me--have wondered if they even had a human TEST the damned things before going to market? Really, not just *a* human, but a young human, middle-aged human, elderly human, and disabled human. If any of them end up in tears--or reaching for a sharp knife--it's time to rethink the design!

 

[olbriar]

I suspect the bottom line is if you claim that your container is child proof, it had best be. To err on the above and beyond side might cause frustration but not deaths. Do I like the newer packaging, NO.

I somehow managed to raise four children prior to child proofing containers without any problems. Precautions were taken and then education followed. It seemed a reasonable approach that worked out just fine. A bit more responsibility placed on the parents and less on the manufacturers would have been a less painful path to tread. Now that the industry has gone to child proofing everything there is no going back. Our only hope is that the future holds some sort of "smart" lock that doesn't require super human strength and dexterity.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I somehow managed to raise four children prior to child proofing containers without any problems. Precautions were taken and then education followed. It seemed a reasonable approach that worked out just fine.

Exactly! It worked fine for many, many years.... But then along came the Tylenol scandal. Remember that? Even though that incident turned out to be a deliberate act related to a murder, it started this whole 'child-proof' cap thing.

Again, I'm not against safety by any means. But ridiculous is ridiculous! When a grown adult shouts obscenities and bursts into tears trying to get a bottle of prescription pain medication open, THAT is ridiculous.

 

[Rgarner]

Apparently there are people called the Fore (in New Guinea, I believe) who at least used to let their children play with fire, knives, etc. It may sound crazy in postpostmodern Western society, but I guess there were many scarred adults with a great respect for these things. Sometimes learning the hard way can be very instructive...

 

[puppykickr]

@MoodyBlues , I know you are right about that Tylenol thing.

I was about to mention it, then read your post.

Not just the child-proof tops, but also the foil seals on everything as well.

I actually have been in enough pain and aggrevated enough that I just stomped the damn bottle and got what I needed off of the floor.

Things like this make me despise engineers.

These people make their living by making life more difficult for others.

Ever so much as change the oil in a Mini-Cooper?
Ridiculous.
And there are even worse than that.

Anyone that decides to make the single most important, most frequent, and what should be the easiest auto maintanence to purposely be difficult should be kicked repeatedly.

 

[puppykickr]

This is the BACK of the engine.
The filter housing is at the end of the socket on the end of the extention.

(picture from online)

oil filter canister circled

 

[Rgarner]

There's gotta be a special place in hell for those idiots. By the way, here's a method for dealing with those stubborn jars. Just push a knife up under the lid (point up) and move it around until the thing pops. Then open and enjoy.

 

[MoodyBlues]

There's gotta be a special place in hell for those idiots. By the way, here's a method for dealing with those stubborn jars. Just push a knife up under the lid (point up) and move it around until the thing pops. Then open and enjoy.

I've been using a flat-head screwdriver for that for decades! No need to even move it. Just stick the tip under the lid--randomly, anywhere--and pull forward. Pop!