Opening jars and bottles really puts stress on my weak hands. So when I noticed a multi opener bundle on Amazon, I grabbed it. The Multi Opener set includes a 6-in-1 Multi Opener, a 5-in-1 Multi Opener, and a 4-in-1 Jar Opener.
6 in 1 Multi Opener
The 6-in-1 Multi Opener helps opens jars, pull-top cans, and bottle tops. It also helps peel off those tabbed safety seals found underneath jar and bottle tops. And tucked into the bottom of the jar opener is a cleverly placed bag opener.
Dimensions of the 6-in-1 Multi Opener are 5 3/4 inches tall and 2 1/2 inches wide.
View the Multi Purpose Openers on Amazon.
6 in 1 Multi Opener Video
How to Use a 6 in 1 Multi Opener
At first I wasn’t sure how to use a 6-in-1 Multi Opener. But after getting familiar with it, I’ve compiled a list of my own 6-in-1 Multi Opener instructions:
1. Open Pull Tabs
At the top of the 6 in 1 Multi Tool is a Pull Tab Hook. The Pull Tab Hook lets you slide the hook under pull tabs on top of various cans so you can easily pull off the lid.
How to Open Pull Tab Tops:
1) Slide the Pull Tab Hook under the pull tab on top of the can, while holding the can still with your other hand.
2) Hold the handle end of the multi tool, press down gently to break the seal, and then continue to press down so the opener pulls back until the lid detaches.
2. Remove Tabbed Safety Seals
Just below the hinge at the top of the 6-in-1 Multi Opener, the two sides of the metal bottle cap opener meet and form a tight grip.
This grip is tight enough to grab a hold of and open those safety seals found under some jar lids and bottle tops.
How to Remove Tabbed Safety Seals:
1) Open the handle and line up the safety seal so that it is in the middle of the two metal pieces located just below the opener’s hinge.
2) Close the handle to clamp onto the safety seal. Press down on the handle (leverage against the top of the container) so that the tab is pulled upward to break the seal. Continue until the seal peels off, while holding the jar still with your other hand.
3. Open Bottle Twist Caps
Inside the smaller round top portion of the 6-in-1 Multi Opener is a soft, inner grippy side. This grippy material helps hold onto a bottle top to make it easier to open.
How to Open Twist Caps:
1) Open the handle and place the smaller grippy opening around the twist-off bottle cap and close the handle.
2) Turn the handle to open the top, while holding the bottle still with your other hand.
4) Remove Bottle Caps
When the handles of the 6-in-1 Multi Opener are closed, the metal inner part at the top of the multi tool works just like a traditional bottle cap opener.
How to Remove Bottle Caps:
1) Close the handles and place the bottom of the metal under the bottom of the bottle cap and the top of the metal resting on top of the bottle top.
2) Pull up on the handle to release the bottle cap from the bottle, while holding the bottle still with your other hand.
5. Open Jar Lids
The handles of the 6-in-1 opener form a jar lid opener. Inside the handles is lined with a grippy material that helps hold onto the jar as you twist the lid off.
How to Open Jar Lids:
1) Open the handle and place the grippy inside part around your jar lid.
2) Hold the handle and twist the jar lid off, while holding the jar still with your other hand.
6. Slice Open Bags
Hidden at the very bottom of the 6-in-1 opener is a Bag Slicer.
Each side of the handle has one part of the Bag Slicer.
How to Slice Open Bags:
1) Open the handle and place one end of the bag in between the handles.
2) Close the handle onto the bag and pull the handle across the bag. The bag opener slices through the bag to open it.
5 in 1 Multi Opener
The 5-in-1 Multi Opener includes a bottle opener and a hidden pop top opener for cans. The hidden opener is inside the bottom end of the handle.
The pop top opener worked on my soup cans and soda cans, but was too thick to slide under the pop tops of my 5.5- or 3-ounce cat food cans.
The 5-in-1 Multi Opener also has an opener for twist-off bottle tops, if you have the right sized bottle for it.
The 5-in-1 opener did open my 1-liter seltzer bottle caps. But it does not adjust to different sized tops like the 6-in-1 Multi Opener does.
Also, the 5-in-1 opener has hooks on one end that should help break the vacuum seals on jars so they are easier to twist off. But I don’t seem to have the strength needed to do that. Or I don’t have the kind of jars it works on.
I did use one hook to pull out the plastic safety seals from a vinegar bottle and a milk container. That was much easier than pulling them out by hand.
Finally, the 5-in-1 Multi Opener has a bottle cap opener, which seems to work like most bottle cap openers.
5 in 1’s Bonus Function
The remarkable function of the 5-in-1 Multi Opener for me is that it can easily help open my much-loved Pyrex Snapware (View Snapware on Amazon).
I’ve been so happy with my Snapware dishes, but recently stopped using them. It had become too difficult for my hands to lift up the side tabs to unseal them.
Now I just slide the bottom hook of the 5-in-1 opener under the dish’s tabs and pull up on the handle. The tabs unseal easily.
The 5-in-1 Multi Opener is definitely a keeper just for this purpose alone!
Dimensions of the 5-in-1 multi opener are 5 1/2 inches by 2 1/4 inches.
4 in 1 Jar Opener
The 4-in-1 Multi Jar Opener seems pretty simple and it is. It has four different sized openings to help open various sizes of jars lids.
The inner diameter of the largest size opening is about 2 3/4 and will accommodate about a 3-inch lid.
If you have a larger sized jar lid to open that doesn’t fit within the 4-in-1 Jar Opener, you can use the 6-in-1 Multi Opener. The 6-in-1 has a hinge that accommodates larger lids.
The 4-in-1 jar opener has a soft, grippy rubber lining that helps hold onto the lid. It’s length provides leverage to more easily turn and open the jar lids.
I also tried the jar lid opener out on stubborn nail polish bottles. Using the small end does not provide as much leverage as using the large end. But you can sometimes get a better grip to open those tiny bottle tops than with your hands alone.
The 4-in-1 jar opener is the largest of the three multi openers with dimensions of 8 3/4 inches by 3 1/2 inches.
View the Multi Purpose Openers on Amazon.
Electric Jar Openers
I’ve had my Black & Decker JW200 Lids Off Electric Jar Opener for more than 15 years, and it’s great for opening jars. It has been a dinner saver many a night and continues to be another workhorse in my kitchen.
One drawback with the Lids Off electric jar opener is that it is limited to certain size jars, and the jars must be flat across the top.
You don’t realize how many odd-sized and irregularly shaped lids there are until your hands don’t work like they used to. And your amazing electric jar opener falls a little short.
View the Lids Off Electric Jar Opener on Amazon.
Battery Operated Jar Opener
An alternative to the Lids Off Jar Opener is the RoboTwist Automatic Jar Opener, a handheld, battery-operated automatic jar opener.
RoboTwist is smaller and lighter weight than the Black and Decker Lids Off Jar Opener.
And unlike the large Lids Off Jar Opener, the RoboTwist’s compact design allows it to fit in a drawer.
View the Robo Twist Automatic Jar Opener on Amazon.
The Robo Twist design has a few similar competitors. So we tried out the original Robo Twist and the Zomma Automatic Jar Opener.
The Zomma seems almost identical to the Robo Twist, and they both worked fine to automatically twist off jar lids.
And as much as I love my electric Lids Off Jar Opener, I find myself using the smaller automatic jar opener more often now. It is easier to grab out of the drawer and put away when I’m done opening my lids.
View the Zomma Automatic Jar Opener on Amazon.
Verdict: Are multi jar and bottle openers worth it?
Yes, multi function jar openers are worth it. The 6-in-1 Multi Opener and the 4-in-1 Multi Jar Opener are two of my daily go-to gadgets now.
Although the 5-in-1 Multi Opener fell a bit short of our expectations, it opens my Snapware and pulls the plastic safety seal pull tabs out of the milk cartons. So those two functions alone make it a keeper.
Although these helpful gadgets are lightweight, they are large enough for my weak hands to hold onto.
And they fit in a drawer or hang on hooks so they are always handy. And they are easy to clean. I hand wash in soapy water, rinse and dry.
They aren’t limited to the kitchen, either. Dear hubby has been using the 4-in-1 jar opener to open toothpaste and other difficult container tops around the house and in the garage.
These all-in-one openers have quickly become favorite gadgets in our house.