Many of us are intrigued by the world of gadgets. I?m no exception. If there?s a new ?think-a-ma-jig? on the market, I want to check it out. Whether or not I buy it, however, is another thing ? but it?s always a possibility.

Yet, as possible as it is, there are times when I made purchase with the best intentions only to find I made a huge mistake.

Take can openers! PLEASE!! (Bit of ?Youngman? humor, there. Sorry for that.)

With the exception of the one I currently own, I?ve had the worst luck with all of them. About 4 years ago, I decided to buy one of those convenient under-the-counter ones called the Black & Decker Spacemaker EC75. Maybe it was a spacemaker, but space isn't all it made. It also made a mess!

While I?m not the shortest person on planet earth, neither am I, at 5?4?, exceedingly tall ? which often makes reaching a bit awkward. That?s how I felt with this type of can opener.

Using the step-by-step mounting instructions, I found the installation to be not as difficult as I first anticipated ? as long as I also used my step stool. You actually mount a bracket to the underside of the hanging cabinet and then slide the opener into the bracket. Using white electrical tape, I was able to control the hanging 30" electrical cord and keep it out of harm?s way. That?s another thing. Unless you plan on running the electrical wire inside the wall, this thing must be placed near an outlet.

Here?s where it gets messy: opening the cans!

Still using my step stool, I realized it was necessary for me to hold every can as it opened. The smaller cans posed no problem (as long as I was on the step stool and could reach them). They opened quickly and easily but the larger, heavier cans always seemed to mange to fall out of the holding mechanism unless I physically held them in place ? which often led to the shifting of the can opener in its bracket. More often than not, because they were heavier, the cans would tilt from their weight and not completely open leaving me to finish the job with the small, out-dated, manual, squeeze-type opener.

Then, there was the splash! Upon completion of the opening process, whatever can was being opened would splash part of the liquid contents all over whatever lay beneath the opener. That meant that I had to leave that part of the counter free of any small appliance (like the toaster, etc). So much for ?space saver?!

Yes, part of this opener was easy to dismantle and clean, but it was more of a hassle using it in the first place.

I would have been much better off getting a regular sit-on-the-counter can opener and therefore avoid the step stool acrobats.

Maybe, just maybe, if I were a bit taller, I wouldn?t have experienced so much trouble with this new ?thing-a-ma-jig?, but let?s face it, there are many more women my size than not. I decided this spacemaker can opener just wasn?t for me!

Since it wasn?t in the way (after all, that WAS the idea of the ?spacemaker?), I left it under the cabinet BUT bought an electric Krups Open Master hand-grip can opener which turned out to be another nightmare, but that?s another review!

Now, I own an Oster Adjustable Height can opener and it?s the greatest ? but, again, that?s another review.

Please read all the other wonderful writers who entered this write-off:

http://www.geocities.com/ariel10575/epinions/ICBPOJWO.html

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