A Hamilton Beach can opener makes it easier than ever to open cans. All you have to do is place one on the tool’s platform, and the blade will start cutting through the lid when you activate it.
That sounds as easy as it is. But, it’s not smooth sailing (or cutting, in this case) 100% of the time. If you ever run into a bit of trouble with your Hamilton Beach can opener not cutting, try what I’ll share today!
Why Is Your Hamilton Beach Can Opener Not Cutting?
- Locked Mechanism
There’s a lock mechanism on Hamilton Beach can openers that prevents them from running if it’s not active. That way, the blade doesn’t start even when there’s power on the device.
Make sure that you haven’t left this mechanism off. Many people new to using Hamilton Beach can openers do this by accident. It’s worth checking if you’re one of them before trying other things.
Here’s a picture of the lock mechanism that I’m talking about. You can tell when one of these tools is locked or not by the position of the lever on top of the head.
You can see that the lock on my Hamilton Beach can opener is active because the lever is lying flat, as you can in the photo up there. Does your can opener look like that too?
If it doesn’t and the lever is facing upward, that means the tool is unlocked. That will stop the blade from spinning through a lid properly.
- Is Something Blocking The Blade?
There’s a tiny bit of space between the blade and the surface of the Hamilton Beach can opener. It’s possible for things to burrow themselves into that space I’m talking about.
To cut to the chase; clean around the blade to ensure it isn’t obstructed. Anything covering the blade or stopping it from moving freely will reduce its cutting power.
It can be a bit hard to tell when something like this happens. But, take a good look at the area in the image below. Inspect it and the space behind the blade mechanism for anything.
Even if you can’t see anything, I recommend using a cloth to clean around there. That’ll deal with dirt build-ups and make sure your Hamilton Beach can opener’s blade has the freedom it needs to move.
- Position The Can Correctly
Hamilton Beach can openers are really easy to use. You take the can you want to open, place it under the blade mechanism, and then the tool does the rest.
But, the placement is where some people can mess up. This mainly has to do with how the placement might need to change depending on the size of the can. After all, not each can is the same.
Some are much bigger than others, some have different grooves, etc. Sometimes, sitting the can isn’t enough. For smaller cans, you might need to suspend them in the air.
By this, I mean you need to use the lock mechanism. Unlock the Hamilton Beach can opener, and then place the can so that it’s right under the cutting mechanism.
The lid should be making contact with the blade when you do this. Once that happens, you can press the lever down to start cutting. The can will stay hanging in the air, but that’s not a problem.
In short, just make sure the can you’re trying to cut open is sitting right. The blade needs to be making contact with the lid to cut through, and you have to take care of that manually.
Where can I purchase a new cutting wheel for my Hamilton Beach Touch Can Opener, please?. Thank you.