HOUSTON – What's your trick for opening tough lids? Maybe you tap on the lid with a knife or put the jar under hot water. Those methods are hit or miss, but consumer expert Amy Davis is testing an As Seen on TV product that claims to open the toughest jars with just the push of a button. The Robotwist takes 2 AA batteries and claims it works with any size lid.
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"Just trying to open some of the things you purchase is very difficult," Lynne Fleming told Davis. "When you get older, you don't have as much strength in your hands."
When Fleming saw the RoboTwist, she was instantly intrigued. She agreed to test the device.
"You just set it on top of the jar," she told Davis as she followed the RoboTwist directions to open a jar of pasta sauce.
Fleming pressed the button on the top of the RoboTwist, holding it for three seconds and let the device do the rest.
The RoboTwist immediately starts working. Its grip conforms to the size and shape of the jar before it twists the lid. After almost 20 seconds, the lid popped free.
"It came off!" said Fleming. "I love that. I didn't have to do anything... didn't have to hold it down or mess with it or anything."
She repeated the process with four metal lids of varying sizes. Then Fleming pulled out a plastic water bottle that gives her problems every time she needs to open one. Even though the RoboTwist commercial shows it opening a plastic jar of peanut butter, the instructions in the box tell you not to use the product on plastic jars. But Fleming was feeling wild and crazy, so she gave it a shot anyway. She was pleasantly surprised when the RoboTwist worked on the small plastic cap.
The RoboTwist didn't seem to like one irregularly shaped jar. It took several tries to get the device to grip the sides because they were not perfectly round. It did remove the lid after several tries.
"Two thumbs up!" Fleming smiled as she flashed her thumbs at the camera. She has already found a spot for the RoboTwist in a kitchen drawer. She likes that it's so small, it can be tucked away out of sight.
The RoboTwist costs $19.99. You can buy it at places like Bed, Bath and Beyond or on Amazon.
