It's magic! (Lakeland Magi Pull)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Lakeland Magi Pull
Date:	01/02/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Aids people with hand problems to open ring pulls quickly and easily

Disadvantages: No hanging hook

I have arthritis in my hands which is controlled for a lot of the time but can become painful all of a sudden, while I'm not debilitated with it there are some things I have begun to struggle with in recent years. Opening those appalling ring pulls which seem to be on every tin can going now is one of the things I do struggle with and I had found myself avoiding tinned foods simply because I found it so awkward to lift the rigid ring pull and once lifted I wouldn't always have the strength to pull the ruddy lid back anyway!

My daughter went to York a couple of years ago and when she came back gave me a bag of goodies from Lakeland as she knows I love their cookware, inside the bag was a clever little gadget called Magi Pull which has quite literally changed my life. That does sound dramatic but whereas before that I would steer clear of tinned soup and baked beans, now I can eat them to my heart's content as I can now open the tins with no fuss whatsoever.

Let me explain what Magi Pull is. It's a very basic plastic gadget which fits neatly into your hand, you push the hook under the ring pull and apply gentle pressure to the end of the Magi Pull. This will pop the ring pull up and effortlessly lever the lid up cleanly and very easily.

The Magi Pull is quite chunky which means it's comfortable to hold and fits into the palm of most peoples hands beautifully. The hook which goes underneath the ring pull usually slots in very easily and has rarely broken the pull from the can, obviously this happens sometimes but this is usually when it's a poor quality ring pull anyway and cannot be blamed on the Magi Can.

Provided you have the rounded base of the Magi Pull dead centre on the top of the tin you'll find you only need to push gently to open the lid of the tin, it will open in the correct manner and does not rip or tug on the metal which could cause a nasty cut.

I think it works a treat and was definitely the most useful product my daughter picked up for me during her trip to Lakeland, although not the prettiest as this is a functional kitchen item and has a functional blue plastic design. Because the Magi Pull doesn't actually touch the food inside the tin there is no need to wash it between uses and even if soup or something splashes it then a rinse under the hot tap will clean it up ready for next time.

There is one niggle I have in the basic design of the Magi Pull and that is that there is no hook to hang it up, this is a nuisance for me as my kitchen drawers are so full of gadgets which "may come in handy someday" that this extremely useful item has to be squeezed in wherever I can find a gap for it. Well it doesn't actually as I had my son in law drill a small hole through the lever section and I've threaded by own piece of string through it, but if he hadn't come to the rescue then I'd have had no option but to shove it in the already heaving drawer!

How much do you think this amazing little invention costs? Pretty expensive? After all it's a specialised coping aid for people who have hand, wrist or arm problems. Think, how many people do you know who could benefit from a product like this that really works? I bet at least every one of you know someone whether it's your Nan, your neighbour, even you young ladies who have nail extension could do with this as I bet you've pulled off or damaged at least one newly long nail trying to get into a tin of tomato soup. So are you surprised when I tell you this cost only £1.95? That's an amazing price and while it's basically a bit of shaped plastic, I'd still have expected to pay more for such a useful, nay, essential kitchen gadget.

Summary: An excellent invention that I'm sure many people would benefit from.