Hamilton Beach can opener dead, anything common to check inside?

The Muppets Turtl said:
check the cord first before you even open it up. Ive seen multiple instances of these cheap appliances getting yanked by the cord, the plastic strain relief is a joke. One snapped off one of my neighbors openers while it was on the counter being used.
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good point, use a multimeter to test for continuity between the leads when the lever is pressed down. That will rule out the cord.
 
the gears in mine were definately plastic, snapped one tooth and the whole thing slipped every rotation. Tried glueing it and it lasted about 3 cans before it broke again
 
Save Yourself said:
could you 3d print a replacement gear? has anyone tried that
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In theory yes but would need to get the proper tooth profile for the gear, plastic filaments will flex and break under strain. Maybe nylon. Would take as long as it would take to order a new one and likely cost more.
 
I've been repairing small appliances on the side for about 12 years now. Not a lot of time spent on can openers specifically but I've done a few. Most common cause of failure is crud building up in the gears. Second most common failure point is the microswitch under the lever. Third most common is a broken wire at the strain relief spot on the cord. Motor failures are rare unless the can opener was being used with a can that was really hard to open. The gear stripping is common but usually only on the very old openers or those that have been abused. If you take the opener apart and the gears are looking good, the switch under the lever also engaging when the lever is pressed down, then you should check the cord with a multimeter. If all three components check out then it's likely the motor is the issue. I can usually get the appliances fixed 70% of the time. The other 30% are the stripped gears or motors that are burned out and not worth fixing.
 
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