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

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw a question about Hamilton Beach can openers that just stop working and someone want to know how to fix them. Here's a quick rundown based on what I've seen over the years with these appliances:
Unplug the can opener and pop the back cover off the appliance. While I'm surprised at how many of these Hamilton Beach openers don’t include a fuse, it's possible that they dont include a fuse inside the unit. The usual check for these can openers is to look for any loose wires, jammed gear, or a locking mechanism that may have gotten stuck in the on position. Additionally, you can often remove the blade from these appliances to check for any damage.
They usually fail due to crud building up in the gears or the lever that control the appliance may not be engaging with the rest of the gears properly. In addition, the gears on these openers are usually plastic which can wear out over time. As such, if you find that one of these can openers has stopped working, it may be worth the effort to attempt to fix it; but honestly, it's likely better to just buy a new one for around the same cost as one meal at Chipotle.

 

[Mic]

99% of the time its food gunk in the gear assembly. People use these things for years and never clean under the lever where all the bean juice and tomato sauce drip down. Soak the gear in hot soapy water and youll probably bring it back.

 

[Dull Dragonfly]

Gears are plastic on pretty much every Hamilton Beach I've cracked open. The drive worm is usually metal but the big wheel it spins is nylon or similar. Once a tooth strip you're done, no replacement parts available.

 

[Quaint Quail]

honestly for what they cost just buy a new one lol. Not worth an afternoon of fiddling for a $15 appliance