Dazey Electric Can Opener and Knife Sharpener

Object Details

Dazey

Description

Introduced in 1958, the freestanding electric can opener represented modern kitchen conveniences and the type of shortcut cooking that was becoming more popular in many American households. This Model 552 combination electric can opener and knife sharpener was manufactured by the Dazey company around 1970. Its avocado green housing with chromed metal accents reflects a popular color scheme for kitchen appliances of the time.

This can opener was sold with an operating manual that described the device’s special features including its “Snap Kleen Lever,” which allowed the cutting wheel to be removed for easy cleaning. The “Power Pierce Action” could be used to puncture the can for “effortless” opening, while the magnetic lifter held onto the lid after the can was opened. The knife sharpening groove, located behind the opener, used a special shaping stone to sharpen knives. The booklet also included a list of Dazey approved service stations, important safeguards, and graphics of other Dazey products.

The original Dazey Churn and Manufacturing Company, of St. Louis, Missouri, was well-known for manufacturing glass butter churns at the turn of the 20th century. As more Americans began purchasing butter rather than making it themselves, Dazey launched a wider variety of home appliances including sharpeners and can openers. They developed the wall-mounted can opener, a design that found later application for ice crushers and juicers. In 1945 the company was re-named the Dazey Corporation, but by 1954 it was a subsidiary of Landers, Frary & Clark. In 1965 the General Electric housewares division acquired Landers, Frary & Clark and inherited many of its popular trade names such as “Universal” and “Dazey.” Dazey was the property of General Electric at the time this can opener was manufactured.

ca. 1960

ID Number

2013.0100.01

catalog number

2013.0100.01

accession number

2013.0100

Object Name

can opener

Physical Description

plastic (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 19 cm x 16.5 cm x 14 cm; 7 15/32 in x 6 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in

See more items in

Home and Community Life: Domestic Life

Food

Exhibition

Food: Transforming the American Table

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

National Museum of American History

Subject

Technology

kitchen

Record ID

nmah_1409027

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-739d-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa