Tin can pull tabs: Do you shred your fingers to open them or do you use a spoon like a sensible person?

The hell are you doing that shreds your fingers

Seems like it's been a while since pull tabs in Australia didn't want to rip off your fingernails when you try to use them to open a can.
- Fingernails? When young, I sliced my finger with the lid itself and have the scar to prove it.
- I'm scared to ask... what... are you using your fingernails for here?

Don't know about you but my fingers are not made of paper.

So far, even my nailbiting-fingernails always were more than enough to get these open

These things are easy to open, if you're hurting yourself, you're doing it wrong.

I use my fingers but have never had any sort of "shred" occur

I'm not sure I understand how you'd shred your fingers on them. I put my nail under the tab and lift until my finger can get under it

I put my foreskin in the tab and pull on that.

This is why circumcision was invented. To keep us from becoming too powerful.

Press down on the metal with your thumb to give it a bend, then pull on the other end with your ring finger. I don't recommend ripping it all the way off. If you can't open this, you need to get a physical job.

I play the banjo and not the guitar, so I finger pick these open instead of shred.

Since OP uses spoons, you only need to find warshboard and jug players to round out your quartet!

OP needs to hit the gym or something. I've always pulled them with my hand and never had a single issue.

It is not about strength but about getting your finger beneath the tab.
- Yeah I'm starting to think there is a bit of confusion bout the issue. Oh well.

One attempt with fingers, then butter knife.

spoon seems too wide

I came to say the same because the spoon sounds like a bigger problem than using fingers.
- Spoon has a built in fulcrum.
- you can use the spoon handle

I'm not a total pussy so I jam my buck teeth in there and pry it open with that.

Teeth? What you too good to slide the flat side of your dick under there and think of england like the rest of us?

I just slip my finger under it and pull it back. Easy.

Can opener every time. It sounds strange but it doesn’t leave a lip for things to get caught on when you empty the can

I never ever seen anyone use anything else than their finger to open them. It hurts a little bit I guess but at least for me, it's more convenient than getting a spoon first

I ignore the tab and use an edgeless can opener, in case it gets lost in transit to the recycling plant and a critter finds it.

After watching Technology Connections' video on YT about those weird can openers that cut under the rolled lip and don't leave any sharp edges on top, I bought one and use that on every can even if it has a pull tab.

Finger shred.

Neither.

I use a knife.

Thanks for compliment.
Six songs later in the album is a tune specifically about the evils of making people self-conscious about their body. Be more kind.
I have rather long and nimble fingers, but also my fingernails are really thin and soft so I keep them short (otherwise they will break at every opportunity) which is not a good combination to get a hold of can tabs.

I'm on team OP with this one. My nails are too short and 50% of the time I get a can that doesn't play nice.

Either way I use a non-electric can opener since it's quiet. My cat recognizes the sound of these things.

Finally a normal asklemmy question

I often shape and paint my nails and these things chip polish like nothing, so I'll use the teaspoon I have lying out from the last time I made tea, probably.

Depends on the can, if I can press the top in to get the tab to pop up a little, then I will just to that. If that doesn't work, then a spoon or knife it is.

I'm just going to leave this here.. Best most mundane purchase I've ever made! Regular openers can eat a dick after using this type! https://youtu.be/i_mLxyIXpSY

I'm a surgeon, I always use my fingers to open. Been eating canned tuna & sardines for so long, never injured my fingers.

im not a surgeon and i have also never shredded my hands on these. who is injuring themselves on pull tabs???
- I'm always careful opening those. Better safe than sorry.
Some people have the manual dexterity of a trex trying to put on a condom
- Oh wow. I haven't met those people.

Wait, is the spoon and the shredding before or after the can is opened?

The finger shredding would happen as an result of opening the can and remain shredded after until healed so during and after. Dunno about the spoon.
I think I misunderstood your question earlier. It's before the can is opened. The can in that picture has a tab that sits very firmly against the can lid. It's hard to get a grip on it without using your fingernails and the tab also has little sharp bits so its very easy for the tab to cut the sensitive fleshy tissue under your fingernails as you pull the tab up. So I switch to using a spoon to jimmy it up before switching to using fingers to finish the job.

With fingernails. Else, it hurts and smth like a fork, knife can be used

Depends on the tab. Some are not soldered onto the can so I can work with that. For the ones that do, spoons it is.

Wish more people here understood people's bodies are different including hands, I have trouble with these things too. Fucking hate them. I don't use a spoon though, just whatever that works. Like wtf do they have to have them so tight and no room to actually get under them and when you do open then they have extremely sharp edges to slice you up. Make it more accessible ffs

I think a lot of the comments about my fingers are in jest. Even if they're not it's all water of this ducks back.
Your experience is the same as mine. Perhaps when tabs came into fashion they were just flimsier but these days they're all so tight.
Genuine question because this might be a design difference between your country and Germany, where I'm from: Can you not lift the tab a little bit with the skin of your finger and then just pull on it? Are they welded onto the can?
- There extremely stiff like a lot. Also requires a lot of strength and dexterity, at least for me. It used to be like soda cans where I can just easily pull the tap like I can with them now but a lot of pull tab cans (that are not soda cans) are just really cheap and are hard to open. I'm in the US.

I use these all the time, no issues.

You pry the tab up to a 45 degree angle. Then insert a finger. While firmly holding the can with one hand, pull back with the other hand on the tab, the can should open smoothly. At the very end there is a chance the lid will spring off the can, so you should use less pressure when the lid is almost totally detached.

If you have trouble getting under the tab (like you just cut your fingernails), use any flat thing to give you leverage, a spoon, toothpick, screwdriver, etc

I will use my fingers to prepare for the situation where you cannot use spoons

I most frequently encounter these when feeding the cat, so in that case I have a spoon out already.

I use a cutless can opener

Fuck it. I use a rotary can opener. The one with the sharp edges!

I use a table knife. If I had long nails I'm sure they would do the trick though; they aren't that strong

I ask someone else to do it

I split my finger nails.