GI P38 Can Opener
In stock
- SKU
- GI-P38
- Material
- Stainless Steel
- Style
- Military
Description
The GI Pocket Can Opener
The P38 is the folding can opener US troops carried to get into canned field rations, and this one is US Army issue. It is a flat stainless steel plate with a hinged cutting tooth, small enough to ride on a key ring, a dog tag chain or in the bottom of a mess kit. Campers, preppers and collectors of GI kit keep one around because it opens a can with no moving parts beyond a single hinge and nothing to break or run out of power.
Features
- Stainless Steel Construction — The body and cutting tooth are stainless steel, which resists rust when the opener is carried in damp kit or used around food.
- Folding Cutting Tooth — A curved, sharpened tooth swings out to cut and folds back flat against the body when you are done.
- Rolled Hinge Pivot — A wrapped steel hinge holds the tooth to the body so it pivots cleanly and stays attached.
- Rim Hook Notch — The notch beside the tooth catches the lip of the can, giving you a fulcrum to rock the opener around the rim in short strokes.
- Stamped Stiffening Rib — A raised rib pressed along the length of the handle keeps the thin plate from flexing under thumb pressure.
- Lanyard Hole — A round hole at the end of the body lets you thread it onto a key ring, dog tag chain or paracord lanyard.
- Flat Pocket Profile — With the tooth folded, the opener lies flat and takes up almost no space in a pocket, wallet or survival tin.
- US Army Issue — This is an issued GI opener rather than a commercial lookalike, which matters to collectors and reenactors building an authentic kit.
How It Works
Swing the tooth out until it stands at a right angle to the body, hook the notch under the rim of the can, and press the tooth through the lid. Rock the handle forward, step it along the rim, and repeat until the lid is cut free. The design is simple stamped steel with one hinge, so there is nothing to wear out beyond the edge of the tooth.
More Information
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Customer Reviews
Top customer reviews
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P38Everyone should have one (or 8 like i bought). Great stocking stuffer. Teach your children well.
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Tiny thing that just WORKSBought a couple of these to throw in my camping bag. Takes a little practice at first, you gotta walk it around the rim of the can and let the little blade do the work but once you get it its faster than my electric opener at home. I even used it to scrape a pan and cut some paracord which was handy. For a couple bucks you really cant complain, this thing is gonna outlive me.
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Takes practice but works great threw in every bagBought a handful of these to stash in my range bag, camping kit, and glove box. Figured for the price of like two bucks each it's cheap insurance. Yeah there's a learning curve first time i used it i butchered a can of Hormel chili pretty bad and got metal shavings in my food (my own fault, you gotta go slow and keep the blade hooked under the rim). Once you get the technique down though it opens cans clean and fast. The thing weighs basically nothing and takes up zero space which is the whole point. I've opened probably 30 cans with the one in my camping kit now and the blade is still sharp.
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Same one we had in the armyBought this to keep in my truck. Its the real deal, same P38 I used back in the 80s. Opens anything from tuna to peaches no problem. Only downside is its so small you gotta be careful not to lose it.
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Tiny but tough little toolBeen carrying one of these in my range bag for years now. Opens MREs and canned beans faster than my multitool. Still sharp after a couple hundred uses.
Tough as nails
Takes practice to get the hang of it