Reviews of Arthritic-Friendly Pill Extractor Plus Jar and Bottle Opener

Here are two reviews of arthritic-friendly products: a pill extractor plus a jar and bottle opener. The Rx PurrFect Opener Pill Extractor and the PurrFect Gripper Jar and Bottle Opener come from the Michigan-based company B.A. Maze, Inc., and were invented by Robert Mazur, who created the products upon the wishes of his arthritic grandmother. I was provided samples from the company, but was under no obligation to recommend them. The observations and tests (done by myself and my mother, who has bad arthritis in her hands) were conducted of our volition.

Review of the Arthritic-Friendly Rx PurrFect Opener Pill Extractor

Arthritic or not, opening pill bottles can be difficult. This product is shaped like a durable plastic kitty cat and can be held comfortably in one's hand. Each part of the cat serves to make getting at one's pills easier. Here's a rundown on our tests, which were conducted using the instructions on the packaging.

Pills that are separated by pockets in which you have to push out through foil, paper, etc. (like allergy or diarrhea ones) are addressed this way. The edge of the cat's tail punctures through, and then the top body (via one of its four pill-shaped pockets of various sizes) catches the pill after the capsule pocket is placed over one of them and then pushed into the pill extractor pocket. My mother and I both were able to do this effectively. The tail also was used by both of us effectively to get some pesky cotton out of the pill bottle because the tail can enter the neck of the bottle and dig out the cotton. Additionally, we opened cans whose tops have pull tabs since the tail is thin enough, yet strong enough, to get under the rings to lift them up. The latter task can be a quite challenge to anyone who keeps their fingernails short, like me.

Next, we used the cat's head edge to both effectively open a pill bottle in which you have to align the cap with the arrows to open. The head edge is thin enough to get between the cap and bottle and worked for both of us once we pushed against them, popping the lid open. The bottom of this kitty pill extractor is rubbery. Both my mother and I were able to open a pill bottle quite easily with little pressure - the kind of bottle where one has to push down on the lid to get it to open.

The pill extractor's magnet (bottom of the head) is something we both found useful in lifting the lid off a can of spinach once a separate can opener cut around it. All we did is put the magnet just above the can, and it attracted the lid so it could be lifted. The magnet attaches to the refrigerator door. Please also note that underneath (where the tail and body connect), there's a thin hook-like device that also can open tabs (for cola or canned goods).

This pill extractor also has a plastic wedge with two pockets on either side at the top of the body to split pills open (closer to the tail). Personally, we both tried various sizes of pills to split using the wedge, but we were unsuccessful in this task. I don't have arthritis and used considerable pressure in the attempts. Does that necessarily mean it doesn't work? No, just that it didn't work for us. The traditional pill cutters we use/used have contained an interior blade to slice the pills, but the wedge on the cat is plastic and not sharp.

I asked Mazur about this, and he told me, "For the pill splitter, it is really designed for the 'scored' larger oval size medicine....I agree that it doesn't work for the small circular pills. Another way to split the pill (other than what is shown on the packaging) is to place the pill on the table and then push the wedge through the pill. Again this won't work for small circular pills, but offers more leverage to the oval scored medicines."

My mother didn't complain of any pain using this product, another important factor for those who have arthritis. Overall, we both found this product useful, because again, this shape of a cat is utilized to make extracting pills much easier, and so I recommend this pill extractor. It can be purchased at this link, currently for $9.95, but one may enter a special online code "xp65" for 15 per cent savings, according to Mazur.

Review of the Arthritic-Friendly PurrFect Gripper Jar and Bottle Opener

This rubbery product is also shaped like a cat (but has no tail) and has a comfortable feel in the hands even though it's roughly twice as big as the pill extractor. Unlike a traditional rubbery jar and bottle opener, this product isn't flat, for its three-dimensional where the sides have rubbery teeth on the interior. Once again, the parts of the cat help utilize its functions of being able to open bottles and jars easier. These are functions that especially challenge my mother, but I do have my own share of problems trying to open some bottles and jars, too, especially the latter. Here's a rundown on the tests we conducted, using the instructions on the packaging.

The underside of the head has a circular gripping function with rubbery teeth to open bottle caps, one of the biggest challenges for my mother. To test its abilities, I twisted her diet soda's cap as tight as possible, and she proceeded to put the cat's head over the bottle cap (holding on to the head), then easily twisted it open as did I. If one twists the whole cap off with the cat's head, there's an "X" shaped opening at the top to push out the cap.

The underside of the body is much wider so one can open jar lids like that of pickles and mayonnaise. Again, I twisted the lids of those two condiments as tight as possible, then gave them to my mother to attempt to twist off. She gripped the kitty's body around each lid, and easily twisted them off the jars, as did I.

The top of the head contains four hard plastic and semi-sharp "teeth" so one can tear off the seals that are often on new bottles either by moving the "teeth" across the top or around the circumference of the bottle neck. Both my mother and I were able to shred some plastic seals using both methods.

As with the pill extractor, my mother had no pain using this product to open the various jars and bottles. She commented how impressed she was with this particular product. Because of the ease with which we were able to open the jars and bottles, I strongly recommend this jar and bottle opener. It can be purchased currently for $10.95 at this link, and the "xp65" online code is currently good for 15 per cent off.

Prices quoted are subject to change.

Source:

Emails between Roy A. Barnes and Robert Mazur, March 3, 2011