BWH's Jackie Clay on reusable canning lids

[Cabin Fever]

We just received the latest issue of Backwoods Home Magazine (May/June 2010). It included a product review by Jackie Clay for Tattler Reusable Canning Lids. She tested the same reusable lids in repeated pressure canning tests and they came through with flying colors. She essentially gave the product two thumbs up and said she will be buying more. Subscribers: make sure you read the article. Non-subscribers: get with it, you’re missing a wealth of homesteading information!

We respect and trust Jackie’s opinion; consequently a major purchase of these canning lids are in our future. They are not cheap. $20.95 for 3 dozen (regular) and $23.95 (wide mouth). We consider such a purchase as an investment and a survivalist/preparedness hedge against TEOTWAWKI.

Tattler Reusable Canning Lids

[springvalley]

Hey all, I did a little math and here's what I came up with...
$24 for 3 dozen lids/rings of the wide mouth variety. That makes them roungly $8 per dozen. I can occasionally find the throw-away dome lids at $3-4 per dozen. THEREFORE, these reusable ones will pay for themselves within 3 canning jobs!! THEN, even if the rings don't last longer than 3 times, you're only paying $2.50 for replacement rings iinstead of the $3-4 for the dome type!! This means that they're well worth the investment in my opinion. Unfortunately, I have stocked up a couple of years worth of the dome type or I'd be buying in on these for sure!!
-Catherine

[joseph97297]

Awesome. We were looking at buying more lids to replace what we had lost, and we will give these a try.

Thanks for the heads up.

[FarmboyBill]

My question is, Yeah, she tried it over and over. All well and good< BUT did she keep trying till she wore some out. My point is, no matter how good they are, if ya dont know when its time to replace them, you could lose considerable amount of fruit if they were all u used, and u bought heavy when you bought them.

[wy_white_wolf]

I think we will be order some, but not canning solely with them. We give away too much that the jars don't come back now. Hate to spend that much on lids that we will never get back or be reused.

Seeing how they (claim to) last so long we will be putting a few away with our preps.

[TnAndy]

OK...here's the flip side of Tattler lids:

The lid is probably permanent.....the weak link is the separate rubber ring....is is fairly thin, and doesn't look like it would last for the long haul...it's nothing like the "old" rubber rings that were used with the single piece screw on galvanized/porcelin jar tops, if you're old enough to remember those. My guess is regular single pc lids will outlast the rubber rings that come with the Tattler lids by a LONG time if you're putting these aside for long term.

Haven't been to the Tattler website in years, since I placed an order, but at that time, it DEFINITELY wasn't clear that there is a separate rubber ring to go with the lid....also, when I did place an order, it took months and months to get my lids....I called several times, always got an answering machine for some real estate outfit, and FINALLY ( like about the 5th call ) got a human to answer and said "yes....they will go out in a week or two ".....after 3 months of waiting.

Whole deal had the air of someplace going out of business, and that was confirmed when the lids finally did arrive, throw rather carelessly in a used cardboard box.....nothing at all professional about dealing with the seller.

[LonelyNorthwind]

I pay $78 for a case of 36 dozen which works out to be $2.16 a dozen. Also, I've been re-using my canning lids for years & years. As long as the rubber is intact I set them aside for re-use. I only preserve fruits & juices with the used lids but I've never had any not re-seal. The thing that really gripes me anymore is how chintzy the rings are. I have old rings that are 20+ years old but the new ones seem to rust instantly.

BTW, I put up gallons and gallons of wild blueberry juice every year ( I live in wild blueberry heaven). I have been putting a lot of it up in re-used store glass jars like pickle jars, glass juice bottles etc. There again, as long as the rubber is intact, they reseal. Those single serving juice bottles & Starbucks cold coffee bottles are perfect for putting up individual juices for lunches, picnics, boating etc. If the bottle doesn't come back it doesn't matter. Trouble is, I can't seem to throw away anything made of glass!

[Ramblin Wreck]

Reusable is good.

[highlandview]

I am so excited to see these are available. It seems like such a waste to throw away lids.

[Ohio dreamer]

Originally Posted by TnAndy

OK...here's the flip side of Tattler lids:

The lid is probably permanent.....the weak link is the separate rubber ring....is is fairly thin, and doesn't look like it would last for the long haul...it's nothing like the "old" rubber rings that were used with the single piece screw on galvanized/porcelin jar tops, if you're old enough to remember those. My guess is regular single pc lids will outlast the rubber rings that come with the Tattler lids by a LONG time if you're putting these aside for long term.

Haven't been to the Tattler website in years, since I placed an order, but at that time, it DEFINITELY wasn't clear that there is a separate rubber ring to go with the lid....also, when I did place an order, it took months and months to get my lids....I called several times, always got an answering machine for some real estate outfit, and FINALLY ( like about the 5th call ) got a human to answer and said "yes....they will go out in a week or two ".....after 3 months of waiting.

Whole deal had the air of someplace going out of business, and that was confirmed when the lids finally did arrive, throw rather carelessly in a used cardboard box.....nothing at all professional about dealing with the seller.

The situation with Tattler has seemed to change in the last few months. The website up now is new. The Tattlers you purchase through it are new. The ones that have been "around for years" are from the old runs made back in the 70's and/or 80's. There were many people "out there" re-selling them, one was the actual family of the guy that started it, but most weren't. The current website is the actually company that is currently making them. They have just started shipping in the last few weeks. (This is information I have pieced together after researching this over the past year or more). There are allot of thread on these down in the "Food Preservation" forum.

I bought mine off a re-seller on e-bay last year. I like them and plan to by more direct for the company as soon as funds are available.

[blooba]

Here is a thread on the subject with alot more info from the inventor. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sho...d.php?t=244578 I read somewhere in the past about them staying sealed for 14 years and still being able to be reused.

[teresab]

I haven't bought any yet but I plan on getting some. The thing I like best is the lids have no BPA...that is a big selling point to me.

Added....Wow..I just went to their site and to get one box the shipping cost is almost 9 dollars which brings the cost to $29.57.

[Sparkey]

Spring Valley...

"I can occasionally find the throw-away dome lids at $3-4 per dozen."

WOW ! I paid $1.39/doz for standard lids a couple days ago.

Charlie

[Pelenaka]

So once I invest in the lids then my only follow up expense is new rubber rings every ? canning season @ 20 odd cents each (shipping not figured in).
Cabin fever, would you say that the rubber rings were as durable as traditional rubber rings used in wire bail canning jars? My concern is that anyone else other than me opening jars wouldn't be gently enough.
Usually @ either Dollar General or Big Lots I can score reg. lids for 99 cents before taxes.
I only reuse canning lid for dry vacuum storage. Still have well over 150 lids from when I ordered off of ebay after the heads up on the preservation forum.
Like you wrote this is a good item to have on hand for the day.

~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/

I still however would kill to find a way to make a food grade rubber to refresh canning lids. Kitchen brewed concoction made out of ?

[Ohio dreamer]

Originally Posted by Pelenaka

So once I invest in the lids then my only follow up expense is new rubber rings every ? canning season @ 20 odd cents each

I canned some carrots yesterday with tattlers. This is at least the third time with these lids, same rubber rings. Rings should last years. Just train your family to NOT use a sharp knife to open them (they shouldn't use them on metal lids, either). 9 times out of 10 finger strength is all I use to open any canning lid (metal or tattler). They are made of rubber, not china...they can take some bumping around.

When I place an order for new ones I'd like to get 6-10 dozen to go with the 4 dozen I already have. I'll only order 1 box of extra rings to cover all those lids.

[ronbre]

i love that magazine

[beaglebiz]

do you need to use their rings??

[suitcase_sally]

Yes, you need the rings made for these lids.

A word of advice on cleaning the rubber rings. When washing the rings, place them on the plastic lid as if you were going to use them. Use a tooth brush or similar brush to scrub them, letting the lid hold them. Flip them over and replace on the lid and scrub the other side. This method keeps the rings from stretching. They are thin and will stretch is mishandled.

BTW, when they first came out in the 70's, they were made in Michigan. Now they have sent the manufacturing out of the country, but the price went up. I was not happy when I found this out.

I have not had any of the rings break, but I did stretch a few when I first got them. Learned my lesson.

edited: their website says "made in the USA", I don't know where I read they were made outside America.

[Ken Scharabok]

"Added....Wow..I just went to their site and to get one box the shipping cost is almost 9 dollars which brings the cost to $29.57."

Yes, some businesses force high shipping cost onto buyers, usually by their using UPS or FedEx rather than USPS when the latter is cheaper. With a USPS small flat rate box it would be $4.95 shipping. For a medium flat rate box, which would hold a lot of lids, $8.95. The same sent UPS would likely cost about double that. Yes, UPS has a nice tracking system but you pay a price for it for lighter weight packages.

I sell extensively on eBay. Estimated 1,000 tranactions a year. I ship probably 95% USPS Priority Mail, rest (larger or heavier packages) UPS. I do not have local access to FedEx Ground for deliveries.

[texican]

Originally Posted by GrammasCabin

If the bottle doesn't come back it doesn't matter. Trouble is, I can't seem to throw away anything made of glass!

I don't throw anything away made of glass either......... especially since hardly anything is being put into glass bottles anymore. No more mayo/dreamwhip (or whatever that nasty mayo substitute is called) in glass containers. They still have a spicy 'sandwich spread' in glass, but it's not for everyday use.

I'm thinking the glass I have now will be all the glass I ever have, unless I run into more folks cleaning out their parents 'caches'. My last score was two pickup truck loads worth.