No exposed blade and the opener leaves no sharp edges. The lid lifter removes the lid without hands ever touching it, so you won't cut yourself on sharp lids. Traditional can openers let the lid fall INTO the can -- that means whatever has touched the top of that can (hands, bugs, germs, dirt) is now in your can of food!! GROSS! Yeah, that's all I needed to hear before I bought it. It also has openers for jars, soda tops, and bottles. (via QVC.com)