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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 18:39:28 GMT
Looking at canning lids. I like the reuseability of the tattler vs a regular lid. Used a few tattlers last year and seemed to do ok. Before I invest in more tho, who uses them? How many uses do you get out of them? They aren't cheap but if I can get 4+ uses from them I think they will be worth it. Looking at it from a prep and a frugal standpoint. I'm trying to invest in long term items. TIA for your feedback!
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Post by Homesteader on Apr 27, 2015 19:03:51 GMT
Hi there! I use them and love them. Now I'm not sure where you got the 4 plus use number? I have read that the rubber seals can be used 20 times, and of course the plastic part is good for, well, ever?
I have not had a single after-canning (meaning, after sitting on the shelf) failure with Tattlers. I have had more in-the-canner-while-processing failures with regular lids than with Tattlers.
The longest amount of time for me on the shelf with Tattlers is 6 months. I know Wendy uses them too, and has had no troubles at all and I do believe she has had some stored more than a year.
I have not been to their website for a long long time and recall reading something about maybe they changed the lids and now you don't have to re-tighten right out of the canner? You need to check on that, all mine are the ones from before that so I tighten them right out of the canner. Of course I cover the whole bunch with a towel and use heat protective gloves. I have never had a jar crack or explode however apparently one gal on the old site did have that happen.
Just my ramblings.....
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Post by viggie on Apr 27, 2015 19:24:04 GMT
I've only used Tattlers since 2011 and I'm very happy with them. I've had some on the shelf since then that are storing fine. (I'm honestly afraid to taste pickled cauliflower lol so there they sit)
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Post by mzgarden on Apr 27, 2015 19:31:53 GMT
I guess I'll be the wet blanket. Maybe 5 years ago, I purchased a bunch of these and ended up sending them back for a partial refund. I worked with their customer service team repeatedly and still had about a 20-30% failure rate after taking them out of the canner, tightening the lids and then not sealing as they cooled. They walked me through step by step how it should work and I tried several times. I finally went back to the old lids. If they've changed the design, I'd try them again - I wanted them to work.
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Post by Homesteader on Apr 27, 2015 20:51:02 GMT
No wet blanket, you need to report how it worked for you or didn't if that's the case. I know many folks had trouble with them, and maybe they did make them better, like, the ones I got were during that half off sale 2 years ago. Then since then again, I think they changed them again.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 21:45:14 GMT
Yes, I want to hear everyone's experiences so I can make an informed decision. I just pulled 4 times out of what they cost verses cost of regular lids. I hope I can use them over and over forever!
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Post by Homesteader on Apr 27, 2015 22:49:55 GMT
Oh, I get it, the four times.....20 times on the rubber gaskets, but you can buy those separately to replace those.
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Post by Wendy on Apr 28, 2015 0:05:26 GMT
I have used them & really like them. I have some rabbit I canned going on 2 years old that is still sealed. We ate some tonight actually. They have designed the new lids to not need tightened after taking out of the canner. They are self venting & you use them the same as you do regular lids. I do not have any of them yet, but hope to buy some more when they go on sale. I usually stock up when they have a good sale going on. I still have regular lids that I use on things I plan on selling or giving away. I got an awesome deal on wide mouth lids several years ago on ebay & still have a huge rubbermaid tote full of them. I will order extra rings from Tattler whenever I order more lids. I also ordered their little jar opener which works good on them.
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Post by calliemoonbeam on Apr 28, 2015 7:43:15 GMT
I'm also one of the ones who had terrible luck with them. I had so many failures I finally just packed them away and refused to use them any more. I tried suggestions from Tattler, as well as many home canners, with no improvement. I don't really know what the problem was, maybe I was still doing something wrong, but I don't really know what it could be. In all fairness though, I know lots of others who bought theirs the same time I did (at that first big half-off sale) and had great results. THey loved them and have since added more, and some have even switched to only using Tattlers. If I could get the results the others have, I'd use them in a heartbeat. I've thought about trying some of the newer ones, but I don't want to possibly throw good money after bad, lol, so waiting until or if they have a really good sale on them.
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Post by siletz on Apr 28, 2015 14:30:09 GMT
I have used Tattlers exclusively for a couple of years now. It was a learning curve at first as it is different than a standard lid, but I love them. I have the same success/failure rate with these lids as with the regular ones. I like the fact that I can reuse them over and over.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2015 19:32:52 GMT
Thanks for all the feedback. Maybe I will just buy a dozen this year and work with those plus what I have. If I can't get the knack of using them down then I'm not out a big investment. If they wrk well, then I will buy more.
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Post by Ozarks Tom on Apr 29, 2015 0:24:08 GMT
We had lots of aggravation from Tattlers at first also. After talking to their customer service I stopped tightening them so much before putting them in the canner. I was tightening them like I'd always done with regular lids, but apparently Tattlers seal better initially, and don't vent properly if tightened too much. Tightening them after canning was something else I'd missed.
Since I've been "educated" we've had very few failures.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 0:36:05 GMT
I have some sitting in a drawer. I know there will be a learning curve, and actually, I have to admit that I'm afraid I'll burn my fingers/hands when tightening the jars after processing.
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Post by Raeven on Apr 29, 2015 0:40:16 GMT
I have some sitting in a drawer. I know there will be a learning curve, and actually, I have to admit that I'm afraid I'll burn my fingers/hands when tightening the jars after processing. It's not that bad. I've had very few Tattler failures, been using them exclusively for about 4 years. Just follow the instructions exactly as given, and you'll be fine.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 0:40:23 GMT
We use the tattlers for everything we're planning on keeping for ourselves and the regular lids for anything we're planning to give away. We really like them a lot. I just love opening a jar of something and not throwing anything away. I've got squash soup over 2 years old that I'm still eating. They stay sealed just fine if they seal initially, but we do have more that fail to seal at all with the tattlers than with the regulars. It's not a problem - we just put the jar in the fridge and eat it right away if it fails to seal.
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Post by viggie on Apr 29, 2015 0:42:52 GMT
I have some sitting in a drawer. I know there will be a learning curve, and actually, I have to admit that I'm afraid I'll burn my fingers/hands when tightening the jars after processing. I just arm myself with a couple of oven mitts
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 0:44:01 GMT
Duplicate.
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Post by claytonpiano on Apr 29, 2015 0:58:53 GMT
I love the Tattlers. I've been using them for years. I have turkey canned with them from 2012 and it is still sealed. When you follow the directions, there is no problem with the sealing. The learning curve is really not that bad, but you MUST follow the directions. I have replaced one rubber ring.
I have had some failures, but just like regular lids, you must do a good job of cleaning the jars. I have lots of help and not everyone that helps me is as meticulous as I am.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 29, 2015 2:52:51 GMT
I bought my first Tattlers in '08 or '09 && have been adding to them every year. I put up between 500-800 jars a year, mostly using tattler lids but keep standard flats on about 1/3rd for the kids & gifts.
I bought the new ones last fall & am anxious to use them this year.
I've not had a problem with sealing from either WB or PC, perhaps a 2-3% failure rate.
I did have an 'explosion' in 2013 2012 that was operator error. I pulled quarts of marinara out of the PC & tightened right away ... the internal pressure caused the flat and ring fly off the jar ... as well as half the contents of the jar.
I received 3rd & 4th degree burns on my hands, wrists & forearm.
Now I make sure I wait at least 10 minutes before tightening and I put a towel over the jar first.
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Post by calliemoonbeam on Apr 29, 2015 4:11:42 GMT
Wow MLF, that's scary, so sorry that happened to you! I hope you healed okay with no contractures or painful scars. {{{hugs}}}
I really wanted to love the Tattlers, and I'm 99% positive I followed the directions correctly, but just never had any luck. I did (and still do) think that mine might have had some defects, as there were gouged-out places on most of them, but some of the other canners said theirs had those too though not as bad, and Tattler insisted it was a design flaw that they had already corrected and that first big sale was from the batches before that, but they still insisted it couldn't be the cause of my failures, so I'm still clueless, lol.
Like I said, IF I can catch a really good sale, I'll try some of the newer ones because I also like the idea of not having to throw away so many lids, plus the quality of the newer metal lids just keeps going down, like everything else.
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Post by mzgarden on Apr 29, 2015 12:30:36 GMT
Wow MLF - that's scary. Hope you healed up quickly. Probably would have made me nervous at my next canning event.
CallieMB I'm with you. I just could never get them to work but would be willing to try again. If someone becomes aware of a good sale on them, maybe you could post the notification and I'll give it another try.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 29, 2015 15:37:30 GMT
Thankfully, I keep a couple gallons of aloe vera juice in the fridge. I soaked my forearm/hand in that for 4-5 hours ... until the pain went away. Then I covered it with tegaderm for a week or two. Finally, I used vitamin E on it to help it heal without scarring.
I did call my friend who is an MD. Sent her pictures & let her know what I was planning on doing. After warning me about infection and making me promise to send her pictures, she was fine with what I was doing. I do have a little discoloration on my forearm/hand but nothing too bad.
Oh! And I was canning the next day. The harvest waits for no one.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 15:44:09 GMT
Thankfully, I keep a couple gallons of aloe vera juice in the fridge. I soaked my forearm/hand in that for 4-5 hours ... until the pain went away. Then I covered it with tegaderm for a week or two. Finally, I used vitamin E on it to help it heal without scarring. I did call my friend who is an MD. Sent her pictures & let her know what I was planning on doing. After warning me about infection and making me promise to send her pictures, she was fine with what I was doing. I do have a little discoloration on my forearm/hand but nothing too bad. Oh! And I was canning the next day. The harvest waits for no one. That's awesome. Your risk of infection probably would have been higher if you'd gone to a hospital - where MRSA is everywhere. The scars aren't too bad?
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 29, 2015 16:12:51 GMT
No real scars ... just permanent spotty discoloration, except under my watchband ... I have a permanent 'tan line' there.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 18:01:05 GMT
I bought my first Tattlers in '08 or '09 && have been adding to them every year. I put up between 500-800 jars a year, mostly using tattler lids but keep standard flats on about 1/3rd for the kids & gifts. I bought the new ones last fall & am anxious to use them this year. I've not had a problem with sealing from either WB or PC, perhaps a 2-3% failure rate. I did have an 'explosion' in 2013 2012 that was operator error. I pulled quarts of marinara out of the PC & tightened right away ... the internal pressure caused the flat and ring fly off the jar ... as well as half the contents of the jar. I received 3rd & 4th degree burns on my hands, wrists & forearm. Now I make sure I wait at least 10 minutes before tightening and I put a towel over the jar first. Cyndi, I vividly remember this incident about your appalling burns! You're a brave lady to give them another try.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 29, 2015 20:07:17 GMT
@stef, I wouldn't say I was brave ... just had a lot of the garden/orchard left to put up. No one else was going to do it and it's not in our budget to purchase canned items at the store.
Side note about the seals ... don't pull on them when washing them. Store them in a plastic bag to extend their life. I purchased extra seals when I first started using Tattlers and have never opened the boxes. I've lost count of how many times I've reused my seals in the past 6-7 years ... some get used & re-used 4-5 times a year.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2015 20:44:27 GMT
Side note about the seals ... don't pull on them when washing them. I second this. We lost a lot of them at first by stretching them out during hand washing. Finally we bought a net thing that hangs in the dishwasher and that works very well.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2015 17:33:45 GMT
I heard you only have to lightly tighten them before processing. If you set the jar on the counter and just turn the ring until the jar spins on the counter, that is all the tighter they need to be before processing.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 30, 2015 18:56:12 GMT
I heard you only have to lightly tighten them before processing. If you set the jar on the counter and just turn the ring until the jar spins on the counter, that is all the tighter they need to be before processing. I don't tighten them even that much. I tighten them just enough to hold the flat on. If after processing your lids are bowed, then you need to back off the tightening. The ones they came out with last year can be tightened the same as regular metal lids. These will have E-Z Seal on them.
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Post by wvterri on Apr 30, 2015 19:49:09 GMT
I'm like a few of the others with not having any luck with them. I did 2 canner loads, followed the directions, and had 100% failure on all 14 jars, 2 after two weeks. To be fair though, I was using old jars, some Golden Harvest, and that might have been the problem. I've read that they don't work as well with old jars.
I don't know what the problem was, but that first lack of success hasn't inspired me to try them any more. A large part of my jars are old!
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