Zyliss Serrated Seafood Scissor & Shell Cracker – Heavy-Duty Dual-Use Tool for Lobster, Crab & Shellfish – Built-In Cracker Channel – Soft Touch Handle – Dishwasher Safe – 5-Year Guarantee

When lobster is in season, a little Mom & Pop place offers Spiny Lobster from one of the fishing boats nearby. They don't have claw crackers so I got these and some picks to take with us when we go for one of their lobster dinners. They work great. ZYLISS always has well made kitchen tools. We keep them in the car for such opportunities. I did get two sets because it's more convenient not to have to share a cracker when eating lobster or crab. Not flimsy (they have some heft to them), and easy enough to clean once we get home. I just drop them in a baggie after we are done eating.

This tool is simply AWESOME and deserves a rare 5* plus rating. Prior to getting this, I could never get oysters open with out a major to-do. It was so bad, that I would skip home prep of one of my favorite treats and stick to restaurants ($$$$). On a trip to visit relatives, my adult nephew showed me this device and a few tips on how to use it. Once I got home, I ordered this and it worked great; so much so that I can now “shuck” a dozen oysters in less than 10 minutes!!The trick is to find the hinge on the oyster (typically the fattest part of the oyster) and work the tip of the knife into that soft spot by working it back and forth in a wriggle type motion. It doesn’t take much force. More a working motion to work the knife tip in. Once the tip goes in a few millimeters, you can turn/twist the knife and break the oyster open. Then work the flat edge of the knife along the oyster to cut the muscle off the shell. The “holder” works with smaller oysters and protect the hand holding the bivalve. Larger oysters can simply be held with a hand towel. The knife is made of thick steel that can handle the work of prying open the oysters.Can’t tell you how much I love this simple kit. Thanks to this product, I can enjoy my favorite farm-raised oysters any time I want (except in months that don’t have an “R” in them - but that’s another story!). Now if I can find a really good mignonette sauce recipe, I’ll be set!

works very well, and make is nearly (knock on wood) impossible to cut yourself while opening oysters. I have had guests who have never opened one before use this product with ease, I have not noticed the issues that some commenters have made with regard to the size of the oyster pocket, I have found it equally effective for both large and small oysters. My only knock is that the knife has quite a sharp tip, which can, if used over-zealously, chip/break the ends of the shells, however this was easy to get used to and quickly stopped being an issue.

Works good!

My family has been eating crab for years and cracking the crab is part of the eating rituals. But the cracking tools we used were nut crackers or small wood mallets and I've felt there has got to be different utensils that are designed to make this job easier, if not better. Better so you aren't crushing or pulverizing the shells and mashing the meat inside.So like I do now with every purchase I make, I start to search/review for a product that will suit my needs. There are a lot of seafood crackers available - different styles, colors, functions - makes your head spin!Finally I narrowed down my choice to this Zyliss Seafood Cracker. It's simple but functional. I liked it's efficient styling and color. It is plastic but hard, durable plastic. It seems to hold up to even the hardest shell.I've used it a few times now and it is a great investment. It cracks shells without shattering them and performs as well as a metal cracker. It seems durable and made well. Even when your hands get a bit scummy, you're able to grip and use the cracker.I ordered a few of these to give to my crab loving family along with the HIC Lobster Crab Seafood Pick. Both are a great combination and a big improvement over a nut cracker and chopstick.

I would not recommend these shell crackers for hard shell Maine Lobster. Mine broke within 2 minutes of use. These may work on softer shellfish or lobsters that are between molts. Amazon gave me a refund.

These are my favorite lobster crackers.

This works on softshell lobsters but not strong enough for hard shells…