As soon as I’ve got extra money… I plan on replacing as many of my canning lids as I can with a non-BPA reusable brand by Tattler, TATTLER Reusable Canning Jar Lids Home Page. Check them out and see what you think. When I first found out there were reusable canning lids I gave em a call and asked a few questions. They offered to send me a sample. They sent me regular and large mouth lids for no charge which was really nice. They were so pleasant and responsive I ordered 3 doz wide mouth and 3 doz regular without bothering to try the samples. So far so good since I’ve been using them. I’ve learned they really are reusable and they really don’t have BPA in them. Here’s the gal I found online who originally got me psyched about checking into the lids a little bit more, Rural Revolution: reusable canning lids. Glad I did. I don’t know why these lids haven’t caught on with the cost of one-use canning lids up as high as they are. You’d think the Tattler lids would be going gang busters with a lifetime guarantee but it doesn’t seem like most folk even know there’s a viable alternative to Ball and Kerr lids that definitely do contain BPA. BTW…. I don’t work for this company and don’t own any stock in their company or anything else. This is just one of those products that once I tried it out…. I was kicking myself over all the money I'd spent on single use Ball and Kerr lids.
I have posted about this product as well in the past. It seems most members can't get by the price per indivdual unit as opposed to what they now pay for the non-reusable lids. I myself am convinced it is a must have product, and have been in the planning stage of buying no less than a gross as a starting point. Have I mentioned that I am the World's foremost and greatest Procrastinator?
I totally understand. We all have budgets and it's so darn hard prioritizing. For me.... the lids pay for themselves if I only use them a 2nd time. What got me over the hump of the initial outlay was no BPA available to leach into our foods during the hot water bath or high pressure canning methods. That did it for me.... it might not do it for others less familiar with Bisphenol A.
OK, i just got 2 boxes of the regular size tattler lids. I canned some jam last night and i had 2 out of 5 jars with tattler lids not seal. i could not tell why on one of them, the other looked like the jam splashed onto the seal. any tips & tricks to pass on when using these lids? Not too happy with the 2 out of 5 failure rate, but this is my first time using them.
I just purchased ten dozen for starters....hoping to eventually have enough lids to cover the amount of jars I process every year (hundreds!). I have heard that there is a bit of an art to getting the proper seal every time.
I still have some of the glass ones from my grandparents stuff .I can remember getting a whooping for take some out to use as targets for the BB gun. I miss both of them !
So how many uses have any of you gotten out of one of these lids ? We can here, but considering the 2 out of 5 failure rate it looks like the jury's still out on these - at least for me that is.
I have read reports online from folks using these for a couple decades without significant failure rates. YMMV, but it seems to have something to do with the tightening, or loosening, after processing. A simple net search for the item might turn up discussion that covers your problems
suvalley, since you've purchased ten dozen of these why not post a review here the next time you can something. I'l love to get some first hand info on this product.
I have not yet bought my supply of Tattler Lids and Rings. They are on my short list of things I have to purchase when money becomes available. . A good friend who I trust posts on this site and others. He and his family use the Tattler products and are absolutely sold on them. He has reasons that he does not post this himself here on SM, but I am not so bashful. You have asked for a testimonial from a Monkey who has used this product successfully. The following is that testimonial ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiya Tom, I found the thread about, Tattler reusable BPA free rings and lids. I read it and it's pretty obvious kckndrgn probably splashed jam onto the jar rims and didn't clean it. I had 6 dozen of these lids and was using them with no seal failures, soooo.... I bit the bullet and spent $300 buying Tattler's bulk of 500 regular and wide mouth lids. I'm gonna buy another 500 next year. Our economy's gonna tank... it's only a matter of time. I want to have as many of these lids on hand as I can afford. They're undeniably reusable. If you are one of the folk on the fence.... be on the lookout for splashes, and be sure to wipe the jar rims after filling your jars. Tattlers aren't any more forgiving than Ball and Kerr lids when there's drips, spills, and splashes. The 1st time I used them I canned applesauce. I didn't read the directions that came with them instructing me to tighten then loosen a little bit to allow for venting. This is where the lids differ from Ball and Kerr lids. We're supposed to tighten Tattler lids just snug, then loosen them by about a quarter inch before processing them then once we remove them from the hot water we're supposed to tighten them again. My applesauce still sealed and I tested the seals by removing the rings and lifting the jars and by laying them on their sides waiting for leaks. I guess I'd have to suggest that everyone buying tattlers read the directions that come with the lids. Don't do what I did and find out after you've canned a big batch of applesauce that you're supposed to tighten then loosen before processing then tighten again after processing. One more thing.... they don't ping when they seal and you need to use a grease pen to mark the date or contents, since the lids are not throw aways. And.... getting your friends and family into the habit of returning the tattlers and the jars is a pain since they're so used to the one-use throw away Ball and Kerr lids but.... my Dad's now returning them to me so I guess it just takes constant reminders. Take care, Read the directions, follow the proceedures as given, and Tattlers will serve you just fine.
OK....here's my 2 cents. I order a bunch of them about 5-6 years back. It took FOREVER for them to send them. I called, left messages ( it was some kind of real estate company phone ), emailed several times ( they NEVER returned an email ), and frankly I figured I was just out the money I'd sent. My impression was it was a part time deal for whoever was running it, and they didn't give a flip about customer service. FINALLY, after about 4 months, a box ( in a used box of something else ) of them showed up one day.....looked like somebody had raked a bunch of them off a dusty shelf, in a box they had laying around, and scrawled my name on the lid......lousy packing job, to say the least. THAT may have changed now, I see them being advertised, so maybe they sold it to someone that is placing more emphasis on marketing and customer service. I sorta got the impression at the time I was dealing with them that this was one of those ideas that never got off the ground, and they had a bunch of them sitting around the garage, and had moved on to other things. The lids themselves: Yes, the LID is a good, hard plastic lid. HOWEVER, the weak link in this chain is the SEPARATE sealing ring.....the ones I got were a fairly thin rubber. They don't look to me like they would last more than a couple-three uses, and time/temperature would render them dry rotted or broken....I could be wrong, but if I'm right, without the sealing ring, a "lifetime" lid is worthless. These are NOT like the old time red rubber sealing rings you used to see in the grocery stores that were used by Grannie with the old time, one pc galvanized/porcelin Ball caps...those rings were about 1/4-5/16" wide, and fairly thick...looked like they would last quite a while. The rings I got with the tattler lids are not nearly that substantial looking. My guess is about 3 times, and you'll be looking for new rings....which IF Tattler is still around, and you can GET new rings, will work out fine.....otherwise, you're screwed. PLUS there is the sterilizing factor of the rings, so you don't contaminate your contents. I used some of them, they seal, they work fine....that part is OK.....the ring is my problem if you plan to store them for long term. Over all, I'm NOT sold on the Tattle system. I have a big box of them, but I also stock LOTS and LOTS of regular Ball/Kerr lids. YMMV.
