Our Story

In 1977, our grandfather Clifford Kuns was watching his father-in-law struggle after a stroke, and had a dream that night of a design that helped people with a basic need: opening a jar. He soon realized the significance of that dream, put pen to paper, and began production.

The first 20,000 jar openers were made entirely of wood, but as demand grew dramatically, he transitioned to plastic.

Sold initially through church and civic group fundraisers, over time The Lid Persuader became a huge success. Eventually featured on national TV in the 1990s (QVC, TBN, etc.), our beloved, unique jar opener was a commercial success and found its way into homes across America.

Typical of entrepreneurs, Cliff wanted to pursue some new ventures, so in 2002 when a third-party business offered to grow the product through their own marketing efforts on Amazon in 2002, we began selling and distributing via wholesale and Amazon Marketplace.

Over the past 17 years, we’re proud in the fact that our jar opener has continued to help thousands of people. And in August 2019, we happily embarked on our own journey again with our new and improved brand: The Grip .

And it’s not just the branding that’s improved. In October 2019, we also made some aesthetic enhancements. The same proven effective design, and the same trusted materials, but with a fresh look. We love how it turned out, and know you will too!

Over all these years, we’re proud of how radically our grandfather’s invention has changed people's lives. Now in our third generation, still American made and family-owned and operated, we want to continue on that legacy.

So whether you are old, young, arthritic, or simply tired of struggling to open jars and other lids, we want you to have what many have called their "best friend in the kitchen," and what others have said has "given them back their independence."

From our family to yours,

-Debi, Gerren, and Whitney (Owners)