Tattler Reusable Wide Mouth Canning Lids & Rubber Rings - 12/pkg

Very good canning jar lids...reusable...

I am really excited about these reuable lids. At first I didn't have the greatest success with sealing, until I watched a video that Tattler has on Youtube of how to use them. It's really important to understand just how tight 'fingertip tight' is. I normally tighten my canning rings much more but you just can't with Tattler. Then you have to tighten them further just after you remove them, and that's important too. Once I started following those directions very precisely, I haven't had a single one fail to seal. I'm definitely planning to purchase more. My only concern is that it looks like in my very quick research the USDA doesn't approve the use of these lids, but only the metal ones. It's a little misleading when you see that Tattler lids are made of USDA and FDA approved materials, but that's not the same as being approved for proper sealing, etc. So, yes, that admittedly makes me a little uncomfortable, but I will continue to use them until I find there to be a problem with sealing or spoilage. I have seen other people comment that they don't like it that they can't tell for sure that the lid is sealed because there's no pop sound, but I feel like it's pretty obvious when they're sealed. I can even lift the whole jar by the lid and they don't come off, plus they just kind of look different after they're sealed (you'll have to see for yourself). I do miss that pop sound, though. I always love sitting down after a big canning project and hearing them pop as they seal, but other than the fun of hearing it, it's no real loss. I've also found that regular canning lids have gone up considerably in price (probably because all metal has) and so it really only takes a few uses for these lids to pay for themselves.

My wife and I are just starting out with canning, so we felt investing in reusable canning lids up front would assist in recouping their cost over the next 10-20 years. We used the lids to water bath can our first batch of homemade relish. We had no seal failures among 15 half-pint jars. Edit: After a year of use and an additional 20 or so water bath and steam bath sealed jars, we've had no seal failures.Pros:- Easy to use. Finger & thumb tighten the ring before it goes into the water bath. Fully tighten the ring when it comes out.- No BPA.- Infinitely reusable. We purchased a supply of replacement rubber rings up front which should make these last the rest of our lives.- No rusting, even in storage.- Can be stored with ring on or off.- Easy to tell if there is a seal failure: the lid will effortlessly lift upCons:- No satisfying "ping" upon sealing, if that's important to you in the canning process. You have to wait until the jar is cool before you can check the seal. (Only slightly different from metal lids, since you can't be *certain* that it's sealed until the jar is cool...even if the metal lid did ping during cooling).- Does take some time to recoup the cost. Need to use these about 4 times to match the cost of metal lids.Tip: when opening a sealed jar, use the non-serrated, smooth edge of a knife and pry underneath the *bottom* of the rubber ring. That way, the replaceable rubber ring absorbs the pressure rather than taking the chance of damaging the edge of the plastic lid.

I've used these 3 times now. I don't see a problem, but I am not sure I like them (that's a feeling... I don't have proof -- have you ever just "had a feeling"?)For the present, I have not had a negative experience with these plastic lids. I have noticed that the juices of my ferments do not normally leak out as much as they do with the metal "dome" lids (and that is always my sign that my ferments are prospering), but, in fact, I have not noticed any negative effects. (A GOOD point is that the lids don't bend or warp from pressure inside the jar - that keeps a good environment in the jar, but you do tend to have the contents pop out of the jar a bit when you take off the lid - always open in the sink!)Long story short -- you choose.The idea of having re-usable lids, which won't corrode, is a very good one. That is, more than any other reason, why I continue to use these.

These lids are those little gems everyone who home cans (jars/bottles) dreams of but never knew existed. Now they are a reality and they are amazing.I have been in the pickle of trying to find lids when I thought I had more at the height of canning season before. My solution was to stock up on bulk purchases of the metal lids but I cringe at the ever increasing prices. After all, if being thrifty and healthy is the goal...one loses the thrift trying to buy lids at the height of the season.Also, the metal ones are not re-usable. Or at least they shouldn't be. I'm hearing more and more of people re-using them for dry canning after opening up something that had been wet canned. Not a big fan of that idea.Enter the Tattler. I just love these things. They really are just a plastic disk and a rubber ring, but the combination of the two gives you a reusable and refreshingly easy system for sealing up your home grown produce. I purchased from here last year so I've used these twice, but the ones I bought 2 years prior to that to try them out are on their 4th usage and doing fine.My only comment would be to ensure you have spare rings around. I'm noticing a bit of a crease in a few of them that have been pressure canned 4 times now. The lids themselves are just like new! Great product.NOTE: Amazon price varies considerably. Right now there is no shipping with Prime so that is an improvement but check out the manufacturer and compare it with Amazon before you purchase.