Presto Precise 02152 17-Quart Digital Pressure Canner: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-20

Summary

Owners mostly like the automation, but the faults they report are the ones no setting fixes: a batch where several jars fail to seal, a green latch that breaks after about 3 years, error codes the manual does not list, and vegetables that come out mushy. Running cost is electricity for the 1485 W element plus jars, lids, rings and periodic genuine Presto gaskets, and the sources publish no prices for any of those, so a yearly dollar total cannot be worked out from them. The 02152 pays off if you want an electric canner with no gauge to watch and no altitude adjustment for pressure canning; at $450.99 from Presto direct in October 2026 that convenience carries a premium price, and no agency or extension service has independently tested the machine.

Common problems and fixes

Jars that fail to seal — one Reddit r/Canning owner reports a consistent pattern of a few jars per batch failing, up to half the batch, across potatoes, green beans, beef stew and ground beef, while another owner reports every jar sealing with little to no liquid loss; these are single-owner reports, not a defect rate. Automation does not take over the parts you control: headspace, packing method, ring condition and jar rims still decide the seal, and tested recipes still supply the processing times, so work through those rather than the canner. The warranty is one year limited and the sources do not list seal failure as a covered fault. [1][8][12]
Green latch breaks after a few years — a Reddit r/Homesteading owner reports the green latch piece breaking after about 3 years of otherwise-loved use, with a screw interfering with the latch. Presto sells service parts for this model, but the parts the sources name are the sealing ring and the gaskets, not the latch, so expect a warranty claim inside the first year rather than a component you can order. [11][15]
Vegetables that come out mushy — one SimplyCanning commenter reports vegetables overcooked and mushy when the included instructions are followed, with sauce the only acceptable result, while another commenter using the same canner reports vegetables that are not mushy. The canner runs a fixed program, so the correction sits on the recipe side: keep to tested processing times and treat the included recipe book as a starting point rather than the authority. [8]
Boiling-water mode still needs an altitude correction — the no-altitude-adjustment claim covers pressure canning only; USDA guidelines require a longer processing time at altitude for boiling-water canning, and Presto says not to double-deck jars in that mode. Adjust the processing time for your altitude before the batch starts. [3][4]

Parts and consumables

Green cover latch — not among the service parts the sources list, so a broken latch after the first year is not a part order but a repair or warranty matter. [11][15]
Printed instruction manual — $5.99 from Presto in October 2026, a one-off buy if the booklet is lost. [14]

Yearly running cost

Not enough data to put a dollar figure on it. The recurring items are electricity for the 1485 W element, jars, lids and rings for each batch, and periodic genuine Presto sealing-ring and gasket replacements. The sources publish no electricity rate and no cycle time, no jar or lid prices, and no gasket prices or replacement intervals, so none of those lines can be computed and no yearly total follows from them. There is no app, account or subscription to pay for. The only priced item the sources give is the printed manual at $5.99 from Presto in October 2026, and that is a one-off cost when the booklet is missing. Electricity is the line with the most room in it: the element runs at 1485 W and holds 240–250 °F through the process, and jars prewarm for about 20 minutes before the step sequence begins, so the bill depends entirely on how many batches you run and what you pay per kWh. [1][2][8][9][14]

When it is a good buy

$365.50 or below (third-party eBay reseller, October 2026): strong value, the low end of that listing.
$365.50 to $450.99: good value for an electric, gauge-free, altitude-free pressure canner.
$450.99 (Presto direct, October 2026): defensible, but only when the automation is the thing you are buying.
Above $531.99 (third-party eBay reseller, October 2026): poor value, since a tested stovetop canner costs far less.

Presto direct lists the 02152 at $450.99 with free shipping in October 2026, and a third-party eBay reseller listing showed $365.50 to $531.99 for the same model in the same month, so the bands above bracket what is actually on offer. Two alternatives fit other needs: the Presto 01781 23-quart stovetop canner is the better choice when you have a stove and want the standard USDA dial-gauge or weighted-regulator method that extension services document, since it costs far less; the hybrid Presto 02153 (23 qt) and 02154 (16 qt) digital canners are the better choice when you want digital automation at a lower price, since they run at 1100 W in heavy-gauge aluminum and hold more jars per batch, but they are a different product line and Presto says the 16-qt 02154 is not tall enough for quart jars in boiling-water canning. The 02144 12-quart digital canner is the better choice when counter space is the constraint, because a hands-on comparison found the 02152 heavier and bulkier at 24.3 lb and 18 in tall, worth choosing only if you have the room. Whatever you choose, keep the verification caveat in view: Presto’s own FAQ says the canner is not approved by USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation, Oregon State University Extension states that Cooperative Extension has not independently tested it, and a 2021 Ask Extension answer said none of those bodies were recommending any electric pressure canner because none had been tested by an independent researcher, with the Kansas State coverage described as encouraging but not an endorsement. At these prices you are buying Presto’s own testing. [1][2][3][4][6][7][8][10][13][17]