Brabantia 297663 Classic Corkscrew - Black

This has to be the easiest way of removing the cork from a wine bottle that there is! I thought the 'waiter's friend' type was good even though it sometimes broke shards of glass off the bottle while levering the cork out, and I never got on with the two arm lever style as they never brought the cork fully out of the bottle. This Brabantia needs very little effort to turn the top round a few times while it screws into the cork and pulls it out. Removing the cork is just as simple; you turn the handle in the opposite direction and it just pops out. Fabulous! As for the foil cutter; it works. It took me a couple of tries to figure out the best way to use it (hold the corkscrew still and use your other hand to rotate the bottle, pushing it firmly against the cutter as you do so) and tbh there are faster ways to get the foil cover off, though the cutter does make a neat job of it. This corkscrew joins my Vino2 and Vacuvin as essential wine related items in the kitchen. Edit 1 Dec 2020: I wrote this review in Jan 2013. The corkscrew is still going strong and we use it in preference to any other corkscrew in the house. It's easy to use and reliable.

We buy our wine from an Italian shipper who still delivers with traditional corks, rather than the screw tops used by many winemakers these days. For someone such as me, who suffers with arthritis in my fingers, opening corked bottles has become difficult, so I was searching for a corkscrew to make life easier. This sturdy corkscrew fits the bill admirably - just keep turning the large screw on the top and out comes the cork, with no problems. Moderately priced too in comparison with other "arthritis-friendly" corkscrews costing several times the cost of this one.

Having recently misplaced the standard 'winged' corkscrew we had I decided to have a look around for another and came across this one which has received very positive reviews. This is the first time I've come across a bottle opener like this and Brabantia make good quality products so I was very interested to see the results. I have to admit that this is probably the easiest corkscrew I've ever used. I didn't have any issues using the cutting tool on the bottles I tried but I noticed a lot of the negative reviews related to this were from a couple of years ago, so perhaps the design for this part has been improved slightly? Once you've used the cutter to remove the foil simply stick this corkscrew on top of the bottle and start turning the handle. The handle is very easy to turn and should make it much easier for people with arthritis or poor wrist/finger strength. Once the cork has been removed, simply remove the corkscrew from the bottle and turn the handle the other way to extract the cork. However, this doesn't always work perfectly with narrow or plastic corks. To remove these I found I needed to use my finger to push the plastic slider part whilst unscrewing the handle. Not a biggie but something to be aware of. Great little corkscrew. Pros: - Brabantia brand with 5 years warranty - Hands down the easiest corkscrew to operate - Stands upright so can live in cupboard or on a work surface - Foil cutter was easy to use (at least I didn't have any issues) Cons: - Narrow and/or plastic corks are not as easy to remove. You can push the plastic slider down whilst turning the handle to extract them - Costs a lot more than a bog standard 'winged' corkscrew but it's a very unique and easy to use bottle opener - Doesn't have a cap bottle opener so you'll need another product to do that

It’s never been so easy to open a bottle a wine! There’s no need to try and position the screw, just cut the foil with the built in foil cutter, pop over the top and start twisting. The first time I used I stopped when I got some resistance but you just keep spinning and POP! Also I don’t want to gloss over the foil cutter, it’s so easy, sharp and simple to remove the foil. I’m very impressed! I haven’t tried on any bottles with those awkward lips yet, but hoping even those won’t be a challenge for this!

Great product!

I never write reviews. Least of all for a crappy house hold gadget that sits in a drawer! I was sold after first use. As a home brewer, some times things go wrong. On this occasion I had 40 bottles of wine ruined due to miscalculating sulphites. Normally using the standard barman's friend or twisty arm cork screw, this would have been very laborious and just down right annoying and tiring to empty so many bottles in a row. Besides the heartache of having to tip out 40 bottles! Every cork came out perfectly, no breaks, no cork in the wine, no effort. This would be especially great for those who are perhaps not as capable or abled to use other traditional means. It opened 40 bottles in a row, perfectly each time in about 30 minutes. I'm not sure what else you can say about a corkscrew!

Good quality, works well, worth the few pounds more (I tried a cheaper one that had to be returned).

This opener is made of plastic, but does not feel like it would break after a few bottles. It is straightforward to use. There is a spring loaded collar around the hole that takes the wine bottle. Press the opener onto the wine bottle, once the collar is slightly depressed, start turning the handle clockwise while maintaining pressure downwards onto the bottle. The handle has quite a large surface area, so it is easy to grip. It is also pretty easy to turn. To open the bottle, keep turning until the cork just comes out into the body of the opener. To get the cork out of the body of the opener, just turn the handle in the reverse direction. Very easy. Although easy to operate and with a comfortable handle, I'm not sure whether it would be good enough for someone with arthritis for instance. A more specialised opener maybe required.