I bought my girlfriend a lever pull wine opener from Sharper Image a few months ago. Unfortunately it does not seem to work very well. She is a petite woman and I have watched her using all her strength trying to drill the corkscrew into the cork with no effect. Thinking she was somehow doing it wrong (not really possible with those but I mean c’mon…shouldn’t be that hard) I gave it a try. While I could make it all work it was quite difficult. The metal lever itself was flexing under the strain I used.
I kind of expected that all of these types of wine openers were created pretty much equal but perhaps I am wrong. I bought my mother one several years ago and never have as much trouble.
Is it just the cork? Are we somehow facing concrete corks rather than cork corks? Sometimes it works fairly smoothly but most times the thing is a hassle.
If it is just the opener can anyone recommend a good one that works with ease (particularly for a not physically strong person)? Note that table mounted ones are not an option.
The corkscrew you linked to looks like a variation on a Rabbit corkscrew. I bought a Rabbit for my 70-year-old mother for Christmas. She’s got pretty bad arthritis in her hands, and she was thrilled that she could now open her own wine with it. So I’d say that it’s probably just the one you bought that’s the problem.
I’ve heard of others that weren’t so easy to use. My suggestion would be to look for the “Rabbit” brand. They’re not cheap, but they seem to work better than the knockoffs.
That said, if your girlfriend doesn’t suffer from arthritis and isn’t elderly, I’d second what silenus said. Once you learn how to use a waiter’s corkscrew, it’s actually less hassle than a rabbit (the rabbit may be easier, but it’s also big and clunky). It doesn’t take long to learn how to use a waiter’s corkscrew, it fits in your pocket, if it breaks you can buy another one for a few bucks, and you can have an extra one in your purse/glovebox/office. Much superior IMO.
It is pretty hard to use one those incorrectly, but I’ve seen it done. The most common error is trying to pull the cork through the foil. I’ll assume your girlfriend is removing the foil first, though (if there is one.) Another is placement of the bottle, the base should be about waist high, any higher and it’s going to be harder to maneuver.
I’ve used a couple of the knock-off Rabbit’s, and found them to be just about as easy to use as the original, although they didn’t feel quite as ‘sturdy’ in my hand, or they felt llike they didn’t have as good a grip on the neck of the bottle as the Rabbit, and the worms are definitely lighter and thinner.
I’d suggest the real thing, a Metrokane Rabbit. It’s the best corkscrew I’ve ever owned.
I love ours, it’s probably one of the most used kitchen devices in our house.
If she really has trouble with the lever pull style, then there is always the waiter’s friend. The second most used kitchen device in our house. It’s another one that’s pretty easy to use, and it’s compact. I keep one in my purse, in my car, in my desk drawer at work, in our camping box, and we have about 5 or so in the kitchen. Don’t leave home without one!
