an ah-so opener will remove and replace a
cork without any damage to the cork. It also
is a fantastic weapon if you aim for the bridge
of your attackers nose.

I'm partial to the waiter's corkscrew with a double hinge. I've tried a lot of others over the years and these are very simple, provide great leverage and are compact.

FauxReal wrote:I'm partial to the waiter's corkscrew with a double hinge. I've tried a lot of others over the years and these are very simple, provide great leverage and are compact.

Ditto! The compactness is a big point for me, since I have a lot of kitchen utensils packed away in a fairly small kitchen. Have always worked great for me.

FauxReal wrote:I'm partial to the waiter's corkscrew with a double hinge. I've tried a lot of others over the years and these are very simple, provide great leverage and are compact.

I too agree and also have one with two tines that work in beside the cork and pull it out. It is a pain in the rear but great for older corks with the potential to crumble.

Double hinged 'waiter's corkscrew for most young wines, though sometimes a Screwpull 'portable' for longer corks.

Old corks, especially with old California wines, require the careful use of an 'ah so'. Unfortunately, 'ah so's with the very thin, quality spring steel blades on the original Ah So's back in the '70s are virtually impossible to find today, and have been for at least 20 years. (I used to have one of rather unique design that would work for corks of varying sizes which was my father's from the 1920's or early '30s, but someone lifted it....)

Waiter's corkscrew - several to choose from since we have picked them up from visiting vineyards over the years. But that reminds me... I need to unpack the Houdini 5 - Piece Wine Gift Set from Woot I bought recently!

The Houdini one.

I've never had any issues with my knock off rabbit. With three simple motions the screw is in and out. If you really want it will take the cork off the screw for you. I purchased a whole box set for about $20. It was totally worth it.

1. Waiter's.
2. Swiss Army Knife.

FauxReal wrote:I'm partial to the waiter's corkscrew with a double hinge. I've tried a lot of others over the years and these are very simple, provide great leverage and are compact.

Same. I've tried 'em all. These are the best.

I got one of these when they were up on Sellout - works just fine for my purposes!

ShaggyTx wrote:Waiter's corkscrew - several to choose from since we have picked them up from visiting vineyards over the years. But that reminds me... I need to unpack the Houdini 5 - Piece Wine Gift Set from Woot I bought recently!

Yeah you do, it's pretty handy!

Cork Pops!

Mine is similar but not quite like this.

Waiter's corkscrew makes me feel like I actually know what I'm doing when I'm about to drink wine. Then I have a sip and become clueless once again

I usually use a nice 3-piece corkscrew from Pampered Chef

But sometimes I use the deadly weapon known as the Cork Pops which is a large-gauge needle that can inject CO2 into the wine bottle to push the cork out with pressure OR you can inject the CO2 into an artery in your attacker causing a quick death. Or so I'm told.

natalieug wrote:OR you can inject the CO2 into an artery in your attacker causing a quick death. Or so I'm told.

That's a handy multipurpose tool.

One I've had for years. Not sure what you call it. Has a frame with rubber end that sits on the bottle. The other end where the worm gear passes through has a device to lock the T handle at the top of the worm gear as you are inserting the cork screw into the cork. When the the handle reaches the frame the locking device flips up and the worm gear then engages, extracting the cork. Been working fine for 40+ years now.

grisca wrote:Mine is similar but not quite like this.

+1 that. Looks like that one is more "modern".

I generally use this since it looks so fun when opening: Fancy Winemaster Corkscrew

However, sometimes we use my knock off of the rabbit (which tends to work better or at least more easily) and sometimes the 2 step waiter's corkscrew (especially when away from home).

The brookstone automatic wine opener. Works well but does occasionally get stuck.

I don't have an answer for the crumbled cork though.

Ah So, Cork Pops, traditional, double step

I use them all. I really depends the bottle that is being opened, the type of cork in it, and the size of the bottle.