When it comes to buying a wine bottle opener, there are many options. These corkscrews range from a cheap waiter’s style to a very pricey artisan tool. You can buy a small all-in-one foil cutter and wine opener, or a bulky statement piece that needs a dedicated space in your home. When push comes to pull, though, the main options that drive the average wine drinker’s decision making are portability, cost, and ease of use.
Types of Corkscrews
There are a few basic types of wine openers to choose from:
- Waiter’s style
- Waiter’s Style – Double Hinged
- Winged
- Electric
- Rabbit
- Push-and-pull
The Criteria for Winning Best in Class
We rated the corkscrews on several criteria. These included:
- Sturdiness: Is this a quality made product? Will it last for several years?
- Ease of Use (for an average person): How easy is this to use for someone who is not a wine professional and don’t open wine bottles for a living?
- Ease of use (for someone who has very little hand strength): My mother was my tester for this category. In her 70s, she has lost hand strength, as many people do.
- Bulkiness: Can this be put in your pocket? Yes, size does matter.
- Portability: Is this easy to transport? Or does it need a permanent home?
- Price: Price is decided based on dollars spent as well as value for the price.
Waiter’s Style Wine Bottle Opener
3-in-1 Corkscrew – $25 at Amazon
The waiter’s style is ultra-portable, and it fits in your pocket. There are many made-in-China knockoffs that are easy to buy at a gas station when you’ve forgotten yours. However, if you want to keep one or two of these at home, you will soon fall in love. The waiter’s style corkscrew typically comes with a small knife to cut the foil off of the bottle. As a lady who loves her manicured fingernails, I find these knives hard to open and difficult to maneuver. I have recently fallen in love with the 3-in-1 style that comes with a built-in foil cutter instead of a knife. This brand is patented in Italy, has a longer-than-normal worm (corkscrew), and is designed for professional use. (This means that it can open many bottles of wine before you need to replace it!)
Pros: affordable, portable, easy to use
Cons: can be difficult for those without hand strength
Waiter’s Style – Double Hinged
Coutale Sommelier – $40 at Amazon
The waiter’s style is ultra-portable, and it fits in your pocket. These are typically inexpensive, which means you can keep one at home, one in your car, and one in your boat or RV. You can even keep one permanently in your suitcase (but only if you plan on checking it, of course). Within the waiter’s style, you can buy one with a traditional small knife to cut the foil or an easier-to-use foil cutter that replaces the knife.
Since the inexpensive waiter’s style are sold everywhere from gas stations to big box stores, our best in class award goes to one that’s a little pricier. What makes it worth the extra cash? It is made of stainless steel, and it has a French patented spring loaded double-lever. In fact, you might want to put one of the new record locator luggage tags on this one. If you like the waiter’s style corkscrew, you will love this one.
Pros: Portable, easy to use, exceptional quality
Cons: Expensive, can be difficult for those without hand strength
The Rabbit Wine Opener
Brookstone Wine Opener – $35 at Amazon
There are many brands on the market that use a lever to remove the cork. But not all brands are the same. Some are very stiff, and others are made with poor quality components. The Brookstone wine opener that wins our best in class is compact, sleek and easy to use. You will need to change the metallic helix–called the worm–every so often. (Think of it like changing a light bulb, or putting gas in your car.) The Brookstone “rabbit style” is easy to use. Although it takes less hand and arm strength than a waiter’s corkscrew, it still does require some strength.
Pros: easy to use, sexy
Cons: bulky, can be difficult for those without hand strength
Winged Old-Fashioned Corkscrew
The winged old-fashioned corkscrew is similar to the one you had growing up. This winged style is available is most stores, but like everything else, quality matters. OXO makes great mid-range products. They aren’t so cheap that they’ll fall apart after you’ve used it for a month, and when you hold it, you can feel some heft. One of the things I like about this wine opener is that it is good for larger format bottles. If you don’t have a quality winged wine bottle opener, this one should be added to your wine drawer.
Pros: Portable, affordable, good for magnums
Cons: Bulky, not very sexy
Electric Wine Opener
Electric wine openers are sexy and simple. You press a button, and the cork comes out of the bottle. The Cuisinart electric wine opener is a great value and wins best in class. It’s not the least expensive, but cork-for-cork, it’s the best electric puller on the market. It even comes with an attached foil cutter. There are a few downsides of an electric wine opener. First, you need electricity, so this isn’t the option to take camping. Second, it’s bulkier than many of the others, which means it’s not as portable. Finally, the push-button method of inserting the worm isn’t as precise as doing it by hand. The worm can split the cork, especially with older bottles.
Pros: easy to use, sexy, best option for those with limited hand strength
Cons: not portable, bulky, more expensive
Stand or Wall-Mounted Wine Bottle Opener
The stand or wall-mounted corkscrews are statement pieces. They need a dedicated place in your home and are usually the most expensive options. Tabletop versions are quite beautiful, but they are not as sturdy as this wall-mounted one. If you’re looking for a conversation piece, the tabletop wine opener is a great option and is about a third of the price as the professional wall-mounted opener that won our best-in-class. This particular model is meant for high-volume use. It is extremely sturdy. In fact, you don’t even need to hold the bottle when you remove the cork. The workmanship is evident in the polished African wood and the milled steel worm. It comes in copper, chrome, or nickel finish. It can even be special-ordered in a 24-karat gold finish for an ultra-premium product.
Pros: professional quality, easy to use
Cons: Bulky, not portable, expensive
Thank you. I bought the electric and the Coutail to try.