Customer Reviews

Le Creuset Screwpull Professional Lever Corkscrew S1700-31

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My wife gave me a Screwpull many years ago. I must have pulled over 2,000 corks without changing the worm. One day, I had a problem with a cork & used brute force - so no more Screwpull.

I new that my wife had paid [$$$] & that the Rabbit (at half that price) was getting good press; so I made my second mistake.

The Rabbit started out good but the worm began to stick after a dozen corks. Another problem: when the cork didn't come out easily, the Rabbit pinched my fingers as I released the cork.

Thankfully, after 9 months, the Rabbit gave up the ghost. The worm unravelled & couldn't be removed.

I have just received a new Screwpull from Amazon. At [$$] it is competitively priced, but price is not the point. I expect the Screwpull to last indefinitely. I have learned my lesson - don't use brute force. The worm is now supposedly good for 2,000 pulls. Three or four worms should see me through.

I have seen some negative reviews for both products, but I can't identify with the problems attributed to the Screwpull. However, the more numerous negative Rabbit reviews reflect my own experience.

I have two tips. When dealing with wax seals, remove the wax before using the corkscrew. If the worm meets resistance in a cork, revert to an old fashioned corkscrew - the cork may be a high-tech product for which neither product is suited.

For those who have never used this type of product, I can say that after 10 years I have never had a cork break.

For those thinking of reviewing either product - wait until you have removed 50 corks.

This is it--the end of the wine opener line. It takes about 2 minutes to get the hang of gracefully gripping the top of a wine bottle with the handles, and when to flip the lever up (which leads the teflon screw to do an effortless swan dive through the cork) vs. flipping it down (to extract the cork), but once you have it down, all other openers seem skimpy and pale. To pop the cork off the screw's tip, you repeat the same motions, with the handles in "closed" position: lever up, lever down. The cork plops onto the nearest surface. The humble foil cutter may seem like an accessory, but it's an essential: it usually takes about a half twist around the top to lift foil; if the cork is capped with wax instead, you don't even need the cutter--the screw slips right through wax. From foil to cork-plop takes about 10 seconds. It works on the nastiest, most resistant corks (even crumblers and stubborn synthetics). If you're entertaining, and opening more than one bottle, let your guests see you open the first--without fail, they'll want to try it. Designers love it. Engineers like to figure out what the gear mechanism is up to. Wine connoisseurs already own it. I received mine as a gift, but if it ever disappears, I'll spring for the high-altitude price. Individual pieces in this gift set are also worth owning, including the spare teflon screw--which is one of the keys to the opener's success. (After 6 months my original screw is nowhere near needing replacing.) I only wish the name of this wonderful thing matched the elegance of its design. Note: the Metrokane Rabbit is based on the same design for a notably lower price, so it's a good option--but I've tried both, and for me this is just It--it's sturdier, has a great hinged storage box that fits in a drawer, and there are no ifs. (The one time I used a Rabbit, it wouldn't let go of the extracted cork.)

O.K. folks, I'm five foot three, one hundred pounds, former classical dancer and have piloted numerous vintage/warbird aircraft, but there are certain mechanical hand-coordinated items that fly right past me . . . opening wine bottles has always been frustrating and forced me to ask other people to take the honor. So when I saw the Screwpull in action, it was a must have. It took several attempts, but now it is so easy, expecially with the hint from a wine store owner friend. The tendency when opening a wine bottle with this device is to work on a counter or table top supporting the motion. Wine store owner friend suggested standing clear of a supporting surface and performing the motion in "mid-air". I thought no way, I see disaster. But, it works! The leverage is more balanced without a surface. This delightful gadget brings a smile to my face everytime. No more struggling. Smooth, easy, and rarely a cork crumble in the wine. And as in most reviews, your friends will love the performance. I sought the opinion of three local wine stores for their preference and the Screwpull was their choice; they felt the Rabbit was too fickle and had so many returned for refund. If my Screwpull wears out in a few years, so what, I'll buy another. Everything breaks down eventually.

Traditional wine bottles are sealed with corks. The Screwpull does a fine job with only two simple lever movements of removing the cork. Wax-sealed corks are another matter. Wax is a challenge for all types of conventional wine openers including this one. For operation with wax I recommend removing the screw every 10 bottles and cleaning off the wax in order to preserve its slippery Teflon surface. When the screw gets coated with wax it is resistive to penetrating a cork, thus it exerts vertical pressure on the cork and drives it inside the bottle - not a good thing when your guests are wearing a white top and you're opening a bottle of red - keep those screws clean, Teflon or not.

Other than the wax issue the Screwpull works great and is a nice tool to have in the kitchen. If we all stayed away from high production wines with those waxed bottles the world would be a better place and the Screwpull would be an absolute dream. The Screwpull is well-built and sturdy - highly recommended!

My husband and I received the Screwpull as a wedding gift, but if we ever lost if, we wouldn't hesitate to buy another one! I have always had a hard time with traditional corkscrews (eg. twisting the screw in crooked, so that the cork is sure to crumble), so the addition of the Screwpull to our home was most welcome! This device is wonderfully easy to use -- uncorking a bottle of wine takes little more than a second or two! It comes with a handy foil cutter, which removes foil neatly and cleanly, so that the screw has no trouble getting into the cork (wax-topped corks are no problem!) We have a friend who thought the Screwpull was so great, she insisted on opening the wine whenever she was visiting! This is a perfect gift for the wine enthusiast.

My wife and I love the product when it's operating properly; however, the problem enters when the corkscrew wears in that you can't find replacements at retailers who sell the Screwpull product. This is obviously an integral part to the operation of the unit so even though I have enjoyed the product I wouldn't buy it again because of this difficulty.

I bought the unit after reading these glowing reviews. At first, it performed (very well) as advertised. But it started to operate with "a screw loose". I couldn't fix it, and after a disaster where wine splashed all over, the unit hit the round file.

I have had my screwpull since 1996! I have replaced the worm once & the foil cutter once - and we have a LOT of wine tasting events. Lord knows how many thousands of bottles of wine it has opened at parties. It always amazes people when they see it for the first time. I have never had a crushed cork or cork bits in our wine bottles using it. I am buying 6 of them for Xmas presents this year to send to family members.

For just over a year I simply adored this way of opening all my bottles of great French wine. It coped equally well with both new corks and old crumbly ones. However one of the plastic parts then broke and it was completely useless so in view of the very high cost I cannot recommend it and have gone back to struggling with my old, cheap but reliable corkscrews.

This is just not worth the price. The plastic parts need to be all metal as the plastic quickly wears and the opener ceases to work correctly. Wouldn't buy another one. My recommendation.......spend your money on some good bottles instead.