Customer Reviews

Oenophilia Coutale Sommeliers Corkscrew

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

 

 

This is the best corkscrew of it's kind! I am a professional bartender and server and this is the only corkscrew I buy now - for work and home. The design of the double-pump is much more ergonomic than your regular double-pump corkscrews and it makes much more sense. (It may take a minute to get the hang of it because it's the opposite lever direction than you're probably used to, but after a few times using it you'll love it.) It is also light-weight and durable, and the price is awesome!

Starting with:

The good, and in fact very good - No question about it, the Coutale concept of a spring loaded smaller foot inserted within the main foot is brilliant, way better than just about anything (two part foot, broken, and of course single) to extricate a recalcitrant cork. The short but coated screw goes in nicely and manages dry corks pretty well. Grade: A.

However, moving on to:

The bad and rather obnoxious - Once pulled out and used, the foot doesn't fit snugly back in the main body of the corkscrew and instead flops about like a broken wrist and gets in the way, making the task of threading, specially through tough corks, more irritating that it should be. B-/C.

But it goes from bad to:

Very, very ugly - The foil cutting blade on the sommelier version is an absolute, total disaster, a pathetically dull blade with a ridiculously pointed end that is very successful at slicing careless fingers (nothing like a blood stained label as a selling ploy), and perhaps killing pigs, but is near useless at cutting through foil. Very disappointing and ubersucky: I've resorted to removing the foil completely, which rather spoils the presentation, or using a separate knife or foil cutter in all cases. If this was a play for the triumph of form over function (it looks good) then bravo, otherwise it gets an F.

The worst of it is that these problems are FIXABLE, if not by the buyer. I'm a professional in the wine trade who may open up to a dozen bottles on any day: I can't imagine how obnoxious these issues must be for a sommelier who pulls double that each day. I'd pay triple if these glitches were fixed. As such, the good parts are the only things that keep me from forgetting this corkscrew in a drawer.

I took a chance on this product due to the high reviews here on Amazon. I'm glad I did. I like everything about it! The weight is just right, the material provides a good grip and a nice aesthetic, and the action is very smooth. The knife works very well, the bottle opener can be used without moving anything, and all the parts came well lubricated. Highly recommended.

Edit: I guess I've had this for awhile now, but I'm upset to report that it recently broke. The plastic "head" piece that surrounds the blade-casing on top broke off like a clamshell. Perhaps I should have been more careful with it, but I wish that one piece had been constructed a bit more sturdily. I still recommend this, but don't think I'll be buying a second knowing my butter-fingers.

Works well but make sure the first stage position is secure before beginning to pull the cork. Otherwise, the lever may chip the mouth of the bottle. That happened to me the first time I used it. It hasn't happened since.

It is much easier to open a bottle of wine using this corkscrew. Women, especially will find it much easier since it employs a pushing/pressing rather than a pulling motion requiring less strength and effort.

I would have given it 5 stars but I've found that after a little while, when the screw is descended, the levers tend to flop down and the cutter isn't as useful as I thought it would be. While sharp, it seems awkward to use but perhaps I haven't mastered that part yet.

My husband is 70 and has opened many bottles of wine with many types of corkscrews, really. This corkscrew is the best he or I have ever used, and the price is unbeatable! Why? The whole thing is made with lightweight, strong metal. All of the folding parts operate easily (no broken finger nails). the quality of the parts (screw, hinges, knife, lever, and handle) are top notch and the stampings/castings are precisely accurate. The 2-step pull-up method handles difficult corks easily and is very easy to use, even for me, but if you prefer you can use the 1-step. The best part is the action which is totally opposite to standard corkscrews. With the bottle standing on a table, you push down instead of pulling up on the handle, which is an easier action and results in a smooth cork removal with no chance of slopping or spilling the wine if there is a lurch, which sometimes occurs with the pull-up type of corkscrew. Everyone, including us (grey-beards included) will appreciate the easy and efficient push-down action. Simply a GREAT corkscrew! And they make wonderful gifts.

I own two of these corkscrews and have been very impressed. As a professional bartender these corkscrews allow me to open a bottle of wine in moments and provide a sharp blade that I can multitask. My only complaint, as seems to be a common one, is that the arm of the corkscrew becomes loose very quickly and tends to "flop" around. Regardless, I would definitely purchase more of these in the future.

I liked the design, especially for fragile corks, but after 8 months of home use the screw fell out of the main body.

One of the covers securing the blade and the corkscrew portion was detached after about 3 uses. I suspect it is the sideforces necessary in screwing the screw portion into the cork contributed to the result. At 5 uses both covers were detached and the screw portion was decoupled from the main portion rendering the device worthless. Learn from my mistake and pick another corkscrew with a studier construction.

I have bought six so far. I give them to friends. This is the best of any pocket cork screw I have found. Once you get the move down it is very easy to use this inexpensive opener. And it looks cool in action too.

This is the best tool available for removing corks from wine bottles. We've had many others which either were problematic to use or just plain broke. We had one of those expensive "rabbit ears" cork pullers that broke when trying to extract one of the new synthetic corks. A Swiss army knife is a handy emergency tool to have in your pocket on the beach, but can require a lot of strength and luck to use successfully. This profession screw has a short blade to cut the foil cover and plenty of leverage to ease out the most stubborn cork.