On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:

> I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have one? The
> price is holding me back!!

As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried everything
from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount Screwpulls. Teflon
coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah.....
They all have their faults and all have failed me at one time or
another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
bottle EASILY, is this style:

http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja

I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
I tossed all my other corkscrews.

nb

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:56:39 GMT, notbob wrote:

> On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:
>
>> I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have one? The
>> price is holding me back!!
>
> As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried everything
> from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount Screwpulls. Teflon
> coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah.....
> They all have their faults and all have failed me at one time or
> another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
> bottle EASILY, is this style:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
>
> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
> I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>
> nb

i ain't much of a wine-bibber, but it's hard to go wrong with this style.

your pal,
blake

On 11/7/2010 6:56 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2010-11-07, Mr > wrote:
>
>> I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have one? The
>> price is holding me back!!
>
> As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried everything
> from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount Screwpulls. Teflon
> coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah.....
> They all have their faults and all have failed me at one time or
> another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
> bottle EASILY, is this style:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
>
> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
> I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>
> nb
>
I agree with the style. We have a brass one that my DH got when he was a
college student working in a fancy liquor store. I think it was a promo
from Bolla. It's close to 50 years old and there is nothing that works
better.

We have been to wineries where they use those two-pronged rocking
openers. I have always wondered why those openers fail to work as soon
as you take them out of the winery.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 07:06:36 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> notbob > wrote:
>
>> The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
>> bottle EASILY, is this style:
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
>>
>> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
>> I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>>
>> nb
>
>I have that exact same one, and it's never once failed me...

'Zactly.

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:56:39 GMT, notbob > wrote:

> On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:
>
> > I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have one? The
> > price is holding me back!!
>
> As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried everything
> from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount Screwpulls. Teflon
> coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah.....
> They all have their faults and all have failed me at one time or
> another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
> bottle EASILY, is this style:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
>
> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
> I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>
That style is my go to also. I still have these as backup.
<http://www.amazon.com/Pedrini-Wine-Pocket-Waiters-Corkscrew/dp/B0002AKKYO/ref=pd_sim_k_1>
<http://www.amazon.com/Prong-Wine-Puller-Metal-Handle/dp/B0027FITRC/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1289149394&sr=1-1>
Funny, in all the years I've used corkscrews... only one broke on me
and that was due more to old age than anything else.


--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:56:04 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> On Sun 07 Nov 2010 05:56:39a, notbob told us...
>
> > On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:
> >
> >> I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have
> >> one? The price is holding me back!!
> >
> > As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried
> > everything from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount
> > Screwpulls. Teflon coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual
> > prongs, blah blah blah..... They all have their faults and all
> > have failed me at one time or another. The only one I've ever
> > used that has NEVER failed to open a bottle EASILY, is this style:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
> >
> > I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every
> > time. I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>
> I've had one like that for at least 30 years and it has never failed
> to pull a cork. Mine is stainless steel.

For me, the only time it doesn't work is when I get a cork that isn't
tight enough to set the worm and I end up pushing it into the bottle.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On 2010-11-07, Janet Wilder > wrote:

> I agree with the style. We have a brass one that my DH got when he was a
> college student working in a fancy liquor store. I think it was a promo
> from Bolla. It's close to 50 years old and there is nothing that works
> better.
>
> We have been to wineries where they use those two-pronged rocking
> openers. I have always wondered why those openers fail to work as soon
> as you take them out of the winery.

The standard for the pronged corkscrew is Ah-So. They have high
quality spring steel prongs that are perfectly tapered at the tips and
a concave inner radius for a contoured cork fit aiding in easy
insertion. My late FIL swore by his and I later used one for quite
awhile, learning the technique and thinking them "all that".
Unfortunately, I later discovered, while they're brilliant on new real
corks in newly bottled wines, they don't work all that well on really
old corks. Later, when the newer synthetic and jes plain cheap
plastic corks became more common, the shortcommings of the 2-prong
corkscrew soon became painfully evident.

My brass lever corkscrew effortlessly yanks plastic/synth and real
corks, old or new, with equal ease.

nb

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:13:29 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> I've not had that happen, but I imagine you could put the point of a
> knife into the edge of the cork to stabilize it before using the
> opener.

It's never apparent to me until it's pushed in. If I notice it before
I screw it up, I can usually use the prong type to get it out... not
if it's "too" loose though. But that's very, very rare.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

sf wrote on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:57:47 -0800:

>> On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:05:31 -0800, sf > wrote:
>>
> >> On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:56:39 GMT, notbob >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:
> >>>
> >> >> I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone
> >> >> have one? The price is holding me back!!
> >>>
> >>> As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried
> >>> everything from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table
> >>> mount Screwpulls. Teflon coated worms, CO2 powered
> >>> needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah..... They all have
> >>> their faults and all have failed me at one time
> >>> or another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER
> >>> failed to open a bottle EASILY, is this style:
> >>>
> >>> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
> >>>
> >>> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly,
> >>> every time. I tossed all my other corkscrews.
> >>>
> >> That style is my go to also. I still have these as backup.
> >> <http://www.amazon.com/Pedrini-Wine-P...iters-Corkscre
> >> w/dp/B0002AKKYO/ref=pd_sim_k_1> <http://www.amazon.com/Pron
> >> g-Wine-Puller-Metal-Handle/dp/B0027FITRC/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-
> >> garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1289149394&sr=1-1> Funny, in all the
> >> years I've used corkscrews... only one broke on me and that
> >> was due more to old age than anything else.
>>
>> your's or it's?

> It was at least 30 years old.

I have a brass one of those too but there is one problem in that many
conventional corks are a bit long to be lifted by the levers. The
handle also functions as a good beer bottle opener. The various "Rabbit"
openers are quite good but a lot of my wine these days comes in
screw-top bottles.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sun, 7 Nov 2010 15:08:44 -0500, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> I have a brass one of those too but there is one problem in that many
> conventional corks are a bit long to be lifted by the levers. The
> handle also functions as a good beer bottle opener. The various "Rabbit"
> openers are quite good but a lot of my wine these days comes in
> screw-top bottles.

What's up with those long corks anyway??? They're so annoying.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:05:31 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:56:39 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
>> On 2010-11-07, Mr Bill > wrote:
>>
>> > I see the Houdini corkscrew is being advertised...anyone have one? The
>> > price is holding me back!!
>>
>> As it should. They're all nonsense gimmicks. I've tried everything
>> from cheapo plastic giveaways to $120 table mount Screwpulls. Teflon
>> coated worms, CO2 powered needles, dual prongs, blah blah blah.....
>> They all have their faults and all have failed me at one time or
>> another. The only one I've ever used that has NEVER failed to open a
>> bottle EASILY, is this style:
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/3yf7uja
>>
>> I now have and all-brass version and it works perfectly, every time.
>> I tossed all my other corkscrews.
>>
>That style is my go to also. I still have these as backup.
><http://www.amazon.com/Pedrini-Wine-Pocket-Waiters-Corkscrew/dp/B0002AKKYO/ref=pd_sim_k_1>
><http://www.amazon.com/Prong-Wine-Puller-Metal-Handle/dp/B0027FITRC/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1289149394&sr=1-1>
>Funny, in all the years I've used corkscrews... only one broke on me
>and that was due more to old age than anything else.

My fovorite is the Rogar Estate/Champion corkscrew. A little fancy,
bulky, and expensive, but it was a gift, and it is fast and easy for me
to use. My back up is one of the waiter's double hinge keys like this
one:
http://www.amazon.com/Pulltap-Double.../dp/B0000AV1B9

Although back up is actually as misnomer as there is one in the glove
compartment of both cars, the picnic basket, and 2 in the knife drawer.

My wife doesn't like either and prefers the swinging arm style, like the
Pedrini and AMCO.

On 2010-11-08, Robert Klute > wrote:

> to use. My back up is one of the waiter's double hinge keys like this

A variation of the classic sommelier knife. The problem I've
discovered with this type of cork screw is cheap bottles. I've
chipped more than one bottle spout lip with this type of cork screw.
May jes be operator error, but if so, bound to get worse as the night
progresses. No thanks. I prefer my wine with no glass chips.

nb