Favorite corkscrew

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BJ

BJ
In an effort to raise the game and bring back the old WD, I'm bringing up a super old school WD kind of question - what corkscrews to people like? Or maybe I've lost track of the old days...

Still...I want to know!

I'm partial to the original Irish made Screwpull manuals - with the two prongs and the super good super sharp spiral that twists down.

You guys know what I mean.
 
If my shoe or sucking hard on the bottle top doesn't work, I resort to a traditional sommelier corkscrew that looks like one of those old pumps for extracting oil from the ground, with an Ah So nearby in case things get rough, or for very wizened corks.
 
My regular corkscrew is the pulltap (or "waiter's friend"), with an Ah-So nearby. Given my predilection for older wines, I should own a Durand by now but the price is just silly.

I admire the 'portable' Screwpull model because it is the least strain on my wrists of any corkscrew. As a computer guy I am very aware of stresses on my hands and wrists (and forearms and elbows and shoulders and neck -- Ergonomics is a demanding mistress).
 
I use a Pulltap waiter's friend, but Jean upped my game with a Laguoile version this Xmas and it does feel good in the hand. For those rare occasions the I'm pulling dozens of corks, we've got a Screwpull. We do have an Ah-So, but I never use it. When confronted with a crumbly cork, I usually resort to the worm in a Swiss Army knife and come in at an angle, levering out the remains.

Mark Lipton
 
Ah so, with waiter's friend with uncoated screw for plastic corks (they really strip teflon coatings). Though I rarely see plastic corks these days.
 
Waiters friend for younger wines and Durand for older ones. If a Durand is not avialable will make do with combining a WF with and Ah So.
 
Jay, I'm curious...how do you combine a waiter's friend and an ah-so? Or are you saying that if the waiter's friend has a problem, then you switch to an ah-so?

With respect to the waiter's corkscrew opener, I can't recall seeing any other than Laguiole that has the long worm.

. . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Jay, I'm curious...how do you combine a waiter's friend and an ah-so? Or are you saying that if the waiter's friend has a problem, then you switch to an ah-so?

With respect to the waiter's corkscrew opener, I can't recall seeing any other than Laguiole that has the long worm.

. . . . Pete
Click to expand...

Not Jay, but I will insert the screw of a Pulltap as far as it will go, then insert the ah-so over the Pulltap to simulate, at least to some extent, the Durand. I use a Pulltap because it is thinner than most waiter's friend corkscrews.
 
originally posted by Mike Evans:
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Jay, I'm curious...how do you combine a waiter's friend and an ah-so? Or are you saying that if the waiter's friend has a problem, then you switch to an ah-so?

With respect to the waiter's corkscrew opener, I can't recall seeing any other than Laguiole that has the long worm.

. . . . Pete
Click to expand...

Not Jay, but I will insert the screw of a Pulltap as far as it will go, then insert the ah-so over the Pulltap to simulate, at least to some extent, the Durand. I use a Pulltap because it is thinner than most waiter's friend corkscrews.
Click to expand...

What Mike said.
 
The 'waiter's friend' type are at the pinnacle for me.

Of the cheapies, the Winner is the undisputed king, IMO.

Only two truly great corkscrews have existed insofar as I can determine.

The lesser of those was the Kershaw Sommelier from the '90s. Beautiful geometry, perhaps the best.

The greatest corkscrew of all time remains any iteration of the Code 38. Unrivaled quality, action, and durability.
 
This is good information. I'm on the lookout for a new waiter's corkscrew. Currently I have some serviceable, but kind of crappy ones at home.

I had a Super Professional Waiter's Corkscrew that was for a restaurant and a gift from a friend that I used for years and was terrific.

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www.wineappreciation.com

(they also have the Winner on this site).

When we combined houses, I acquired a Screwpull Leverpull that I use for young wines. I have a Durand for old wines. The price is a bit silly, but damn it, it works great. I've never lost a cork with it.

Keith, your Coutale looks a bit elaborate. What about it do you really love?

Chaad, what is this Code 38? Never heard of it.
 
I prefer the swoops of the curvier 1st Gen Code 38s to the newer Gen2 chassis design, but I have not used a Gen2 tool, so maybe the proof is in the pullin'!

I have used a Gen1 Code38 for years and they work very well, better than any other; I would be utterly shocked if someone as savvy as the Code38 inventor somehow lost his shit and went from making the best corkscrew in the world to making a $400 hack job. It ain't happenin'.

It is true the tools are designed for expert use, and do not employ some of the idiot-proof features of other tools like the Pulltap double-hinged boot lever, so bad technique could result in broken corks, but for experienced users, the speed, accuracy and feel of a service pull is fantastic. Add in the durability, quality, use-ability and serviceability elements, and that's what makes the Code 38 the leader and best. (Sorry, I'm from Ann Arbor!)

Here's the original Code38 design, which was made using metal injection molding for the body parts:

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www.eat-drink-etc.com
 
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