Beechwood Bistro Corkscrew

My parents owned a double corkscrew style wine bottle opener and it was a classic, highly reliable and easy to use opener. I needed to get the same one, especially after putting up with unreliable, gadgety openers around today. I tracked this down, etched the family name on the side, and stained it to get a beautiful look, and a classic style corkscrew that I could reliably use, and be proud to have. I was surprised how affordable this was too. Love it!

We had received a similar corkscrew from my aunt and uncle’s estate and wanted a second one for our cottage. So happy we could find another one like it. We love the design and ease of use. The wood is beautiful and well made.

This is a good looking unit that has the desirable "double action" that's easy to work and exerts force vertically. I purchased 3 of them as gifts but had to return them when I discovered that their "screw" (the part that twists into the cork) is of unacceptable design .CORKSCREWS 101: Most people pay no attention to the shape of the screw itself, but it makes all the difference in the world. The "screw" of any decent corkscrew is shaped like an open spiral where there's space to insert a match stick straight up the center. That "open" design maximizes the surface area for the screw to grip the cork, assuring that it can firmly grip and remove corks that are wet, old, or fit tightly.Unfortunately, instead of being shaped like a spiral, the screw on this unit is shaped exactly like a drill bit, so it automatically reams out the center of every cork. Its contact area with the cork is then limited to the extremely narrow outer rim of the screw, which makes cork removal an "iffy" prospect. Admittedly, most of the time it should work adequately with new corks (as long as the fit isn't too tight); But there's a decent chance it will fail to remove a less-than-ideal cork, leaving you with a cored-out cork that must be removed with a cork extractor (like an "Ah So") rather than a corkscrew. I would strongly counsel against a corkscrew that has such a significant chance of causing problems.There are corkscrews available on Amazon that do have an acceptable screw design. Look for a listing that shows the screw in enough detail to allow you to see that it's shaped like an open spiral.

Have one I purchased years ago. It never fails. Always works perfectly. Not hard to use. This one will go in my wine take out bag, so I’ll never have to worry about an opener. Love it.

Doesn't require a whole lot of effort in extracting cork. Finish is durable and cork screw end is sharp! This is my second one of these in 18 years.

The media could not be loaded. I just received this beechwood corkscrew and have used it only once so far. It works great!!! Although I don't recall any instructions, I remember reading in the comments that the two handles work together and voila! Once I figured it out, it worked like a charm! In case it helps, this is how it works:1. Center the corkscrew over the wine bottle opening. The bottom handle will freefall until it hits the top of the bottom piece.2. Turn the top handle so the screw penetrates the cork, and turn the handle until it meets the bottom handle.3. Turn the bottom handle in the same direction and the corkscrew will come out, bringing the cork out. Easy peasy!UPDATE: I have since used this corkscrew several times and it works great!

Not sure why there were some negative reviews- this Beechwood corkscrew’s built the same as wife’s 40 yr old model. Works perfectly as an old school design. Think the negative reviews were from those who dealt with crumbly wine bottle corks. These days cork particles glued together to make a whole one due to a reported shortage. In the old days corks were one solid piece. Either turn the screw all the way through today’s corks, or enter the screw at an angle to ensure a good pull.

A few of these units have broken (I bought six for gifts). I haven't determined whether it is product quality or user error (amazing how many folks can't figure out how to use this device). I've had my version since 1970 and won't use anything else (the "Rabbit" devices are just a bunch of over developed technology to do a simple job). Just be careful not to twist too much in the wrong direction.