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Household<br />
Corkscrews<br />
Screw caps are on the rise, but wine geeks<br />
with cellars full of older vintages still need<br />
a reliable decorking tool. —C.N.<br />
Le Creuset Screwpull LM-400<br />
$150 • lecreuset.com<br />
If you’re looking for a corkscrew to go with your Le Corbusier chair, the minimalist<br />
Screwpull LM-400 is your baby. A massive cylinder of brushed aluminum<br />
and zinc conceals the gears: Just sweep the elongated arm 270 degrees up<br />
and then down to remove any cork <strong>sm</strong>oothly and effortlessly.<br />
WIRED Long lever makes easy work of opening wine. Stands upright, with tiny<br />
footprint. Gorgeous design. Carrying case a nice bonus if you’re gifting it.<br />
TIRED At 2.4 pounds, extremely heavy: It’s more work to pick it up than to pop<br />
a stopper. Cheap plastic foil cutter is Target to corkscrew’s Knoll.<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Built Wine Ratchet Magnum<br />
$100 • builtny.com<br />
The Built Wine Ratchet Magnum is not for girly men. Unlike today’s intricately<br />
mechanical corkscrews, this one wants you to sweat. There are no levers to<br />
manipulate here, just an oversize ceramic handle attached to a ratcheting screw<br />
that you drive into the cork by hand and muscle. When it’s sunk to the hilt, yank<br />
and twist. Hard. As a bonus, the Magnum can double as a weapon in a bar fight.<br />
WIRED Foil-cutting scimitar stows inside the handle, a nice touch. Selection of<br />
ratcheting screws is included for matching right screw to each stopper.<br />
TIRED It’s a conversation piece, all right, but there are easier ways to free a cork.<br />
Metrokane Zippity Rabbit<br />
$80 • metrokane.com<br />
The Rabbit’s design may perplex novices—with one hand, squeeze the side wings<br />
together to grip the bottle’s neck, then pull the top lever down and up to remove<br />
the cork—but it’s rapidly become the most popular high-end corkscrew and is<br />
widely copied. The latest Rabbit is clad entirely in chrome, but its age is showing:<br />
Compared to newer designs like the Screwpull LM-400, its abbreviated lever<br />
requires a hefty amount of initial force to pull a cork.<br />
WIRED Includes foil cutter and extra spiral. Compact 7.3 inches high.<br />
TIRED Chrome finish gives it a creepy resemblance to obstetric instrument.<br />
Vacu Vin Winemaster<br />
$50 • vacuvin.nl<br />
With its Edward Scissorhands–worthy assortment of sharply jutting levers and<br />
exposed gears, the Winemaster is eye-catching and at first intimidating. A quick<br />
perusal of the manual reveals the simple logic: Slide and lock the device onto the top<br />
of a bottle, pull down one set of arms to sink the screw, then a second set to remove<br />
the cork. Then work both sets in the opposite direction to eject the stopper like a pro.<br />
WIRED Corks come out with minimal effort.<br />
TIRED Bottle-locking mechani<strong>sm</strong> nearly requires a third hand. Feels rickety<br />
despite weighing 1.3 pounds. Levers can nip your fingers.<br />
GENE LEE, STYLED BY ROB OXENHAM/ARTIST UNTIED
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