MIU France Zinc Alloy Connoisseur Corkscrew Wine Opener
by MIU France
|
List Price: Our Price: $20.99 You Save: $14.01 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $16.70 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of MIU France Zinc Alloy Connoisseur Corkscrew Wine Opener
Customer Review: First Review I've Ever Written -- This thing is fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
I am amazed at this product!! I am newly single after many years and realized that my wine bottle opener was the pits.
This product is easy -- incredibly so -- and sturdy. I am in wine heaven!!
Customer Review: Fooled by the French
Summary: 2 Stars
I chose this wine opener based on the fact that it is sold by a French (who know their wine) company and the fact that it is similar to a very popular design, i.e. the Rabbit. I was also hoping that the metal used to make it would be more robust than the plastic used in similar devices. Stated simply, this opener does not work; that is, unless you consider pushing a cork INTO the bottle to be the same as opening a bottle. In the short time I had it, the "opener" was 0 for 2 in opening bottles with artificial or composite corks and 2 for 4 in opening bottles with natural corks. The cork that broke the camel's back was a decent Bordeaux I am currently enjoying that features a lovely nautral cork floating inside the bottle. On the positive side, it looks good, it feels good in the hand (like it should work), and the foil cutter does work well. Too bad it doesn't pull corks out of bottles.Customer Review: For the price, you can't beat it.
Summary: 4 Stars
This unit works very well, though there are some disappointing aspects that a first-time user should be aware of.
First, cycle the unit through its FULL range in order to lock the guide bushing in its lower position. This lower position is where the guide bushing needs to be for cork extraction AND cork removal. To get to the lower position you need to cycle the unit into a detent position, which will be at the end of the "free" motion range - simply add a bit more force to your cycle, and the unit falls into this critical detent.
Second, check the spring pin that is installed in the guide bushing's cross-hole; this pin needs to be inserted fully through the guide bushing AND the bushing housing (look for pin ends at both sides of the housing - mine came half installed, but the bent pin did look intentional at first glance). If your pin is not installed correctly, return the unit for an exchange, or drive the pin into its proper location if the pin is straight enough to do so.
And, third: LIGHTLY lubricate your screw with PAM, mineral oil (you do have mineral oil to treat your wood cutting boards, don't you?), or some other cooking oil; just wet a paper towel with the lube, run it down the spiral, then wipe it to a thin coating - match this lube with the factory Teflon coat, and you'll have a cork pulling spiral that will outlast your neighbor's un-lubricated unit. All corkscrews should be kept lubricated, as it greatly reduces the stresses encountered while driving a thin member into a compressed, resistive material. Non-lubricated corkscrews break, it's a fact of life. Most people, though, think the spiral breakage is just the way it is - which it is, but you can significantly delay this failure by lubricating the spiral. That squeaking you hear as you drive a corkscrew home? Yup, caused by resistance, and a sure sign that your corkscrew is being exposed to more stresses that it need be. Lubricating your spiral will also keep the synthetic cork from marring the Teflon coating; again, increasing the lifespan of the spiral.
This product got shot with a 4 rating due to the junky instructions and improperly installed pin. I caught the pin too late, and chewed up my guide bushing with the first four corks I pulled. Amazon was, as usual, plenty willing to send a replacement. Make sure you keep your spiral lubricated, and I'm rather sure you'll get plenty of life from your first one - remember the manufacturer gave you a replacement because the spiral will break, eventually.
Customer Review: Forget the cork screw!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I began drinking wine, the biggest problem was the effort spent on getting the cork out of the bottle. With most cork screws, unless you drill it in so far as to go through the cork, and in the process getting little bits of cork in your wine, the cork will not come out of the bottle without a little extra twisting and pulling which, when drinking red wine, could have a negative effect of your clothing if spilled. Looking around in some specialty stores for "the best" wine opener, I came across one in "Williams & Sonoma" which cost $129.00. There was no way in the world I was going to pay that kind of money for a wine opener. I spotted the MIU France Zinc Alloy Wine Opener on Amazon.com which looked similar in principal to the one I had seen in the store and decided to order one. This is the best twenty dollars I ever spent. Matter of fact, I have purchased three more since then. Two as gifts and one for a sister-in-law who asked me to order one for her husband for Fathers day after she saw it in action. It is so easy to operate, my 9yr old could open a bottle of wine with it. There is no pamplet in the box giving instructions on how to use it but they give you step by step pictures on the outside of the box to show you. Included inside is a foil cutter (which I just found out how to use) and extra screws in case one breaks. It works with synthetic corks as well.
So Easy:
Just clamp the two handles around the bottle, pull the lever forward - which drills the screw in, pull the lever back, and the cork comes right out with NO addition twisting and pulling. To get the cork off the screw, repeat the process.
I highly recommend this wine opener!
Customer Review: Gift gone bad!
Summary: 1 Stars
I gave this wine opener as a gift because I have a similar opener. After my gift was used a few times it broke. I traded my used but working opener for the broken one in order to redeem my gift gone bad. I tried using the MIU and it is (politely) junk. Don't buy this and in particular don't give it as a gift.