Metrokane Rabbit Corkscrew, Black
|
List Price: Our Price: $39.99 You Save: $10.00 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $27.69 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Metrokane Rabbit Corkscrew, Black
Customer Review: At least the foil cutter works well
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm a busy bartender and wanted a high-speed opener - this turned out not to be it. Why? The people at Screwpull invented this idea and I suspect theirs is probably a lot better (and a lot more expensive), I fell for the "same-thing-for-less-money" routine and bought the Metrokane. Ah - but the devil is in the details. And properly done details cost money. Here's how this thing is "supposed" to work: You drive their teflon coated "worm" (the corkscrew part) down into the cork with lever action. It works! Then you grasp the bottle with the other two handles, like pliers - that works too. Then you pull back on the lever to pull the worm and cork out of the bottle "quickly and easily." As you might have suspected - this part doesn't work so well. Why? The problem is the teflon coated helical worm. One reviewer said the coating wears off. Not in my case. The coating helps drive the worm smoothly down into your cork then works to smoothly back the worm out of your cork instead of gripping the cork from within and pulling it (the cork) out of the bottle. Due to the coating the worm neatly and quickly zips down into your cork and just as quickly and neatly zips right back out of your cork. I think that the Screwpull version uses a racheting mechanism that stops the worm from backing out of the cork until you choose to have that happen. This one is not reliable, especially if you're in a hurry, like me on a busy weekend night. I ended up taking mine out of the bar. I've soured on the whole idea, so may not even bother with a Screwpull brand model of the same style. However - if you're determined to have a rabbit style corkscrew, save yourself some money - buy a screwpull model, not this cheap, ineffective copy. I give the foil cutter 5 stars - it's still back behind the bar.Customer Review: Cute, fast, not perfect (but close)
Summary: 4 Stars
I originally bought this corkscrew as a gift, but wound up keeping it, and I admit I've bought more wine than usual lately just to play with it.I have to say, my favorite thing about it is the foil cutter, strange though that may be. The foil cutter is shaped like an oversized bottle cap, and you fit it over the top of the bottle, squeeze, and turn. The foil comes off cleanly just above the little ridge usually found around the mouth of the wine bottle. Very clean-looking and much easier than using the often dull blade on a waiter's corkscrew.
The corkscrew itself is very nice as well. It is a little bulky, but it is amazing how fast you can open a bottle of wine with it. Line it up, pull the lever forward, push it back, et voila. Forward and back once more and the cork is free of the screw. No gripping the bottle with your knees while pulling at the cork or anything like that; you don't need to use a lot of effort, just a firm hand.
One thing that surprised me is the fact that it often spits little crumbs of cork into the bottle, which then wind up in my glass. It seems that the screw is long enough to go all the way through the cork, and when it exits the bottom of the cork, sometimes a little bit of cork gets spit out. I guess you can be careful not to let this happen, but still it happens to me more than I would like.
So all in all, not the perfect corkscrew, but fast and easy to use, and cute as well--a trait few corkscrews share. Stock up on wine, because people will want to try it.
Customer Review: Lousy/no customer service for inoperative corkscrew
Summary: 1 Stars
I got the Metrokane Rabbit Corkscrew for Christmas. It worked some of the time, but only would remove the corkscrew from the bottle and not subsequently remove it from itself, though it is supposed to do so. Sometimes the screw (they call it the "worm") would go into the cork and just screw itself back out without bringing the cork along. I contacted Metrokane and was told to send it back for repair or replacement. I paid more than 10% of the original cost to package and send it back UPS. It then came back to me with the worm removed but a new one in a sealed plastic bag was enclosed. A form letter said the worm was worn and they've sent a new one. I installed the worm and have had the same problem. It still doesn't work. The fact that they didn't intall the worm before sending it back indicates to me they didn't check out the corkscrew to see if it worked with the new worm. And I had enclosed a detailed description of the problem.Now, they say I have to ship it back to them, yet again at my expense. I asked for a shipping label and they said NO WAY, becuase they're a small company. That means I'll be out more than 20% more than the already hefty price of this thing. Macy's was willing to take it back till they realized they no longer carry it. It was only a Christmas promotion item.
Customer Review: UNENDING FRUSTRATION - why would anyone buy this?
Summary: 1 Stars
Got to back up others who have had problems with this product. If only I'd read them first. At least I only spent $20 on it. Some say 'worked fine for 25 bottles, then trouble,' or 'broke after xx many bottles opened.' Not me. It's never broken, and never consistently worked from the beginning. Sometimes it still does, but that's rare and it's been awhile. MY particular issue is one many describe, though not all: the 'worm' goes in just fine, then the worm pulls out just fine, leaving cork in the bottle. I've never had one push the cork into the bottle, and when it DOES pull the cork out (maybe half the time, probably less..), I don't have trouble getting the cork off the device. And I have plenty of strength for the process. It's just -- more often than not, worm goes in, worm comes out, and cork is sitting there in the bottle, laughing at me, and the useless hole I just drilled through it. At that point I get out the old double handled job, which has never failed. I may just toss this one into the next 'stoop sale' or 'Goodwill' box. Haven't quite totally given up, but a product which worked less than half the time from the very first is definitely one that NO ONE should EVER buy!
Customer Review: Pretty Good
Summary: 4 Stars
The first couple times I tried this device I was amazed at just how easily it could extract a cork.When I first got it and examined its mechanism, I couldn't convince myself it should work at all; it looked like what it would do is screw itself into the cork and simply unscrew itself again as you tried lifting it, but its little "transmission" takes care of that.
However, I did have a problem with mine after about 2 months. Suddenly, it was getting harder and harder to remove corks, and it would no longer release the cork the way it's supposed to, so I sent it back to Metrokane. In about 30 days they sent it back with 2 new screws and it works fine again.
What do I think caused the problem? I'm fond of an Aussie Chardonnay that puts a thin yellow plastic disk on top of the cork in lieu of a foil. I would drive the screw through it and the cork and I think after a while it messed up the screw, distorting it. If I remove the little disk first, the screw penetrates, removes, and releases the cork effortlessly every time.
A pretty good device though somewhat expensive. Metrokane came through when it needed repair. I recommend it.