Ah So Wine Opener for Old Corks, 2 Prong Cork Puller and Corkscrew Gift Set

Just used to opened a 2007 bottle without any problems.

Muy útil para las botellas de vino viejas

The blades were weak and they twisted when trying to remove the cork.

Very easy to use.

Belwares Ah So Wine Opener/beer opener with 2 Wine Stoppers - Stainless Steel Wine Bottle Opener, Effortless Cork Removal with Two-Pronged Puller.This Ah So wine opener and the traditional waiter’s corkscrew are perhaps the most widely used wine openers found in fine restaurants in both the U.S. and Europe. Practice makes perfect, but they are tried and true.I enjoy being able to use all the many types of wine openers … some are easier to use than others (or I should say, take less practice) … but if they are well-constructed, they should all work.The first thing I noticed upon removing this Belwares Ah So wine opener from the box is its heftiness and sturdy stainless-steel construction … it is well-made right down to its brushed stainless-steel protective sheath. It is somewhat heavier than it looks, especially the sheath … not something you would comfortably carry in your shirt pocket. No plastic parts here!With a little practice, this wine opener is very easy to use. The trick is to insert the longer prong along one side of the cork (between the cork and the bottle), and then the shorter prong along the opposite side, pushing down gently until the prongs are inserted into the bottle as far as they will go … a gentle rocking motion sometimes helps. Then, grasping the neck of the bottle firmly, a sharp twist while gently pulling upward will easily extract the cork. You do not have to be concerned with inserting the prongs too far because the prongs are not piercing the cork – in fact, the farther you insert the prongs, the better, as this will prevent the prongs from bending.The instructions also show how to reinsert the cork, but I would never do that … the 2 included silicon wine stoppers work just fine. Also, the handle of the wine opener cleverly serves as a bottle opener as well. This Ah So wine opener is well-made and works great! If you are looking to add an Ah So wine opener to your collection, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one. And it’s a good value!

Removes dry corks whereas screw type can break the cork.

The Ah-So is an excellent tool for extracting a cork. The purpose really isn’t about damaging the cork using a traditional spiral corkscrew that goes into the cork. Who really cares if the cork ends up with a spiral hole in it? The Ah-So does one thing that traditional cork screw can’t do. That is when you have an old vintage bottle when the cork has lost a lot of elasticity and integrity. It may good enough to protect the wine but often, an old cork would fall into bits when being pull out by using a spiral corkscrew. The cork would rip leaving a hole in the center of the cork and the rest of the outer rim of the entire cork stays in. The cork bits fall into the wine and you have a mess. Everyone who has a wine cellar with wines over 25 years old will have experienced this. With the Ah-So, you basically just insert the two blades around the side of the cork, slipping in between the cork and the bottle neck opening. Once completely inserted by rocking the two prongs, you are now ready to pull the Ah-So out while turning. The cork will come out nestled within the two prongs. The only better way is to use a Durand extractor that combines the Ah-So prongs and a Teflon coated wide spiral screw. The Durand is $135 and the Ah-So is much cheaper. This is the genuine Ah-So with thin blades which makes them go in easier. The construction otherwise is sturdy. It is a good item. The two rubber stoppers aren’t too useful but they are ok.

I love this cork remover for dry/damaged corks, removing corks from special bottles of wine (to save the cork) and for travel/to take to a BYOB, but I will reach for the closest remover/screw at home. This doesn’t make cork removal particularly easier or harder than standard cork screws in normal circumstance, but if I could only own one remover it would be this one for those special circumstances.This is a high quality remover that feels Heavy/solid in the hand and makes easy work of removing the cork.It takes up less room in our bar drawer than traditional corkscrews; I included a couple of corkscrews in one of the pics for comparison.Makes removal of a damaged cork effortless without any pieces dropping into the bottle.This is small and thin enough that I can comfortably drop this in my pocket when we go to local restaurants that are BYOB.The 2 silicone stoppers included are perfect for spill-proof transportation of an unfinished bottle home from the restaurant or neighbors house. I thought they would get tossed in the drawer and forgotten since we have more decorative ones and vacuum stoppers at home, but these silicone ones are small and lightweight for easy carry in the pocket.Again, if could only own 1 cork remover/screw, it would be this one.I hope this helps