Review on Artaste Vertical Rabbit Lever Style Wine Opener with Foil Cutter by New Star Foodservice 48490 by Hester Gaiser

This rabbit-shaped wine opener makes a great gift. It comes in an impressive clear plastic dome and is packaged in a gift-worthy box. In addition to the bottle opener, there is also a coated screw and foil cutter. There is one caveat: if you're new to this type of opener and don't have a mechanical mindset, you're out of luck. There are no instructions other than two photos, one on each side of the box. One photo shows the opener on top of the bottle, the other photo shows the top lever lifted while the bottom lever is pressed firmly against the neck of the bottle. Photos of the next steps would be helpful, but they don't exist. Tip: to remove the cork, you need to press the lever again. Surprisingly, this rather complex device was designed and manufactured and housed in a special dome in a special box, and no one thought that instructions might be needed. Stupidity! It also surprises me that people often think that wine openers are tougher than they really are, or that they need to be used in a way they weren't designed for. I've been using the Screwpull desktop corkscrew, which I find effortless, for many years and have had to replace it several times because it was damaged by apparently deranged guests trying to use it in odd ways. The ex-sister-in-law tried to use it without removing it from the base, another time someone somehow bent it 90°. Foil in no time. Guests will never be able to figure out how to use it. The best bottle opener I've used that I don't have is the Metrokane Rabbit corkscrew, invented by Herbert Allen, the same person who invented the screwpull. It's more advanced but requires even less effort than the screwpull. I was kinda hoping this aftaste opener would come close to the Metrokane version, which it does if you're not too picky. First, the foil cutter doesn't work. Throw it away, it's useless. The bottle opener seems sturdy enough to be used from time to time by someone who knows how to use it. (You who fatally bent my screwpull. I'm looking at you!) I opened three bottles of wine for her and it worked fine. He quickly removed the cork with very little force or damage to the cork. When opening multiple bottles of wine, this type of bottle opener is a good choice. I would recommend jumping straight to the Metrokane version. It's more expensive, but it's the best product.