There are hundreds of different corkscrews, but none match the extraordinary Rabbit. Faster than a speeding bunny, this ingenious corkscrew can uncork a bottle of wine in three seconds flat. With 31 different moving parts, its an engineering feat built for speed and durability--all gear teeth are made of hardened metal. Plus, each corkscrew is laboratory tested for 20,000 cork pulls. (Test assumed replacement of spiral worm after 800-1,000 cork pulls.)
Still, you don't need to be a mechanical genius to appreciate the pulling power of this little bunny. Select any size wine bottle, and see this ergonomically-designed, user-friendly tool overpower stubborn, dried-out natural corks and synthetic closures with ease. Simply close the "ears" over the neck of the bottle, and raise and lower the lever. Lickety-split, the opener removes and ejects the cork without any effort on your part. This high-tech tool also comes with a handy foilcutter and an attractive, padded gift case. Metrokane covers its Rabbit corkscrew under a 10-year warranty.
The best-known bunny since "Bugs," the Metrokane Rabbit corkscrew is a hopping success that has been the talk of the wine business, and is Americas favorite wine tool.
It all begin when The New York Times raved about the corkscrew with the "bunny profile," calling it "a foolproof device" for uncorking wine. The Wine Spectator tested the Rabbit Corkscrew and had to admit being "impressed." Great reviews followed in Food & Wine, Playboy, Mens Journal, the wine column of The San Francisco Chronicle, and a host of other newspapers. "The Rabbit" was off and running and ready for its close-up on TV shows from coast to coast--including The Today Show. Possibly the most decorated product design in its category, the Rabbits illustrious list of awards include the IDEA Award by Business Week and the Industrial Designers Society of America, as well as the Good Design Award of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum
A Short Course in Wine Openers
The Basic Corkscrew
The earliest corkscrew dates back several centuries when corks were first used as bottle-stoppers. The basic corkscrew is a spiral wire (called a "worm") with a handle attached. The worm is turned into the cork, which is removed by pulling the handle up. The drawback of the basic corkscrew is that it provides no leverage. The cork must be pulled out by brute force, often with great difficulty. Subsequently mankind's ingenuity went to work improving on the basic corkscrew. In the U.S. alone hundreds of corkscrew patents were filed in the 19th century. (At the time corks were used as stoppers in bottles of whiskey, olive oil, and other liquids as well as wine.) By 1900 three effective designs had emerged that still account for the great majority of corkscrews in use today.
The Bartender's Corkscrew
This design uses a fulcrum that engages the top edge of the wine bottle, to give leverage to the handle when pulling the cork.
It's called the bartender's or waiter's corkscrew because it can be folded and carried in the pocket.
It requires a sure hand and a lot of practice, however, to master its use.
(For a pocket corkscrew that's easy to use, check out Metrokane's Flip-Top Corkscrew.)
The Wing Corkscrew
This type is so-called because the handles on each side rise like wings when the worm is turned into the cork.
After full insertion, the handles are pulled down to leverage the cork out.
While a wing-type cork-screw will work well enough on some corks, its design requires a thick, augur-like metal worm, which can crumble or even destroy a fragile cork.
The Self-Pulling Corkscrew
More than a century old, this design consists of a basic corkscrew fitted into a guide. After the worm has been inserted into the cork, the user continues turning in the same direction, and the "stop" action of the guide forces the cork to pull itself out. (Thus "self-pulling").
With a metal worm, the friction between the cork and worm make the self-pulling action difficult for most corks, impossible for tight ones.
It was not until 1978 that this problem was surmounted by Herbert Allen, a Texan oil expert who applied his drilling know-how to the self-pulling corkscrew. By using a Teflon coating on the worm, Allen reduced the friction between cork and worm so dramatically that the self-pulling action became almost effortless. His new corkscrew design was soon recognized as the most effective device yet for pulling a cork. Check out Metrokane's Velvet Corkscrew, an elegant self-pulling design named for its soft-as-velvet finish.
The original device of this type was invented by the same man, Herbert Allen, who perfected the self-pulling corkscrew.
Metrokane applied similar mechanical principles to develop the Rabbit Corkscrew, which was introduced in 2000. The Rabbit has two gripping handles that latch onto the top of a wine bottle and a top handle that drives the corkscrew into the cork and pops it out in three seconds flat. With another quick movement of the top handle the cork is ejected from the corkscrew. The Rabbit is comprised of 31 separate parts assembled into a powerful, high-tech tool. Its ergonomic design and velvet feel make it a pleasure to operate.
Enjoying a glass of fine wine shouldn't begin with fishing out that old souvenir opener from the back of the kitchen drawer. Instead, Metrokane's Rabbit corkscrew offers an intelligent design backed by well-built materials to swiftly and gracefully open any wine bottle. Operation is incredibly simple: just place the neck of the bottle between the two ear-shaped arms, then lift the lever on top and the cork comes right out. Crafted of hardened polycarbonate metal and reinforced nylon, the tool is made to hold up to heavy use, and ergonomic padding on the lever keeps it comfortable. With its smooth, velvety black finish and unique shape, the Rabbit manages to look industrial and sleek-sure to draw attention at social gatherings. The tool also comes with a foil cutter and an extra spiral worm. All pieces are packaged in a padded gift case. Metrokane ensures the corkscrew with a 10-year warranty. --Kara Karll