Bottle Openers: Taking that Cap off with Style

Bottle openers are among the many things found in almost every house around the world. These are devices used take off the caps from bottles. When not needed, bottle openers can easily be overlooked; but when the need for bottle openers arises and there isn’t any available, it can be quite annoying.

Bottle openers come in different varieties. Each type of bottle opener has the same core function, but has a slight difference from the others when it comes to the design. It is just amazing how many types of bottle openers are used worldwide.

One type of bottle opener is the “Crown Cork Opener”. It was created at the same time the crown cork was introduced. When first released, it was the first portable bar blade that came with a fixed mechanism connected to upright surfaces. Another type of bottle opener is the simple opener. It is a piece of alloy that has either a rounded or a rectangular slot on one end, and a sturdy handle large enough to be held on the other. The simple bottle opener is pocket-sized, durable, and can even be used as a key chain.

The “Waiter’s Friend”, another type of bottle opener, is a conventional wine bottle opener that resembles a Swiss Army knife. It contains a corkscrew and a lever with a knife. It is used to remove the foil on top of the wine bottle, and then the cork itself. This kind of opener is designed to be screwed in one full rotation before the end of the screw.

The “Bar Blade” is a relatively new trend in bottle openers. It is a flat blade of steel with a thumb hole at one end, and a letterbox cut at the other end used for opening the bottles. Light and portable, it can be carried easily, making it a convenient tool for bartenders.

The “Cork Master” is another bottle opener used by establishments. Restaurants use the cork master for opening large quantities of wine efficiently and without leaks or breakage. It is a big, tubular contraption made of brass, with a lever swiveled halfway extending towards the user. As useful as it is, this type of opener cannot open crown cork bottles that are often used for beer.

The “Wall-mounted Opener” works the same way as the lever bottle opener, except that it is attached to the wall. A wall-mounted opener provides a simpler way of opening bottles, as it can be used with just one hand. When the bottle cap is removed, it either falls into a bottle cap catcher mounted below the opener, or it stays in the mouth of the bottle opener from which it can be retrieved.

The “Ah-So” opener is outlined similar to the wall-mounted opener. It has a large key with a square-shaped oval handle, and two narrow metal segments attached to the middle of the handle. These two segments are pulled open, then fitted into the area between the cork and the bottle on either side. With a turn and a pull, the cork is off the bottle. This works best for opening aged bottles with weak corks, as it does not pierce the cork and turn it into pieces.

One other type of bottle opener is the “Novelty/Designer Opener”, the newest type of bottle opener. It can easily be recognized as it takes on various designs that are attractive to young buyers. Designs can range from car keys, to slipper soles, to pencil holders—the design options are almost endless.