Vacu Vin WineMaster Corkscrew, Clear

Some advantages of the Winemaster, particularly in comparison with the Screwpull Elegance:
1. The Winemaster is easy to grab, and lightweight. The Elegance is somewhat cumbersome and the handles flop around unless you grab it just so.
2. The Winemaster includes an excellent foil cutter (very nearly as good as Screwpull's) that is easily removed and replaced from the unit with one hand. Removal of Screwpull's foil cutter from the Elegance stand is more cumbersome and requires both hands.
3. The Winemaster requires less strength. Once the Winemaster is pressed down with relatively little effort to grip the top of the bottle, the unit is secured and doesn't have to be continually held to the bottle with hand strength as is the case with the Elegance.
4. Both hands can therefore be used to push down upon the Winemaster's two levers. The pressure upon the bottle is symmetrical, and little strength is required. With the Elegance, a sticky cork will be too much for someone who does not have much hand and forearm strength.
5. The Winemaster has a small footprint on your shelf. The Elegance, while it comes with a stand in contrast to many leverpull-type corkscrews, occupies quite a large footprint.

Some pluses for the Elegance:
1. The Elegance is a bit more majestic-looking than the Winemaster. The Elegance (and its price) therefore make for a more impressive gift as long as the recipient has appropriate forearm and hand strength.
2. The Elegance is a little faster (a matter of seconds) than the Winemaster. This is only important if you are opening a large number of bottles at the same time.
3. The Elegance can open superflange bottles. The Winemaster can also open flange bottles but was not able to grip the one superflange bottle that I have tried to open. Therefore, I recommend that you also have a high-quality waiter's corkscrew, which will serve as a backup for the Winemaster; and you can use it on picnics or for traveling. Good waiter's corkscrews do not require much strength as long as you pull the cork straight out:

My personal favorite waiter's corkscrews are
1. Boomerang Waiter's Corkscrew- It has a large handle, a built-in foil cutter as good as the Winemaster's, a floating axis for the spiral hinge (this helps keep the cork straight, for proper ease of removal) and a high-quality spiral (but not Teflon coated). It is inexpensive.
2. Pulltap's Waiter's Corkscrew - It has a two-position arm, which is another way of helping to keep the cork straight as it is removed, and is available with a Teflon-coated spiral. It is compact and well made. It is inexpensive, with optional more expensive handle finishes (Pulltap's Premium Corkscrew); I like the Graphite.
3. Puigpull Waiter's Corkscrew - The Teflon-coated spiral is inserted in the ordinary way; but it is removed by an amazing car-jack type mechanism, as easy as the Winemaster! (It takes a couple of minutes to read the instructions, just as with the Winemaster.) It is very compact, well made and a conversation piece. It is available in a variety of handle finishes, all inexpensive; I like the Hammered Gray.

If any of these are not available from Amazon, you can check the web site of the importer, Franmara, which is the major importer for corkscrews to the USA and was still selling to individual consumers the last time I checked.

Therefore, for most people, I recommend the Winemaster as the best corkscrew.


STOP LOOKING - and get this corkscrew!!   November 21, 2002
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

I have tried all the others - air injectors, expensive rabbit ears (lever), etc and this corkscrew is FAR SUPERIOR. The first time I tried it I thought it was broken because the cork came out so easily (AND I didn't even read the instructions) - not really sure where some people get confused using this... push down the lock cylinder on the bottle top, push down the small levers, push down the big levers - DONE! Push 'em both back up and the cork spits out. The above steps are done with such ease that it doesn't seem like it's doing anything - but once it's pulled the cork, the locking cylinder on the bottle automatically releases.
I also enjoy the look of the thing - rather "DaVinci-esk" and makes a great looking conversation piece on the counter. Oh - and the foil cutter is cleverly attached to the top, so you don't need to go searching for it, like with all the other screws.
Hope this helps! Enjoy!


simply the best   May 16, 2000
A. Motogawa (Chicago, IL)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This corkscrew is amazing. There are several steps to using it but if you read the instructions once it's very simple to use. It is large, but it really works well and even ejects the cork automatically! It's wonderful.


Absolutely the best and most innovative!   March 10, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Believe me, this is the best and most innovative corkscrew I've ever come across (and I've tried many)! Removing a corkscrew from a wine bottle is extremely easy! There's no twisting, no turning and no pulling! You don't have to fight a wine bottle to get the cork out! What's more: The operation will really amaze your friends! It's really a jaw-dropper!

Using the WineMaster...
You just position the WineMaster on top of a wine bottle with the levers up. Then you pull down the small levers. Finally, you pull down on the large levers to pull out the cork! Now, the appropiate words to describe this operation is: Effortless! Easy! It is so easy that 10 year-old children will be able to use this corkscrew successfully on the first try!

What's the WineMaster's trick? The WineMaster's gears twist the metal corkscrew into the cork as you pull down the levers. You don't have to do it! Another plus: The corkscrew has a special coating to make the insertion effortless!

My only regret is this one: I should have bought the clear WineMaster! With the clear model, you can see the gears working! Ha! That's only a minor regret. The truth is: I am extremely happy with my Black Vacu Vin WineMaster!

Problems? I don't believe you will have any problems with the WineMaster. However, if you ever need parts or assistance, you should contact Vacu Vin at www.vacuvin.nl in The Netherlands.


The one for your best!   November 17, 2004
For Adoption (Charlottesville, VA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Easily outdoes all other corkscrews I've owned (lots). After at least 100 bottles, it's never let me down! It always works 100% perfectly. I was initially wary to use it on my special bottles, but after using it flawlessly on so many bottles, I confidently say it's the only one I trust for my "best of cellar wines."
Although the foil cutter works perfectly, two of four small tips have broken off while releasing corks (not to what I would consider rough use) so it won't stay on top of the corkscrew anymore, but that is a minor issue compared to the benefit of this corkscrew. Recommend leaving the foil cutter off during uncorking and releasing the extracted cork.
I have not used it on any synthetic, plastic, or wax covered corks so can't comment on that. I'm concerned it would gum the corkscrew up. I'll never buy a different brand or type of corkscrew again. Well worth the money!