Beer bottle openers

GIZMOS
Wine gadgets and accessories reviewed.

Nothing is easier than popping the top off a frosty and chilling with mates. Compared to opening a bottle of wine, it is such a short-lived, mindless act that you wouldn't expect it to be in need of dressing up. You can simply use a folded piece of paper or even your teeth, after all.

 

For those of us who don't like using our body parts to remove a crown cap, however, there are options in the form of the Nuance Bottle Opener and the Cork- Pops Nicholas Collection Pop Cap.

Made from stainless steel and designed in a comfortable ergonomic shape, the Nuance Bottle Opener clearly illustrates the philosophy that drives design company Nuance: "Everyday use and usefulness are toyed with. Until the small subtle nuance - the detail that makes the big diff erence - suddenly appears."

Designers were inspired by the condensation drops that form on the outside of cool beverages, and replicated this in the product's design. Resting on a table, the bottle opener reveals only its subtle curves, the pop cap opening hidden from sight underneath.

The Pop Cap from wine accessories company CorkPops has less stylistic appeal than the Nuance Bottle Opener, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in its gizmo appeal.

Or so it should. It resembles the bottle neck over which it fits and, when pushed down, it lifts the cap from the beverage. On testing, however, we had to press the contraption down numerous times before the bottle cap finally lifted.

Further inspection revealed the design to be simple: when pressed, a spring inside compresses, allowing for a clipped metal piece to lift away from the "wall" near the base - which should lift the cap.

Deducing that pop capping is more about angle than strength, we proceeded to test it on another bottle - with similarly unsuccessful results. Indeed, this gadget might amuse your friends, but unfortunately not in the way intended.

 e Nuance Bottle Opener retails for R402 and the Nicholas Pop Cap for R229. Both products are available from www.yuppiechef.co.za.

Got a gizmo worthy of review? Mail Jeanri- Tine van Zyl at jeanri@ramsaymedia.co.za.