Prestige By Coutale Sommelier - The French Patented Spring-Loaded Double Lever Waiters Corkscrew and Wine Bottle Opener (Blackwood)

Although there are, I am sure, many factories in China producing knock offs of high end corkscrews, including zillions of cheap Laguiole copies, it seems sometimes as though there is only one vast corkscrew factory out there somewhere in China. I suspect that these factories are also the makers in many cases of the actual name brand corkscrews, and as long as they have the tooling setup they run a few hundred thousand extra alt name, slightly re-styled copies as well. Who knows. But this corkscrew is a good example of clone and original being so close that you would have to think they came from the same place. True Fabrications Wood Professional Corkscrew is a near clone of the Prestige Coutale Sommelier with Wood Inlay Handle corkscrew, which is itself a near clone of the Le Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew, which is otherwise identical to the Coutale Sommelier except for having the Le Creuset name and logo stamped on the hinge. The True Fabrications Wood Professional Corkscrew is identical in all respects, except for having a cheaper wood handle that runs the length of the handle area, instead of terminating in a finished metal tail. Is this important? All three corkscrews laid side by side appear so close in detail and finish that it seems a sure thing -- please correct me if I am wrong crowd source of knowledge -- that they came from the same factory. Even if that's not the case, all three seems close enough in quality and function so as to make buying one mostly a matter of price -- go with the True Fabrications for $10 (average selling price on Amazon) or if it's a matter of status and wanting the glossy wood handle then go with the Le Creuset for $35 or the Coutale Sommelier for $20 (average selling prices on Amazon). But to the function. Although I was skeptical of the whole two stage waiter corkscrew concept I have to say that these corkscrews work wonderfully. I would very much recommend any of the three I mentioned over the Pulltap / TrueTap types as the two stage hinge on True Fabrications Wood Professional, Coutale Sommelier and Le Creuset Waiter's Friend are spring loaded and much easier to two step through the opening process. Likewise, the very broad section of the handle that you pull upward on is much more comfortable than the Pulltap type. I own one each of True Fabrications Wood Professional, Coutale Sommelier and Le Creuset Waiter's Friend corkscrews and use them interchangeably. I am very happy with all three, and would recommend them with the buying choice made more on a buyer's idea of value for money, trim and finish and personal taste. The function is great on all three. RECOMMENDED.

This cork screw is very strong and works well. If you remove a lot of corks, this is the one. If you appreciate quality and beauty, this is the one.

Love it! Easy to use

I open Atleast 4 bottles of wine a night for my job. This is a kick ass wine key. The stainless steel corkswrew has grooves to help grip the cork (great for well aged wine bottles) the spring lever double hinge works much more efficient than anything else I've used. It's not getting five stars because the serrated blade is kinda hard to pull out on the fly.

After going through rabbit corkscrews and basic corkscrews, all which broke after some time, we found this amazing wine opener. It is solid and easy to use. What a breeze. Looks fancy on our bar as well. Highly recommended. UPDATE: I am updating this review because I had to deal with the company Wine-n-Gear and their service was exceptional. After quite a bit of use, I still highly recommend this opener and if anything goes wrong with the product or your order, just know that you will be well taken care of. A+ for the product and for customer service. UPDATE #2: I am updating my May 16, 2012 review because this corkscrew turned out to be a dud. It worked very well for the first while, but then the spring that holds in the little foil cutter broke causing the very sharp knife to fall out - very dangerous. So, we contacted the sellers who replaced the corkscrew immediately (very good customer service). Unfortunately, our second corkscrew didn't even last as long as the first one before the foil cutter spring broke again. We are now using it very gingerly so as to not cut our hands every time we open wine. I do not recommend this product. UPDATE #3: I was contacted by the vendor that the design flaw in this product has been fixed and they replaced my defective opener. I have changed my rating back to 5 stars for two reasons. #1 - the product has been used every day since it was replaced and it remains in excellent shape. It's a great opener. Excellent quality. Not sure why someone didn't like the quality of it. It's durable and sleek. Heavy duty. #2 - the customer service I received from the vendor, Wine-n-Gear, was exceptional. I would refer this product because I believe it's a great opener, and also because the company is great to deal with and provided excellent service. A+

The Coutale Prestige was one of four waiter's corkscrews that I bought at the same time from Wine-n-Gear through Amazon. It was the most expensive, but still a fraction of the cost of my 15-year-old Laguiole. I use my Laguiole 3-5 times per week and wanted a backup. The four that I bought, based upon other reviews and price, were True Fabrications Double Hinged Corkscrew, Epicureanist Waiter's Wine Corkscrew with Bone Handle, Prestige by Coutale Sommelier - Wood Inlay and Pulltap's Professional Waiter's Corkscrew with Double Lever - Bellini. The total that I spent was still less than a third of the cost for another Laguiole. All are fine looking pieces with wood inlaid and double-hinged fulcrum, except for the Epicureanist, with a bone inlaid handle and single-hinged fulcrum. I've always used a single-hinged fulcrum and have never had a problem pulling a cork. Maybe as I get older, I'll appreciate the double-fulcrum more. All the corkscrews are sturdy enough to stand up to my needs. The Coutale Prestige, while the most expensive, is the best balanced/proportioned and easiest to use. Features that I like most are 1) the spring-loaded double-hinged fulcrum, which makes it easier to "jump" from the short to the long fulcrum, and 2) the ease with which the fulcrum, corkscrew and foil cutter swing out (The others took more effort to swing out). A minor negative is the reasonably sharp butt, which is like the tip of a screwdriver. The Prestige comes in a cardboard sleeve with open ends. The corkscrew slipped right out of the sleeve and put a nice deep ding in my hardwood floor, so be careful! The Prestige will be my backup to the Laguiole. The rest will replace the cheap ones in our glove compartments (don't drink and drive, but you never know when you'll need a corkscrew) or wine bag. Prestige by Coutale Sommelier - Wood Inlay

I needed to purchase a new wine opener for my Certified Sommelier exam. I needed something that was sturdy, had a good foil knife, and of course looked sharp. The Prestige Coutale Sommelier - Wood Inlay Handle is great. It has some heft to it, the hinges are taut but not tight, the foil knife is slightly curved to arc around the bottle neck. It worked perfectly. I would caution you that the hinge mechanism is a tad different and takes getting used to. Unlike most Waiter's Friend Corkscrews, that hinge and just move in to the bottle when light pressure is applied, this one is more "spring loaded" and requires you to push the hinge inward when trying to use the first stage of the opener. It took me two or three bottles to make this a fluid movement. One quick comment - this opener is exactly the same as the:Le Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew This opener is $10 less expensive than the PLe Creuset Waiter's Friend Corkscrew I am a Le Creuset fan, and understand you pay for the brand and the quality of the brand. However, I can really not find a $10 difference in the two. I own them both, did not return this one when I saw the Prestige Coutale Sommelier - Wood Inlay Handle was exactly the same - but if you're more focused on cost, then Prestige Coutale Sommelier - Wood Inlay Handle is probably the opener for you.

Gave it stars based on how long it lasted, I need a replacement. The product states lifetime warranty. I like this opener, but it gave out on me. Didn't know cork could break the opener.