This $17 Moonstone Corkscrew Is the Most Reliable Wine Opener I’ve Ever Owned

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Not a single broken cork in two years.

In my experience, the more advanced the wine opener, the bigger the scam. I say this as someone who used to replace mine at least once a year. I’d buy cheap, convenient wine keys that would dull so badly, they slipped off the lip of the bottle every time I tried to pull the cork. I’d buy expensive openers with two handles for better leverage, only to find that the corkscrew became so loose it would enter at an odd angle and scrape the edge of the bottle, leaving floating bits cork in my heavy pour. After several years of feeling like I was spending more money on wine openers than I would a decent bottle of wine, a stunning, inexpensive best-seller on Amazon—the HiCoup Wine Opener—finally allowed me to enjoy my drinks in peace.

HiCoup Wine Opener

$17 at Amazon

At first glance, the HiCoup seems like any other wine key you’d pick up at the grocery store, but this $17 powerhouse is highly ranked on Amazon because it’s designed for professionals. Most commonly known as a waiter’s or sommelier’s corkscrew, this particular model has the standard worm (the actual corkscrew) and foil cutter, but what makes it a cut above the rest is the two step lever system, which allows you to brace the wine key at different heights against the lip of the bottle to ensure a perfectly easy, efficient cork pull each time.

Unlike other wine key models with a two step lever system where you might struggle with a metal clip or toggle, the HiCoup has an extremely easy push system. All it requires is a sustained forward press of your thumb while levering the bottle open to release the second “step,” designed to help when you screwed the corkscrew in a bit too far, and need extra leverage.

Related: The 7 Best Electric Can Openers of 2024

I’ve owned this wine key for three years now, a ground-breaking record for me, and in all that time, I’ve never struggled with a cork even once. This corkscrew has not dulled at all, and looks as if it just came out of the box.

The best part about this little delight? It comes in 21 beautiful finishes from several types of unique woods like sandalwood, rosewood, and burled bai ying to resin finishes including a lustrous moonstone, and rich, speckled tiger’s eye. Starting at $7 (and running up to $19) there’s a HiCoup for every type of home bar aesthetic you could possibly design.

With more than 19,500 perfect ratings and 7,700 five-star reviews, you really can’t go wrong with this corkscrew. One customer said it was “durable, strong, and accurately clean.” They added, “This opener is not only attractive, but it’s so trustworthy. The blade is just sharp enough to cut the foil and the mechanism of the opener is a two-step process but it works.”

Even bartenders love this corkscrew, like this five-star review who said it is “great quality and so easy to use, very smooth for removing corks.” They even went on to say you can use it to open beer bottles, too.

If your old wine key needs an upgrade, consider my absolute favorite $17 model from HiCoup at Amazon. It might just be the last corkscrew you ever buy. And check out more bar tools below.

Beneno Wine Opener

$14 at Amazon

Rabbit Wine and Beverage Bottle Stoppers

$5 at Amazon

Kitessensu Cocktail Shaker Set

$35 at Amazon

Ktojoy Flat Bottle Opener Three-Pack

$6 at Amazon

Oxo Steel Single Wall Cocktail Shaker

$23 at Amazon

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