Seriously? A $220+ corkscrew that isn't even double stepped

[Frank_Smith]

.

[Tom_Moore]

I am in the market for a top quality opener, I seem to be going thru the cheaper ones. This looks like a very well made product and will be the last one you will ever buy as long as you dont lose it.
Its funny how alot of wine geeks have no problem spending $100 - $200+ on a bottle of wine that will only last a couple hours after cork is pulled…
Maybe next year on Berserker Day

[Rob_MacKay]

As the creator of this silly thread I almost feel compelled to buy this thing just to settle the debate…

Do I need special training on how to effectively use it? After all, if one was going to buy a Ferrari, one should make sure that they enroll in a performance driving course to learn how to properly drive it right?

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Rob MacKay

As the creator of this silly thread I almost feel compelled to buy this thing just to settle the debate…

Do I need special training on how to effectively use it? After all, if one was going to buy a Ferrari, one should make sure that they enroll in a performance driving course to learn how to properly drive it right?

If, after 15 minutes, you haven’t spotted the sucker, then you are the sucker.

Sounds like you should enroll, Rob.

[Rob_MacKay]

@Brian G r a f s t r o m

@Rob MacKay

As the creator of this silly thread I almost feel compelled to buy this thing just to settle the debate…

Do I need special training on how to effectively use it? After all, if one was going to buy a Ferrari, one should make sure that they enroll in a performance driving course to learn how to properly drive it right?

If, after 15 minutes, you haven’t spotted the sucker, then you are the sucker.

Sounds like you should enroll, Rob.

[middle-finger.gif]

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

@Rob MacKay

As the creator of this silly thread I almost feel compelled to buy this thing just to settle the debate…

Do I need special training on how to effectively use it? After all, if one was going to buy a Ferrari, one should make sure that they enroll in a performance driving course to learn how to properly drive it right?

Not if you presently drive an Audi.

[Jim_Brennan]

@chaad thomas

@Jim Brennan

(what about $410 for vaporised titanium!)?

Jim, PVD titanium nitride is some very, very useful shit…worth money, in fact. Check it out: Titanium nitride - Wikipedia

Fair enough on your point that as a professional who might pull hundreds of corks, there is an actual utility value (assuming that this thing delivers the intended value).

I’m just skeptical by nature.

[Rob_MacKay]

@Bill Tex Landreth

@Rob MacKay

As the creator of this silly thread I almost feel compelled to buy this thing just to settle the debate…

Do I need special training on how to effectively use it? After all, if one was going to buy a Ferrari, one should make sure that they enroll in a performance driving course to learn how to properly drive it right?

Not if you presently drive an Audi.

Cool… then I can skip the training class!!

[Nick_Ryan]

Remember… it’s not a corkscrew, it’s a “wine knife”.

[chaad_thomas]

@Brian Tuite

@chaad thomas

@Brian Tuite

All the hand tools I sell come with a lifetime warranty and I can’t get a single guy to spend $245 on a professional screwdriver.

I’d think an air-powered impact wrench is a more apropos analogy, and if you sell Ingersoll-Rand, then I don’t suppose you have any trouble getting pro service techs to pony up a few hundred bucks for one instead of swinging into Harbor Freight for a $29 unit. Hell, even Harbor Freight sells $250 impact wrenches, for that matter…

Is your corkscrew air powered? Made with over 40 parts? Nope. It’s a couple machined parts with a hinge that takes physical exertion to make work. I think it more closely resembles a screwdriver in that regard. Besides, with the level of service I provide I should be getting $400 for my screwdriver. If it only removed broken corks. sigh

I don’t want to belabor an obviously silly analogy, but “a couple of machined parts and a hinge” is a gross misrepresentation of the Code 38. Even a cursory examination reveals 10 separate parts, but it actually contains fully 14 different parts.

It’s a lot more complicated than a screwdriver.

Do $245 hand-turned screwdrivers even exist, BTW?

[Brian_Tuite]

@chaad thomas

Do $245 hand-turned screwdrivers even exist, BTW?

Not yet but this thread proves that there is still hope!

[Randy_Sloan]

@Brian Tuite

@chaad thomas

Do $245 hand-turned screwdrivers even exist, BTW?

Not yet but this thread proves that there is still hope!

Funny comment.

It’s really a moot point as there doesn’t seem to be anyone here that has tried this specific waiter’s knife and it appears that some will always consider spending a lot on an opener to be a frivolous purchase. Oh well.

Using the screw driver analogy: if you had to use a screwdriver 10-20-50, heck, even just 2 times a day and you found a screwdriver that compared to any other screwdriver was significantly less likely to strip the screw, was more comfortable, worked more quickly and with less effort, and it could give you years of use, how much more than your usual screwdriver would you be willing to pay?

[Brian_Tuite]

@Randy Sloan

@Brian Tuite

@chaad thomas

Do $245 hand-turned screwdrivers even exist, BTW?

Not yet but this thread proves that there is still hope!

Funny comment.

It’s really a moot point as there doesn’t seem to be anyone here that has tried this specific waiter’s knife and it appears that some will always consider spending a lot on an opener to be a frivolous purchase. Oh well.

Using the screw driver analogy: if you had to use a screwdriver 10-20-50, heck, even just 2 times a day and you found a screwdriver that compared to any other screwdriver was significantly less likely to strip the screw, was more comfortable, worked more quickly and with less effort, and it could give you years of use, how much more than your usual screwdriver would you be willing to pay?

Not enough if you ask me.
I sell many brands of tools but my main line is Genius. Quality product at an affordable price. I sell this screwdriver for $7.99. It is 7" long and has a tip thickness of .035"

Snap-On Tools, considered the professioanls professional tool, sells the same spec screwdriver for $15.98.

Same length, same shank diameter, same bolster, same rubber/thermoplastic ergo grip, same lifetime warranty, same weekly sales/service rep model. Different mindset. If Snap-On could get $30 for that screwdriver they would charge that much. Basically they are at the high end of the pricing scale. For $245 it had better remove and install the screws while I watch or even while I do another task.

Value and perceived value are two completely different things. Bravo to wine knife mfrs for giving their customers the perceived value of $245 for a corkscrew. Wish I could do it with tools but the customer base is a whole nother demographic.

[chaad_thomas]

@Brian Tuite

@Randy Sloan

@Brian Tuite

Not yet but this thread proves that there is still hope!

Funny comment.

It’s really a moot point as there doesn’t seem to be anyone here that has tried this specific waiter’s knife and it appears that some will always consider spending a lot on an opener to be a frivolous purchase. Oh well.

Using the screw driver analogy: if you had to use a screwdriver 10-20-50, heck, even just 2 times a day and you found a screwdriver that compared to any other screwdriver was significantly less likely to strip the screw, was more comfortable, worked more quickly and with less effort, and it could give you years of use, how much more than your usual screwdriver would you be willing to pay?

Not enough if you ask me.
I sell many brands of tools but my main line is Genius. Quality product at an affordable price. I sell this screwdriver for $7.99. It is 7" long and has a tip thickness of .035"

Snap-On Tools, considered the professioanls professional tool, sells the same spec screwdriver for $15.98.

Same length, same shank diameter, same bolster, same rubber/thermoplastic ergo grip, same lifetime warranty, same weekly sales/service rep model. Different mindset. If Snap-On could get $30 for that screwdriver they would charge that much. Basically they are at the high end of the pricing scale. For $245 it had better remove and install the screws while I watch or even while I do another task.

Value and perceived value are two completely different things. Bravo to wine knife mfrs for giving their customers the perceived value of $245 for a corkscrew. Wish I could do it with tools but the customer base is a whole nother demographic.

I think I understand where you’re coming from now…

You look at those two screwdrivers and see the “same” screwdriver, but I do not. They look quite different to me; I see no bolster (at shaft/handle junction) on yours at all, the handle shape and construction are obviously different, and even if I take it you are correct that the specs are the same (presumably for the shaft metallurgy/tip machining) there are other unknown invisible qualities, e.g. what the grip surface is made out and how it is attached to the handle. There are lots of factors you don’t mention and that aren’t visible in the photos that would affect performance, quality, and sameness.

What I take away from your example, then, is that you are not discriminating in the same way I am, probably because I use corkscrews in a professional capacity. Maybe if you used the screwdrivers professionally rather than sell them professionally, your view of what “sameness” is would be a little different, too.

That being said, recognizing which qualities set the C38 apart is not the same thing as valuing it at it’s asking price, but it does render the screwdriver analogy absurd, doesn’t it?

[Brian_Tuite]

@chaad thomas

You look at those two screwdrivers and see the “same” screwdriver, but I do not. They look quite different to me; I see no bolster (at shaft/handle junction) on yours at all, the handle shape and construction are obviously different, and even if I take it you are correct that the specs are the same (presumably for the shaft metallurgy/tip machining) there are other unknown invisible qualities, e.g. what the grip surface is made out and how it is attached to the handle. There are lots of factors you don’t mention and that aren’t visible in the photos that would affect performance, quality, and sameness.

Perception is not reality. My screwdriver has a hex shank which allows the entire length to be used as a bolster the increasing the usefulness of the tool. Hold it in your hand alongside the competitive brand and you feel the ergonomics. The material holds up to industrial chemicals and is guaranteed. As for attachment? Snap-On presses the winged shaft into the handle. Genius does the same thing. When the shaft breaks Snap-On pulls the handle off and “gives you the shaft” I give you a completely new tool. Where’s the value now?

What I take away from your example, then, is that you are not discriminating in the same way I am, probably because I use corkscrews in a professional capacity. Maybe if you used the screwdrivers professionally rather than sell them professionally, your view of what “sameness” is would be a little different, too.

Assumptions can be dangerous. Good thing I didn’t assume you were simply a guy who pulls corks for a living. I was a professional technician for 20 years before I got into the tool business. I bought and used Snap-On Tools so I know all too well how they are made and how they are serviced. I know all the competitive advantages of each brand based on hands on professional experience. I have also been a part of QA testing and was a field consultant for MAC Tools. I bring what I feel is a uniquer approach to my sales because I have “been there done that” and my customers appreciate that and my advice. I often sell my customers something less expensive if I feel the extra price for another tool is not warranted. Ultimately the choice is theirs but the money I save them on one thing they now have available to spend on something else to make them even more productive. I have life long techs who wish I had come along earlier so they wouldn’t have had to overpay on their tools their entire career. Value has many meanings. I feel I build value in my product and service through professionalism but don’t feel like I have to overcharge for that service. Others view it differently.

That being said, recognizing which qualities set the C38 apart is not the same thing as valuing it at it’s asking price, but it does render the screwdriver analogy absurd, doesn’t it?

Not at all, what is absurd to me is that people are paying $245 for it. But who am I to tell you what to spend your money on? You’re the professional.

[chaad_thomas]

@Brian Tuite

@chaad thomas

You look at those two screwdrivers and see the “same” screwdriver, but I do not. They look quite different to me; I see no bolster (at shaft/handle junction) on yours at all, the handle shape and construction are obviously different, and even if I take it you are correct that the specs are the same (presumably for the shaft metallurgy/tip machining) there are other unknown invisible qualities, e.g. what the grip surface is made out and how it is attached to the handle. There are lots of factors you don’t mention and that aren’t visible in the photos that would affect performance, quality, and sameness.

Perception is not reality. My screwdriver has a hex shank which allows the entire length to be used as a bolster the increasing the usefulness of the tool. Hold it in your hand alongside the competitive brand and you feel the ergonomics. The material holds up to industrial chemicals and is guaranteed. As for attachment? Snap-On presses the winged shaft into the handle. Genius does the same thing. When the shaft breaks Snap-On pulls the handle off and “gives you the shaft” I give you a completely new tool. Where’s the value now?

What I take away from your example, then, is that you are not discriminating in the same way I am, probably because I use corkscrews in a professional capacity. Maybe if you used the screwdrivers professionally rather than sell them professionally, your view of what “sameness” is would be a little different, too.

Assumptions can be dangerous. Good thing I didn’t assume you were simply a guy who pulls corks for a living. I was a professional technician for 20 years before I got into the tool business. I bought and used Snap-On Tools so I know all too well how they are made and how they are serviced. I know all the competitive advantages of each brand based on hands on professional experience. I have also been a part of QA testing and was a field consultant for MAC Tools. I bring what I feel is a uniquer approach to my sales because I have “been there done that” and my customers appreciate that and my advice. I often sell my customers something less expensive if I feel the extra price for another tool is not warranted. Ultimately the choice is theirs but the money I save them on one thing they now have available to spend on something else to make them even more productive. I have life long techs who wish I had come along earlier so they wouldn’t have had to overpay on their tools their entire career. Value has many meanings. I feel I build value in my product and service through professionalism but don’t feel like I have to overcharge for that service. Others view it differently.

That being said, recognizing which qualities set the C38 apart is not the same thing as valuing it at it’s asking price, but it does render the screwdriver analogy absurd, doesn’t it?

Not at all, what is absurd to me is that people are paying $245 for it. But who am I to tell you what to spend your money on? You’re the professional.

All fine and dandy, but those screwdrivers are not the same.

You seem to be equating “functionally equivalent” with “they’re the same,” which is a demonstration, to me, that you lack the necessary discretion to really make an informed judgement about the value of the Code 38. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and you seem awfully dismissive of the details.

That’s it. I wasn’t impugning the value of your product, your ability as a salesperson, or your professionalism, and I apologize if I came off that way.

Your ability to judge the value of corkscrews, however, is another matter!

[Brian_Tuite]

@chaad thomas

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and you seem awfully dismissive of the details.

Your ability to judge the value of corkscrews, however, is another matter!

Obviously so have you because I fail to see value in the Code 38 above a similar knife. Just sayin.

If you ever need to fill your toolbox though be sure to give me a jingle. I’ll give you a special deal!

[Scott_G_r_u_n_e_r]

I am just glad there is a stealth model for all of that covert wine opening I need to do. I’d use my shoe well before spending that type of coin for a wine-key.

[Rob_MacKay]

@Scott Gruner

I am just glad there is a stealth model for all of that covert wine opening I need to do. I’d use my shoe well before spending that type of coin for a wine-key.

That’s why your bottles all end up like your avatar…

[chaad_thomas]

Looking for more info on this device, I ran across this video from the maker on YouTube. He points out some of the features of the blade design, which is one of the most neglected elements of many wine keys; for example, the Winner keys pull great and are one of the best low-buck keys out there, but the knife is at the wrong end and a two-handed job to extend. The Kershaw, like the C38, can be flicked open with just a thumb, which is great. You can tell in the vid that Jeff really finds the action satisfying!

- YouTube