The Great Durand Cork Remover

[JohnMag]

I use it on anything over 20 years. Worth every penny. Saved many a bottle.

[JohnMag]

@wbkeene

Father’s Day gift! Finally own one of these things.

These are (a) foolproof and (b) essential for older corks. You won’t remember how you lived without one. The ultimate Father’s Day gift.

[wbkeene]

I used it on a ‘98 Vieux Donjon today and the cork was immaculate lol

[JohnMag]

@wbkeene

I’m sort of going to miss the personal challenge of trying to remove broken corks from the bottle without one - sort of

No you won’t. The before times sucked.

[wbkeene]

Lmao. I opened a 2004 CA Pinot the other day and I was so annoyed. I really thought I could do it but that cork was a disaster. Just dust.

[JohnMag]

Wow. 2004 CA Pinot. Your bravery extends far beyond cork extraction. How was it?

[wbkeene]

Actually not bad. One of the first wines I bought off a mailing list ever. Still plenty of good, ripe fruit, but my tastes have changed a wee bit over the years.

[JohnMag]

I am amazed it held up 22 years. Good to know !

[Dav3_Dyr0ff]

@JohnMag

These are (a) foolproof

Tell that to all the Berserkers who have tried using one without reading the directions.

[wbkeene]

I’ve had a few from that era over the past year and they’ve all been surprisingly healthy

[JohnMag]

Wow. Surprising and good to know.

[JohnMag]

@Dav3_Dyr0ff

Tell that to all the Berserkers who have tried using one without reading the directions.

I didn’t read the directions and the intent was plain as day to me. I am not an engineer.

[R_Cunningham1]

The hilarity is paying $145 when you can get a similar quality piece on eBay for less than $30.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

I wouldn’t say hilarious.

There’s a lot of stuff you can get cheaper on eBay. Whether you decide to go that route, or deem to be a sucker for it seems related to a lot of beliefs and variables. YMMV.

[Brian_Pinci]

I was one that didn’t read the directions when I first got one. I remember you showed me how to use it!

[Bweiss]

Looks like the patent expired a few months ago, expect a flood of Durand-like openers hitting the market (I see some already). The greatest gift to wine lovers (aside from a broken cork in a prized bottle) will be never feeling the pain of misplacing your Durand

Exact Expiration Date

The key patent, US 7,237,455 B2, shows:

• Filing date: March 13, 2006

• Anticipated expiration: March 13, 2026

• Current status: “Expired - Lifetime” on Google Patents.

[JuanS]

Well, there’s that joke about two Russians who meet at a gala dinner wearing the same tie. Very embarrassing situation.

Yuri: Damm! We are wearing the same tie!
Dimitri: How much did that tie cost you??
Yuri: (hesitating) one thousand dollars…
Dimitri: HAH!! YOU’VE BEEN RIPPED OFF! I PAID TWO THOUSAND!!

There’s some people who just enjoy overpaying.

[John_Morris]

@Bweiss

Looks like the patent expired a few months ago, expect a flood of Durand-like openers hitting the market (I see some already). The greatest gift to wine lovers (aside from a broken cork in a prized bottle) will be never feeling the pain of misplacing your Durand

Exact Expiration Date

The key patent, US 7,237,455 B2, shows:

• Filing date: March 13, 2006
• Anticipated expiration: March 13, 2026
• Current status: “Expired - Lifetime” on Google Patents.

Very good news!

[Jonathan_Loesberg]

One can find a couple of knock-offs on Amazon for $50-55. I don’t know how good they are. But the design seems pretty simple to reproduce.

[M.Kaplan]

I bought my Durand early, in 2009, $125 amortized over 17 years…