About that corkscrew

dawsonbob said:
I'm an old blind guy, too, but I carry two or three of those little kits with extra screws an tiny screwdrivers.

I may be overly cautious, but it's better than being blind.:D
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Hey dbob, I'm also an old blind guy, but I find that trying to replace a tiny, tiny screw in my glasses, while out and about is more frustration than I need. If a screw comes out, I replace it temporarily with one of the small safety pins from my PSK. When I get back to Beer Central (AKA my apartment), I can then, more easily, replace the screw.

Liam Ryan said:
I have used it to untie stubborn knots, works great.
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Hey Liam, not to be critical, but if you find you have to do that very often, perhaps different knots might be an idea. When I was deciding which knots would be my 'go tos', one of the considerations was ease of untying, after being jammed. Just my 2 cents (Canadian).

Doc
 
I would bet there are FAR MORE SAK's that get carried in the office every day than get carried in the woods. I've had many occasions where there was an office luncheon or dinner where someone brought a bottle of wine but not a corkscrew, and the one on someone's SAK turned out to be a lifesaver.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hey dbob, I'm also an old blind guy, but I find that trying to replace a tiny, tiny screw in my glasses, while out and about is more frustration than I need. If a screw comes out, I replace it temporarily with one of the small safety pins from my PSK. When I get back to Beer Central (AKA my apartment), I can then, more easily, replace the screw.


Doc
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Hey, Doc, it's not that I'm paranoid, or anything, but I carry eyeglass repair kits, two pairs of glasses, and a fresnel magnifying lens in my wallet so I can see to repair broken glasses.

Oddly, I've never had to repair my glasses in the field, but if I ever do, then I'm set.
 
MustardMan said:
I would bet there are FAR MORE SAK's that get carried in the office every day than get carried in the woods. I've had many occasions where there was an office luncheon or dinner where someone brought a bottle of wine but not a corkscrew, and the one on someone's SAK turned out to be a lifesaver.
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I could see that. In fact, I think I have seen that.
 
I've used the cork screw on my leatherman juice for it's intended purpose. So i don't mind it being there.

On a SAK though...if i could only have one, i would rather have a philips head screwdriver i guess.
 
What can I say, life without the Vic cork screw would not be worth living.:eek:
 
dawsonbob said:
And what's this Merlot stuff? Is that from Boone's Farm, too?
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Speaking of Boone's Farm do they still sell Bali Hai red?

That corkscrew has come in handy a bunch for corks and for stubborn knots, shoelaces, poking pinholes and on a later version for carrying that little screwdriver.

I just found out my sack will spark misch metal so a firesteel might be in the cards.
 
I've used my corkscrew many times for it's purpose, I've been places where the person can't find their corkscrew. I've been going somewhere outdoors and decide to buy a bottle of wine on the spur of the moment. I've been at vineyards and bought bottles of wine to drink.

The small blade works well for cutting the foil off the bottle as well.

Chad
 
To be honest guys, I have a cork screw in my pocket every single day of the week, unless I am in the woods-(my day off). I use it anywhere from 1-20 times a day to open wine.
I have a little better reason to do so than most, I am the Wine Director at the Carlton Winemakers Studio in the Willamette Valley. My wine key has a blade too! I cut lots of stuff..
My SAK does not have a cork screw, I know all of the tricks to open a bottle without a cork screw.
 
Tye Possum said:
I mean they are meant more for your average person, not necessarily people out camping, so let's say you brought a bottle of wine to a party or something and then oh no, nobody has a corkscrew. Or maybe you're the kind of person who brings a bottle of wine out with them to celebrate some kind of accomplishment like climbing a mountain, you may have a SAK in either of those situations and if you forgot to bring a real corkscrew then out comes the SAK, just a handy backup when you forget the proper corkscrew I guess, and I'm sure there are some people who still drink wine quite frequently.
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My dad is retired and, like a lot of other retired Dutch people, lives about six months a year in his second home in France. Over there, they drink wine every day; during lunch, dinner and in the evening. In the other southern European countries, they also drink a lot of wine. Switzerland is also a wine country.

I think the cork screw is also a part of the tradition of Swiss army knives and probably of the tradition of (southern) European knives in general. There are also Laguiole and Opinel knives which have a cork screw.

And I think most of the people who carry a SAK aren't outdoor people, but carry it just because it is a useful tool.
 
I have no use for a corkscrew. I do not drink wine,can't stand the stuff.(I have tried them all, my sister is a wine nut)

I chose my Vic Hiker over the similar Camper just because it has a Philips driver instead of the corkscrew.
 
I once "tried" to use the corkscrew on one of those Swiss Army Knives made in the "China" area of Switzerland. The corkscrew broke off and I had to push the cork into the bottle with a real screwdriver. Since then I have used the real one(Swiss) on a few occasions.
I do not use it much but it's traditional.
Bill
JK supporter #34
Rat Pack #222
 
Bushman5 said:
I refuse to buy wine with screw off caps. Complete and utter sacrilege
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I used to think that, and I much prefer corks as general rule, but caps are becoming more common now and I'm not going to let a screw cap get between me and a fantastic wine. A lot of the Spanish reds are coming with screw caps now, and they're inexpensive wines so it makes sense--but Spanish wines are a great value so don't overlook them!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, nothing beats the sound of a high quality natural cork popping out of a bottle of Chateuneuf-du-Pape. :D
 
I'm probably in the minority here, if not the only one, but I actually use corks/plugs in bushcraft.

I've made a few gourd canteens and carved plugs for them that were so water tight that I actually had to use a corkscrew to get them back out, especially once they absorb a little water and swell. In another instance I carved a bear-shaped "piggy bank" out of a coconut for my sister in law and used a plug for it.
Once her son filled it up she came to me with the reasonable question of, "Now how the hell do I get the money out?", and it just so happened I had the corkscrew on hand. That, along with the other unintended uses of it that I seem to come up with, seems to warrant it for me more than the Phillips screwdriver or going without.

Nothing says ya have to always use a tool for its intended purpose, and even when you do(in this case for corks) nothing says you have to limit it to one area(wine bottles). A cork might even make a handy quick repair on a boat or canoe, ofcourse, by the time you want it to come out you'll probably be back in the shop with real tools to remove it and fix it, but anyhow...I'm just rambling now.


Gautier
 
mneedham said:
I use the corkscrew on my Swisschamp a lot (for opening wine...). I use it in hotel rooms and in the woods. Opening a bottle of good Chilean red wine in the company of a lady on a picnic has given me the opportunity to practice some of my very favorite wilderness skills:thumbup: I say keep the corkscrew...
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My Lady and I will drink to that!

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I wish I had one on one of our snowshoe trips this year, but was able to fashion one out of a coat hanger with a leatherman :D

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