Metrokane Golden Rabbit, Titanium

Product Description

Offered by metrokane, the world's leading line of wine accessories, this Golden Rabbit Corkscrew is the "crown jewel" of its Rabbit line. As beautiful as it is clever, the award-winning corkscrew is made of all die-cast metal, then triple-plated with titanium gold, an extra-durable alloy that matches the luster of gold plating. The Rabbit opens all types of wine bottles, pulls a cork in 3 seconds and automatically releases cork. Features include hard-metal gears, ergonomically shaped handles, a patented bottle-cap design and an easy-to-grip finish. Includes a spare spiral and a matching die-cast metal, titanium gold-plated foil cutter. Imported

From a design standpoint, this is a very good product. But the documentation is pathetic, and was clearly never tested with new / real users. There is no explanation of how it's supposed to work. That understanding is very helpful: with it, you'll never have trouble, and will marvel at the clever design. Let's get started.

Have a bottle of wine handy on which you've already used the supplied (and very good) little foil cutter to remove the foil over the cork.

Take the unit in your hand and look at the movable parts. The overhead lever that swings outward / downward and then is reversed / brought back over the top - moves the spiral corkscrew up and down. To see this, operate the overhead lever with one hand while holding the clamping "side handles" with the other. When you move the overhead handle the corkscrew rotates.

Why is the corkscrew turning? Because it's forced to do that as it goes through a "guide" (the metal collar with gray plastic center). The gray plastic piece has an internal spiral track that forces the corkscrew to rotate as it passes through.

Here's the critical point: as long as the guide mechanism is locked in place and can't move up or down, the guide forces the corkscrew to rotate when going through.

What if this guide were locked in place on the `down-stroke,' but could move vertically on the `up-stroke'? Then the guide would force the corkscrew to rotate on the way down (so the corkscrew would penetrate the cork), but the guide would stay attached to (and _not_ rotate) the corkscrew on the way up - thus pulling the cork.

When the unit is operated correctly this is exactly what happens. But how?

Look more closely: Before using the Rabbit's `side-handles' to hold the wine bottle neck, the guide is locked in place by two protruding spring-loaded latches and can't move vertically. Try it: it won't budge. (You can actually see these small latches projecting over the top of the guide and keeping it from moving - by looking in the area above and to the far rear of the guide, near the smooth rod.)

On the other hand, when the clamping handles are squeezed onto the neck of a bottle, these latches above the guide _retract_, releasing their hold on the guide so it can move upward.

Do this now: Take your bottle of wine and, with the overhead lever rotated to its fully outward / downward position, place the guide directly over the cork and grip the neck of the bottle _firmly_ with the clamping side handles.

Look at the latches described above: they have retracted, and no longer restrain the guide from moving upward. This has no effect during the down-stroke / cork penetration phase, since the guide is already as low as it can go. Because the guide can't move, it forces the corkscrew to rotate when you operate the overhead lever - thus penetrating the cork. Perform this down-stroke.

Now watch what happens when the overhead lever is pulled back to withdraw the cork (while you at the same time continue to grip the bottle neck firmly with the side levers). Because the guide can now move vertically with the corkscrew, it imposes no rotation on the corkscrew. The corkscrew stays inside the cork as the overhead lever is moved outward / downward, and the cork is extracted. Do it. You now have the cork out of the bottle, suspended above the bottle neck, and are still gripping the side handles around the bottle neck.

Release your hold on the side handles and move the Rabbit away from the bottle. The cork is still attached to the corkscrew. Re-grip the side handles with one hand and once again operate the overhead lever, bringing it all the way back to its fully closed position again (as if you were on the original down-stroke into the cork).

As you get to the very end of the stroke, you will feel resistance and will hear a click: the latches have snapped back into place over the top of the guide, locking it in place. The guide is once again `captured' - and cannot move vertically. The cork is still attached to the corkscrew.

Finally, move the overhead lever back yet again to its fully open position (as if pulling the cork from the bottle). This time the latches _don't_ retract (because you're not using the side handles to grip the bottle neck) - so the latches again keep the guide from moving, and this forces the corkscrew to rotate `in reverse' as it passes upward through the guide. The corkscrew backs out of the cork and the cork drops off. It takes all of a few seconds once you get the hang of it.

Understanding the operating principles should help. None of this is well explained (or, indeed, explained at all) in the almost non-existent documentation.

Steve Ferris


We'll, this is made of entirely die cast metals. With all other 'Rabbits', there are some components made of rubber and plastic...with this one no. And it is solid metal coated with Titanium (not "spray painted") and will not corrode as other metals will. I must admit that $200 is steep but I purchased mine as a Gold Box special for $99 and I absolutely love it! Also, this carries a ten year warranty which is 10 timess the standard warranty.


I have a metrokane rabbit. Pretty - Yes, worked well - Yes for about a year. Then the mechanism came apart. Metrokane WILL NOT stand behind their product for more than 12 months. Which I find amazing considering that a knock-off of the rabbit can be purchased for about $30. Buy a knock-off they work as just as well. Don't believe that the additional cost of the rabbit gives you a superior product.


I think it may be more beautiful than the picture! It's definitely even shinier than shown. The gold tone is a little darker than real gold, but very striking.

This thing is HEAVY! My kitchen scale says it weighs 2 pounds, 5 ounces. I personally love that, since it's such solid construction. Everything is metal, including the "gears," which was important to me.

In case anyone is confused like I was, it's die-cast metal, plated in gold-colored titanium. I don't think there's any gold in it, nor is it solid titanium. Probably obvious, but... Also, it does have the nice bristly rubber pads on the handle like the other Rabbits, which makes it very comfortable. The black-and-clear clamshell box that it comes in is basically the same as for others.

Functionally, the action is very smooth. I just opened a bottle and it moved cleanly.

If asked for a "con," I was disappointed to notice that the foil cutter has only two cutting wheels, unlike the four in my original Rabbit. But it didn't make a different on the bottle I just opened.

I can't wait to invite people over and wow them.

Images ScreenShot

About Metrokane Golden Rabbit, Titanium detail

• Amazon Sales Rank: #128619 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Gold
• Brand: Metrokane
• Model: 6019
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.70" h x 8.00" w x 8.90" l, 2.00 pounds

Features

• Rabbit corkscrew made of all die-cast, triple-plated titanium gold
• Striking, limited-edition product
• Popular design pulls a cork in 3 seconds flat
• Ergonomic handle is comfortable and user-friendly; includes titanium gold foilcutter
• 10-year warranty

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