Are the plastic cork insertion tools that are used
with a rubber hammer worth buying or should I
get a stand up metal one with a handle?

Thanks
Bill

--
http://home.earthlink.net/~billbernice1/

Bill,

You're asking for an opinion, so here's mine: go with the floor corker!

I started with a mallet-driven corker many years ago, upgraded a couple
of times in between, and finally went for the Ferrari floor model. I
only wish I had done so in the beginning. While you _can_ drive corks
with the cheaper designs, the ease of the floor models puts them
immeasurably ahead of the others.

HTH, Mike MTM

With a corker, more than almost any other winemaking tool, you will not
regret buying quality. If you are seriously getting into this hobby, even
for just a few batches a year, get the standup corker. Probably $70-90 and
well worth it.

Ray

"Bill Orr" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> Are the plastic cork insertion tools that are used
> with a rubber hammer worth buying or should I
> get a stand up metal one with a handle?
>
> Thanks
> Bill
>
> --
> http://home.earthlink.net/~billbernice1/
>
>
>

I absolutely hated the hand corkers.
Check ebay for floor corkers, got mine after bottling my first batch
almost 4 years ago for $30. It's my best purchase so far. (except for
the BV SuperJet I got for $27)

Jeff

> Are the plastic cork insertion tools that are used
> with a rubber hammer worth buying or should I
> get a stand up metal one with a handle?

Hate to differ from the other posters but I got a winged
hand corker with the kit that my wife bought me. I've
been using it through 6 or 8 kits and it's worked fine.
Even #9s usually insert all the way.

The caveat here is that I store my corks in a SO2 humidor.
I think that helps their insertion. The time that I tried
to insert dry corks I had alot of problems with #9 corks
but not the #8s. Also, Trevor posted here that he has
had some bottles break at the neck with these.

If you can upgrade the kit's corker to a floor unit then
go for it. I'll upgade eventually but for now the winged
corker is doing it's job.

Don

Thanks to everyone.
I think I am convinced on the floor model or the winged corker.

Bill


"Bill Orr" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> Are the plastic cork insertion tools that are used
> with a rubber hammer worth buying or should I
> get a stand up metal one with a handle?
>
> Thanks
> Bill
>
> --
> http://home.earthlink.net/~billbernice1/
>
>

> Thanks to everyone.
> I think I am convinced on the floor model or the winged corker.

BTW, I'm 6'+ and 240 pds, my wife thinks that's why
I have an easy time with the winged corker. I think
it's because I store my corks in the humidour but
you may want to try one first and then think about
doing 30+ bottles with it.

Don

An after word.
I used a "winged corker for years and I still have it stored in honourable
retirement. I was fortunate in buying a Portuguese floor corker, brand new
at the annual UK HB&WM Show about 3 years ago -- at half retail price!
Certainly when using the winged version the idea of using a "humidor" is
excellent and I did it too. The main reason was that it maintained a
moistness that also created an element of lubrication .
The real problem with the winged corker is the inherent instability during
the time when the cork is being forced into the bottle.Sadly we only have
two hands. It also means that ones body is very close to the bottle in the
event of a bottle rupturing in some way. Over too many years it happened 2ce
with me.
The floor corker provides several advantages
It is much safer.
It is much quicker.
It is much cleaner -- less likely to spill.
It is also quite therapeutic -- I actually enjoy the bottling session now --
you can almost do it in dance time!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
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"Don S" > wrote in message
m...
> > Thanks to everyone.
> > I think I am convinced on the floor model or the winged corker.
<snip>,snip>

> Certainly when using the winged version the idea of using a "humidor" is
> excellent and I did it too. The main reason was that it maintained a
> moistness that also created an element of lubrication .

Trevor,
I agree with you accessment of the floor units and I will
probably get one some day. For now though I will continue
with the winged corker. I thought about what would happen
if the neck of the bottle broke and I just didn't see
myself getting cut by it. Hopefully I won't have to eat
those words.

The humidor is not just for moistening, it's loaded with
a small lidded container drilled full of holes and filled
with water and potassium meta to keep the corks sanitized.
The corks I buy from my local supplier are broken down into
30 or 100 cork bags and the the supplier is not filling the
new bags with any potassium meta as apparently the corks are
originally shipped with. The byproduct of this was the easy
cork insertion that I noticed the next time I bottled.

Don