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What the inventors said…

In several reviews of cork ejectors, reviewers expressed concerns about breaking

bottles and flying needles. These problems are addressed in a number of patents and in

some there are calming words to dispel any concerns. As early as 1914, John Henry

Aubrey

Stapley said of his invention, "…the quantity of pressure fluid required to be

introduced below the cork is insufficient to constitute any danger." The inventors were

quick to point out the disadvantages and dangers of existing art and then presented their

solutions.

George Federighi, in his 1961 application referring to CO2 injectors says, "…experience

has shown there is a danger of bursting the bottles, since the pressure of the gas is

relatively high. This presents a dangerous situation, especially when a waiter is preparing

to serve the liquid to a customer." His device lowers the pressure.

In 1971, Swiss inventor Walter Steiner stated that the cork can adhere quite strongly to

the neck of the bottle and in this case "it is necessary to use a relatively high pressure,

but the danger exists that the bottle itself will crack." He resolves the problem by

putting two partial piston strokes in one full stroke.

By 1986, Federighi was concerned with the needle and

says, "Another problem arises in that the thin needle

may be inadvertently broken…This can create a

hazard

as the needle and cork are no longer attached to the

body of the extractor." He adds a shield around the

needle.

In 1990, Helmut Reinbacher discusses the need for his

shielding of the needle after pointing out "…serious

puncture wounds to the user could result from the

unguarded need

le…most prior art devices made to

provision for safely capturing the cork upon its

uncontrolled ejection from the bottle…"

…and the winner is…

For a good perspective on cork ejectors one cannot

help but look back at the testing done by the English Consumers' Association reported

in the December 5, 1968 issue of

Which?

(Consumers' Association, 14 Buckingham

Street, London WC2, England). They tested 14 traditional corkscrews including the

Maxram, the Skyline Bottle Boy, the Valezina, an Italian double lever; two prong pullers

(AS and Sanbri), and four cork ejectors. The air ejectors were the Corkette, Corky, and

Prestige Cork Boy. They only found one gas ejector for testing and that was the

Sparklets Corkmaster. The findings were: