A Rabbit style wine opener is where you should be heading if you’re looking for a wine opener to add a touch of style to your wine drinking experience, There are a couple of popular, budget friendly options we suggest you consider, the Holleringlan wine opener or Metrokane’s Houdini. These both provide value for money.
Firstly, one of the best tips I can give you to start is ‘use a foil cutter.’ Avoid damaging the corkscrew by removing the foil cap with a foil cutter or knife before using your corkscrew. Don’t be tempted to use the screw on the wine opener.
How does a wine rabbit opener work?
Steps for using rabbit openers is a quick process.
- Remove foil using foil cutter
- Flip the top handle so the worm is retracted
- Place worm on top of cork
- Grip the bottle using the lower handles
- Press upper handle down to insert the worm into the cork
- Raise lever to remove cork
- Reverse process to release the cork
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About Holleringlan & Houdini Rabbit Wine Openers
Holleringlan Wine Opener
Why consider a Holleringlan Wine Opener?
Great product, great price.
- This is a good option for tight budgets offering value for money.
- Choice of silver finish or bronze
- Made from durable stainless with grips of heavy-duty zinc alloy, metal gears and Teflon-coated spiral.
- Holleringlan backs its product with a manufacturer 2 year warranty for a replacement or refund.
- Suitable for both natural and synthetic corks
Style, function and budget friendly price
Check price on Amazon
Metrokane Wine Opener – Houdini
- Effortlessly uncork any size wine bottle in seconds
- Independently lab tested to pull 20,000 corks for reliable service and hassle-free wine opening
- Includes foil cutter and extra spiral
- Stainless steel with silver finish. Ergonomic designed handle with non-slip grip allows for a comfortable and sturdy hold to open any bottle regardless of cork type
- 5 year manufacturer warranty
About Metrokane wine openers
The Houdini wine opener is a Metrokane product. Why is this important? Well Metrokane was founded almost 50 years and has built a strong reputation as a market leader and distributor of bar products.
Their catalogue includes various corkscrew designs, decanters, wine aerators, wine preservers, and well-known Original Rabbit Branded products, Houdini Lever corkscrew and the Rabbit original lever corkscrew and vertical Rabbit.
Metrokane backs their claim of producing superior products with independent testing. The manufacturer has had the corkscrews tested independently in a lab for 20,000 cork pulls. This means value for money and many years of fail-safe use. (Note the test assumes the spiral will be replaced after 1,000 pulls.)
‘Peace of mind’ manufacturer warranties come with Metrokane wine openers
- The Rabbit original lever has 10 years warranty, and
- Houdini corkscrew has 5 years
Replacement Worm
When the time comes to replace the worm for your corkscrew, a replacement worm for Houdini can be found here. (The wine opener does come with an extra so this is a note for you after enjoying many, many bottles of wine.)
What’s a Vertical Rabbit corkscrew?
The Vertical Rabbit Lever Corkscrew is another Metrokane product
And in case you’re wondering how the vertical Rabbit differs from the rabbit style opener that we’ve been talking about with the Holleringlan and Houdini, the body of the vertical rabbit is tube-shaped and sits over the top of the neck of the bottle.
It works with a single pull of the lever to remove the cork.
- Stainless steel construction
- Available in velvet black, gunmetal grey and red.
- Designed to open any size bottle.
- Design success backed up with Metrokane’s independent testing to 20,000 cork pulls
Check best price here
Comparison Table - Holleringlan vs Houdini
In the table below we’ve included pictures so you can see the product and color options. Prices, in ascending order, range from around US $25 to around $65 inserted for comparison. At the bottom of the table is a Houdini kit (price varies considerably depending on color choice.)
As you can see the main differences appear as manufacturer limited warranty and color choices. At the end of the day Holleringlan’s 2 years is still a significant time period for a fairly inexpensive item. I note, even with the lesser warranty period, Holleringlan is a very popular choice with consumers of this product.
| Image | Title | Inclusions | Color options | Buy | Manufacturer Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Top
Top | Holleringlan Wine Opener | Foil cutter, wine stopper, extra spiral | Bronze/ silver | Check price | 2 year |
Top | Holleringlan corkscrew | Foil cutter, wine stopper, extra spiral | silver/ bronze | Find out more | 2 year |
Top | Metrokane Houdini Corkscrew | Foil cutter, extra spiral | black/silver | Check more | 5 year |
Top | Houdini Rabbit Classic Corkscrew | Foil cutter, extra spiral | black/ silver | Check price | 5 year |
Top | Metrokane Houdini Lever Corkscrew | Foil cutter, extra spiral | silver/ black/ red | Find out more | 5 year |
Top | Houdini 6-piece wine tool kit | Foil cutter, drip-stop ring, wine sealer, wax whacker, extra corkscrew | Red, silver/ blue (NB large price variation with color choice)) | Check price | 5 year |
FAQ’s
Troubleshooting
What if half the cork remains in the bottle?
Why is the bottle difficult to open?
Why has the cork broken in the opened wine bottle?
Generally, the cause of these issues is the same. The problems can be caused by not fully pushing the corkscrew lever to the bottom, through the cork, in one action. Make sure you use one smooth action when pressing down on the lever.
What can I do about Sticky Handles on the bottle opener?
After years of use, some bottle openers can get a stickiness on the handles or feel that the plastic has degraded. If this happens, try some rubbing alcohol, Isopropyl. Pour a little on a paper towel or cloth and rub to remove the sticky coating and reveal a clean surface underneath.
When is a rabbit opener not the best choice?
If you have Arthritis or wrist weakness, although the rabbit opener is easy to use, it is a 2-handed operation. One to grip the handles and one to push the lever. If you have issues with hand or wrist strength, you might want to veer away from a manual-style wine opener and consider an electric bottle opener. You can check out the Secura here.
Final Thoughts
We can’t recommend the Lever/Rabbit styles of bottle opener enough. If want more than a waiter’s corkscrew and an easy-to-use option, the Holleringlan or Houdini wine opener offers a perfect solution at a budget-friendly price.
Handy Links
Where can I buy corkscrew for wine opener?
Metrokane Replacement Worm for Rabbit and Houdini Corkscrews,2 Spirals
3 Pack Replacement Corkscrew Spiral/Worm for Wine Opener
Resources
- Tips for using the Rabbit and Houdini Lever Corkscrew
We found the attached tips and troubleshooting sheet for Metrokane’s Rabbit and Houdini corkscrews. Although it’s unlikely, it’s good to have a reference on hard – just in case. Tips and solutions reference sheet here.