What corker do you use?

[winesnob]

I don't have a corker yet (though I have a bit of a wait before I bottle) and I was wondering which corker people use. Which one gives you the least amount of aggravation and which one can you use by yourself (without a second pair of hands)?

thanks, winesnob.

 

[masta]

Italian Floor Corker is what I have used since day one and is super!

 

[pkcook]

So far I've bottled all 100+ bottles of wine I've made with a $5.00 plastic hand corker

, and none have leaked. I just purchased a double levered hand corker from a local store on sale and will try it out on my next bottling.

 

[OilnH2O]

I use a Portugese, double hand corker George sells and it works great -- but can leave indentations and may not always seat the cork the last 1/8" -- check [url]http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID= 1409&KW=indentation[/url]for pictures and a discussion.


After all the discussion I decided to stick with what I have for now -- the shrink cap covers it anyway!

You may wish to check, however. George did have the Italian floor corker on sale and the price was mighty tempting!

 

[winesnob]

So, has anybody used the Portuguese floor corker? It's almost half the price of the Italian one. What's the difference?

 

[Brandst]

I just purchased the Portuguese floor corker and will be using it to cork my nxt batch by the weekend. I had been using the double lever hand corker and was left with indents that I didn't like and corks not fully seated. As I will be giving away 1/3 to 1/2 of the bottles I want them to look good. Everyone that has the floor corkers, regardless of type, swear by them, I'll chime in after I've used it.

Steve

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Everyone that has the floor corkers, regardless of type, swear by
them

Or swear AT them - recall Smurfe's very frustrating time with his before it
was replaced...

 

[grapeman]

I use a floor corker very much like the Italian floor corker. Same design and same type brass compression jaws. The only difference is that I live about 30 miles from Canada. There is a little country store in Hemmingford Canada that sells the corker for $39.95 in Canadian dollars. That cost me about $35.00 US! I tried to use the double lever corkers that are in most of the kits, but I didn't get uniform cork seating. Now every cork goes in the same distance. I recess them just a little and then wax the ones I want to store for prolonged periods. As a true Winesnob, spring for the little extra, you will never regret it!

 

[geocorn]

There are 2 primary differences between the Portuguese Floor Corker - $59.99 and the Italian Floor Corker - $99.99.


First, is the brass crimping jaws versus nylon. The brass does a slightly better job at compression. Whether it is noticable or not is up for debate.


Secondly, the base that holds the bottle on the Italian versus is longer and makes it easy to cork 375 ml to 1500 ml bottles. Some of the 375's are too short for the Portuguese version, so something has to be used to put under the bottle to make it fit in the corker.

 

[Bill B]

I have the Portuguese corkerand I also like it. I ordered the Italian corker (Im Italian) but they were out at the time, however the Portuguese corker works just fine.


Bill

 

[daveb50]

Italian Floor Corker is what I have now.

Very happy with it. I used a hand corker on my first wine, terrible experience. I was going to buythe portugese corker, but thought about the plastic parts versus the brass on the Italian one. The Italian has a longer handle too, more leverage. I can usemine with an adaptor for capping beer bottles too.

 

[otto6183]

I would pick my Italian Floor Corker over my hand-held corker 100%. It is not only easier to use, but the cork setting, previously mentioned, is consistant. I don't even know where my hand-held is hiding.........or sulking

 

[PolishWineP]

We used to have a Guilda and it really took 2 of us to bottle without fear of tipping.

We went with the Italian Foor Corker and never once have wished ourselves back. Well worth the extra $ vs the other floor corker. It's stable, never tippy and we feel secure using it. Edited by: PolishWineP

 

[winesnob]

I would say the Italian floor model is the winner with all the votes. Thanks!!

 

[smurfe]

Add me to the Italian Corker list, plus an Italian wife but thats beside the point. I love mine (Corker and Wife). I had issues with a defective one but of course it was taken care of and the replacement works like a charm. I have done a lot of bottling with it since without a flaw.


Smurfe

 

[Funky Fish]

I have the Port. floor corker, and it works great. Given the choice between the Port. or the Italian, I probably would have chosen the italian; however, I was able to trade my hand corker in where I bought it for money towards the Port. floor corker, so I got it for about $35.


The one advantage the italian has over the portugese is the longer handle, as mentioned above. I was a bit worried about the plastic jaws (would they wear out?), but I've heard of people bottling thousands of bottles before even worrying about that, and then they just replace the jaws. It wasn't really hard for me to do the math: a Portugese floor corker is ~$50 cheaper than the Italian. Replacement jaws are $7. If I have to replace the jaws every 2,000 bottles, that's more than 10,000 bottles before I need have spent the same money on the Italian. And that's a lot of wine to drink away my woes.

 

[maize]

It may be late and the decision looks like most people like the floor corker - but just wanted to add my 2 cent vote..


I have always used the double lever portuguese hand corker. The only "negative" I have seen is the indents - which is too minor for me to care about. It is easy to use and I like it because I can line up the bottles on a table and cork them quickly. It is stable enough so that I never need assistance and have never come close to tipping a bottle. Plus it takes up no real storage space.


I think the seating issue is very rare if the bottles are filled to the proper level (a learning experience I needed George's help with once early on). I average less than 1 bottle per kit that has even the slightest amount of cork extending above the rim.

 

[Brandst]

Bottled my Reisling last night with the Portuguese floor corker, what a difference from the hand corker. Took a bit of adjustment to get the proper seating on the corks but so much faster and easier, and no indents or high corks. Once I got it set I just handed the filled bottles to my roommate and he corked them faster than I could fill them. I don't really see the longer handle of the Italian a necessity as there was little to no effort involved with this one and I can always replace worn out parts, like the plastic iris, when needed.

Steve

 

[PolishWineP]

I was a bit worried about the plastic jaws (would they wear out?), but I've heard of people bottling thousands of bottles before even worrying about that, and then they just replace the jaws. It wasn't really hard for me to do the math: a Portugese floor corker is ~$50 cheaper than the Italian. Replacement jaws are $7. If I have to replace the jaws every 2,000 bottles, that's more than 10,000 bottles before I need have spent the same money on the Italian. And that's a lot of wine to drink away my woes.

Nice job with the math! And wine!


The one thing for me is the long handle. I am not a tall person and like have the good leverage with the long handle. It's not like the Portugese is a hunk of junk. All I know is that I never want to go back to the hand corker!

 

[daveb50]

[/QUOTE]


All I know is that I never want to go back to the hand corker!

[/QUOTE]


Ditto