Victorinox Grooved Corkscrew

Between 1961 and 1991, Victorinox Swiss Army knives included a corkscrew with a slightly "looser" spiral, and with grooves cut into the sides.

We have seen different explanations for the grooves. Some people believe that they were purely decorative, while others feel that they help to grip the cork better, reducing the chance it will slip.

NOTE-- We tried opening a couple of wine bottles with each type of corkscrew, and concluded that there might be a small advantage to the grooved version.

Before 1961, Victorinox used an earlier, vintage corkscrew with a tighter spiral. In 1991, they switched to a modern corkscrew with the same spiral shape but with no grooves.

Using the Grooved Corkscrew

For best results, insert the corkscrew in as far as it will go (just leave yourself a little room so you can still get your fingers around the knife). Then grip the knife tightly with one hand, hold the bottle tightly with the other hand, and pull.

The corkscrew is also helpful for other tasks, including:

• Removing cotton from aspirin bottles
• Screwing into trees as a fastener for clothes drying lines
• Toasting marshmallows over a candle

There is a very similar corkscrew on Wenger Swiss Army knives.

Home | Victorinox Swiss Army Knives | Wenger Swiss Army Knives | Leatherman Tools | Site Map