Corkscrews have gotten so high-tech lately, that there's barely any effort needed to pull a cork. Notice I said "pull" and not "pop". With all the new technology being put into removing corks from bottles smoothly and effortlessly, the satisfying "pop" that used to announce the opening of a new bottle has become as rare as the bell-induced ring of an old phone.

Over at Built NY, they missed the sound of corks popping, and the days when opening a bottle of wine was as much a part of the experience as drinking it. So they developed the Wine Ratchet Magnum. It's half ratchet wrench, half old-school corkscrew. With some updated touches.

Because having the right tool for the job stops you from tearing the cork in half (corkscrew was too short), or piercing the bottom of the cork and getting fragments in the wine (corkscrew too long), the Magnum let's you choose your weapon : either the 1-7/8" wire screw bit for older, longer corks, or the 1-5/8 auger for younger, shorter corks.

Once you've got the right bit, use the foil hook stored in the handle to rip the foil from the bottle. No gently slicing around the top with this opener. Once exposed, you ratchet down into the cork, spin the handle to loosen it, then put all that gym time to good use and extract the cork with a little leverage and muscle. (The heft of the one-pound, 13-ounce handle helps.) You can view a demo here.

This is a corkscrew made for guys who still want to use a little brute force to get at their wine.

$99.99
Available in Black Chrome (pictured) and Red
www.builtny.com