Good corker advice needed

[HLA91]

Hey everyone

I just bottled my banana wine but my 2 handled corker has let me down. It has 2 adjusting nuts on the corker but the problem is just picking up the corker causes the nuts to spin they are so loose. This led to 6 bottles of wine with crap looking corks, some of them, the center where the "pin" pushes, is level with the top of the bottle but the warped sides of the cork ride high so even when the cork expands and sorts itself out the cork is still proud of the bottle. Only 1 cork has inserted perfectly flush, but 1 in 6 is not a good ratio.


Looking at a new corker online the ones I have seen dont appear to have the 2 adjusting nuts.

The one I have is 10+ years old and where as the new corkers have 'rectangular' handles mine has circular handles.


I take it the new ones, as far as I can see don't have any adjusting nuts and work each time every time? I have seen floor corkers and I could afford one but my parents would go nuts and I have no where to store it.

Does anyone have a non floor corker that gives good results?

Thanks

HLA91

[robwrx]

I have only ever used a floor standing corker so I can't really offer you any advice other than if you can afford it, buy one. Mine used to live in the loft as it will fit through a standard loft hatch and it is light enough to lift it one handed. They are very easy to use and very fast.

The one I bought is a Portuguese plastic jaw model and came from Wineworks and I think forum members get a discount but Duffbeer http://www.hobbywinesupplies.co.uk I think also sells the Ferrari version with metal jaws at a good price.

Regards
Rob

[HLA91]

I have just been informed that the percentage of satisfaction with a twin lever is quite low with only around 20% of corks going in perfectly with the rest requiring a little extra persuasion, I don't like those statistics, not considering that for £42 inc p&p I can pick up this floor corker here >click me<, does that one look like it would be good. Also what is the percentage success rate with a floor one? Do they require calibrating? If so is it easy to do or will I use up my whole cork supply just calibrating?

[mcblades]

I used to use a corker similar to the one in your top picture and was quite happy with it. If you are corking bottles for shows then it will, I think, not be up to the job. Mine used to leave an indentation in the top of the cork and occasionally left one proud on narrow necked bottles. Mine cost about 20 quid so I think a bit of shopping around may be called for. I moved on to one of duffbeers ferraris as my wine output grew. Couldn't be happier with it. Regarding calibration, I have never bothered with mine as I use a range of bottles including previously screw topped and as long as the cork isn't left proud then I am happy. There is a small locking nut on the pusher which allows the depth to be adjusted and I think it would be relatively easy to so do should you want millimeter accuracy. I have heard good reports of these things http://home-brew-online.myshopify.co...handled-corker but have no direct experience with them (or that company, it was just the first link that came up in google).

Good luck

[Rich]

I used to have a 3 lever corker, what it really means is you need a third hand to hold the bottle. You can do it without but that one time that you slip and knock over all your not yet corked bottles, then manage to knock over a few more whilst in panic and trying to stop the carnage going on.. You'll wish you'd spent some more money!

I have a Ferrari floor corker from Karl (linky). Now I can appreciate that they are not cheap, But the jaws are made of brass, not plastic. They are quite sturdy too. No longer do I dread bottling time or corking.

I used to have a plastic jawed Portuguese one, maybe I bought a cheap one, not really sure but it only lasted a couple of years, the jaws appeared to wear a bit and but ridges on the corks. I tried setting them up again but it never seemed to be right.

[lockwood1956]

[Floor corkers are great.....

The one in your link is a portuguese corker, good quality, but jaws are plastic and wear out after a while, if you can afford it go for an Italian floor corker, they are made by ferrari and are made to last a lifetime. I have one and love it. A lot of the smaller vineyards use them, they are fantastic

regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

Where are you located HLA91?

somome here who has one may lie close to you and let you have a go of theirs

regards
bob

[HLA91]

Located in S Wales, I have just had a chat with my girlfriend and we have both come to the agreement that my parents with whom I live would go nuts should a £42 corker turn up at the door, so for now I will use plastic re-usable stoppers, which I currently use only for my WOW which doesn't last long, although the portugeuse corker has been discussed as a possible Christmas present, even though my parents would still go ape as its Christmas they will hopefully go less ape. Even though it has plastic grasps compared to the metal ones on the Italian, apart from the lifespan are they identical in terms of corking reliability?

[goldseal]

I use a portugese corker, similar to the one in your link. It has done several hundred bottles with minimal maintenance, and no sign of wear yet. It looks as though the back legs may unbolt, making stealthy storage a possibility .

I bottled nearly 80 bottles the other day and only one cork needed to be re-done, and that was probably down to the operator not paying proper attention!

If you are anywhere near Hereford you are welcome to come and have a go on mine.

[HLA91]

Only 1 bottle in 80 needed redoing, I like those statistics, the corks I have are the 'favourite' branded silicone impregnated ones I take it the type of cork is not really relevant as long as they are not cheapy ones?

I think a Portuguese is the way to go, I am off on hols for 2 weeks now so my girlfriend and I will think of a way of convincing my parents a floor corker is a good idea. I don't really find myself up that neck of the woods but I will bear that in mind thankyou.

[Cellar_Rat]

You might find, that with a little experimentation a different type of Cork might give a better result. Even with floor corkers some corks work better than others.

A nice middle ground, which would be better than bones and if you are not playing your wine down for over 12 months - might I suggest a Normacork! These are synthetic cork but do slipping nicely and would probably suit this type of device well.

[HLA91]

I have 140 favourite corks and most of the wine I will be corking for <12 months and anything less than that which is mainly only WOW or rice 'n' raisin will be corked with plastic re-usable, hopefully the favourites work fine but I will take a look at the Norma as well.

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

[HLA91]

Just decided to update everyone and for anyone who is reading this who is having trouble with 2 handled corkers. I ordered a Portuguese corker from copper kettle homebrew and it arrived earlier. I immediately tested it using the 'favourite' branded corks which were dunked in water to simulate dunking them in a sod-met solution if I had been corking wine for real and the corks just slipped in like a dream, although slightly too deep so I will adjust the nut slightly. Would highly recommend everyone to buy one it makes corking a dream and I am no longer dreading it.

Thanks for your help guys and gals.

HLA91

[Cellar_Rat]

Wet corking adds to more cleaning (and possible TCA) - dry corking is better really.

[HLA91]

Oh! I ran a paper towel through the socket before storing the corker in the attic to dry it out,although the attic is really warm and dry, I have always been told to dip corks in a sod-met solution prior to corking to sanitise them. TCA???