1 – Basic Corkscrew: This design must be the original design for the corkscrew consisting of only a screw and a handle. Unlike those in other categories, the basic corkscrew provides no leverage to assist in extracting the cork, you must rely entirely on your own strength. Extracting a cork in this way requires some strength and makes this design the most difficult to use.

2 – Two-Prong: The two-prong design is not literally a corkscrew, in that it uses prongs rather than a screw to extract the cork. The prongs are inserted on opposite sides of the cork between the cork and the bottle, then the handle is turned, pulled, and out comes the cork. This design is particularly well suited to dealing with broken and damaged corks. The prongs don’t depend on the center of the cork being intact and/or capable of holding onto a corkscrew, so this design can sometimes extract a cork in one piece when a traditional corkscrew can not.

3 – Screwpull Corkscrew: Screwpull is a brand name, but is also the generic name for this category of corkscrew. The screw of a screwpull corkscrew differs from that of an ordinary corkscrew. Using an ordinary corkscrew you screw the corkscrew into the cork and then pull it out. Using a screwpull you don’t pull the cork out, it comes out as you turn the screw. I find I am less likely to damage corks using this type of corkscrew. However, it does require more finger, hand and wrist strength than some other designs.

4 – Waiter’s Corkscrew: This design is called the waiter’s corkscrew because it is favored by waiters. The design is like that of a pocketknife, with a screw, a blade and a lever that all fold into the handle. The compact design allows the corkscrew to be slipped into a pants or apron pocket. The design is that of a basic corkscrew, but with the addition of a two-position lever to assist in extracting the cork and a blade to cut and remove the capsule. With a little practice, this is an easy corkscrew to use and my preference.

5 – Machine Corkscrew: Corkscrews in this category are machines designed to extract corks. The function is that of a basic screwpull, with the addition of gears and other mechanisms that manipulate the screw and the cork. The machine is clamped around the neck of the bottle, then the lever is pulled down, inserting the screw into the cork, pulled up, extracting the cork and then pulled down again, removing the cork from the screw. This type of corkscrew works well enough, but I find it a bit bulky on the bar and it still requires more coordination than some of the other designs.

6 – Winged Corkscrew: Once again, this is a basic corkscrew design, but with the addition of levers to ease extracting the cork. As the screw is inserted a lever (the wings) on either side of the corkscrew are raised. Once the screw is inserted, the levers are pulled down, raising the screw and extracting the cork. Of all of the designs, the winged corkscrew is arguably the easiest and most straight forward to use, and requires the least amount of strength and skill.