We tried a wine opener with 18,000 reviews—is it worth the hype?

To say that I’m a wine enthusiast would be an understatement. While I’m no master sommelier, my deep love affair with the grape started early, when a life-changing semester in Europe (cliché, I know) taught me just how good a bottle of vino can be.

So, imagine my unadulterated excitement when I was tasked with reviewing the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener, an electric corkscrew with more than 18,000 reviews on Amazon! As if I needed an excuse to buy more wine... Here’s what happened when I took it for a spin.

What is the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener?

The Oster Cordless Electric Wine Opener is a rechargeable bottle opener that removes corks in a matter of seconds with a touch of a button. According to Oster, this electric bottle opener boasts a “sleek, sophisticated design,” and can open up to 30 bottles of wine on a single charge. It comes with three main components: the wine opener, a foil cutter, and a recharging base.

How does it work?

Operating this electric wine opener is actually pretty simple. Just remove any foil from the bottle using the foil cutter, hold the device over the top of the bottle, and press the down button on the switch.

The electric wine opener will spring into action, removing the cork and stopping automatically when done. The whole process takes less than 20 seconds, making it much quicker than tussling with a stubborn winged corkscrew or a flimsy wine key. To retrieve your cork, simply press the up button on the switch and wait for the cork to pop out.

What we like about it

The Oster Electric Wine Bottle Opener does exactly what it says it does—opens wine bottles fast and with minimal hassle. (I didn’t get a chance to try it out on 30 bottles of wine, but it got my three open without struggle or complaint.)

This user-friendly appliance gets the job done quickly and efficiently. The simple design leaves very little room for operational errors, and at a $20 price point, it’s one of the most affordable rechargeable bottle openers on the market. It’s an effective product that gives you a decent bang for your buck.

I had the pleasure of reviewing this product with my mom, a fellow wine lover, who was initially skeptical of the product. She lamented the need to remove the foil first, being partial to a one step through-the-foil wine opening method herself. But after seeing the Oster Electric Wine Bottle Opener in action, she could do nothing but sing its praises to my sisters over the phone, so this product is officially suburban mom approved.

What we don’t like about it

I was a tad more nitpicky when it came to deciding just how much I liked the product. My first concern was how much space it takes up, as it’s recommended to keep this electric opener on the charging base when not in use. As a New Yorker, counter space is at a premium in my apartment, and I wouldn’t be able to justify dedicating 5-and-a-half square inches of countertop for a bottle opener when I can toss my wine key in the silverware drawer.

Another drawback for me was the overall aesthetic of the appliance. The “sleek, sophisticated” design is a tad retro-futuristic, and with a bulbous red indicator light atop the machine, it looks like something out of an old sci-fi film.

When I showed it to my sisters, one thought it was an immersion blender, and the other thought it was a personal massager. Many similar products on the market feature a clear window at the bottom of the device through which you can see the actual corkscrew mechanism, perhaps so that nobody mistakes their wine opener for, well, something else.

Should you buy it?

Is the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener a must-buy appliance that will revolutionize how you drink wine? No. However, it’s a pretty cool product that would make an excellent gift for any kitchen gadget collector or serious wine lover in your life. This electric wine opener could also be incredibly useful for any wine drinkers who struggle with traditional corkscrews due to a limited range of motion in their hands.

Get the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener on Amazon for $19.99