Floor corker recommendations.

[Famineguy]

I had a floor corker at my old residence and I was sure that it was moved with all of my wine making equipment. However, today a search came up with negative results. The one that I had was purchased at Costco several years ago. I do not know the brand. Before I go looking for a replacement, are there any specific brands or features that I should be looking for. Or, is a floor corker just a floor order?

Cheers,
Brian

 

[Runningwolf]

The Portuguese is the most popular at about $60.00. I've put well over 4000 bottles through mine and it's like the day I bought it. The next one up is the Italian for twice the money. If you're standing up it might be a bit easier to use. I think you might be able to get a capper for it and also do champagne corks with it if you ever plan on doing those. For 95% of home winemakers I would recommend the Portuguese.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

^ I must agree with Dan - unless you are using synthetic corks as the Portuguese corker will eventually leave a crease along the sides of the cork

 

[aylamarie]

I must second that opinion. I haven't been making wine long, but add a table under the corker and then you can really cork some bottles.

 

[ibglowin]

I have the Portuguese as well. No problems and half the price of the Italian. Good enough for this winemaker!

 

[Famineguy]

Thank you for the replies. My missing one was probably a Portuguese one. I think it was about $50.00 or $60.00 a few years back. I am off to town tomorrow and that will be on my list. I am sure my old one will show up as soon as get the replacement.

 

[tonyt]

I know this is a finished thread but I have come to hate my Portugese floor corker. The iris sticks on every plunge. And it is not tall enough to do large format bottles and corks. So when I was at FVW last week it was love at first sight. I am now the proud owner of a blue Ferrari. The side by side comparrison is substantial.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

I know this is a finished thread but I have come to hate my Portugese floor corker. The iris sticks on every plunge. And it is not tall enough to do large format bottles and corks. So when I was at FVW last week it was love at first sight. I am now the proud owner of a blue Ferrari. The side by side comparrison is substantial.

...and we don't get a picture?

I just used a portuguese for the first time and it worked great for what I need.

 

[tonyt]

...and we don't get a picture?

Will do tomorrow.

 

[Runningwolf]

I know this is a finished thread but I have come to hate my Portugese floor corker. The iris sticks on every plunge. And it is not tall enough to do large format bottles and corks. So when I was at FVW last week it was love at first sight. I am now the proud owner of a blue Ferrari. The side by side comparrison is substantial.

Tony, I have easily put 6000 bottles through my Portugese Corker and it still works as good as the day I got it. I'm not sure what you mean by large format bottles. I have corked tall riesling, ice wine and 1.5L bottles in it.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

Tony, I have easily put 6000 bottles through my Portugese Corker and it still works as good as the day I got it. I'm not sure what you mean by large format bottles. I have corked tall riesling, ice wine and 1.5L bottles in it.

I use the Portugese too. For large format, my guess is he's talking about those really tall specialty bottles that are 3 liters plus. There is no way they'll fit in the corker. I kept my old double lever corker for the specialty bottles.

 

[tonyt]

I have several 1500ml bottles that are too tall for the Portugese. And yes I do 3&4 and more ltr. The iris on the Ferari opens very wide to handle the oversized corks.

 

[tonyt]

I understand the value of the Portuguese corker and enjoyed mine for three years. I am sure that for a large percent of home winemakers it's great. Unfortunately for some reason the nylon iris on mine kept sticking and after every cork I had to tap it with a hammer or use pliers to open it back again. That coupled with the fact that sometimes I had corks that were too fat (see picture below) to fit in the iris of the Portuguese. The metal iris on the Ferrari is much larger (See picture below) and accommodates larger corks. I have not tried it yet but was told by one of the large format bottle suppliers that with the larger iris I can squeeze down the large corks and use a rubber mallet to insert into the bottles that are too large to fit in the corker. The Ferrari will handle a three inch taller bottle than the Portuguese (picture below). I'm not saying the extra expense is right for everyone, surely not, but I think this is better for me. That's probably why they have several brands.

 

[Rocky]

I have the Italian model and I am very pleased with it. It is the second one I have purchased (sold the other one years ago in a moment of weakness when I was out of the hobby for a period). I have read what many have said about comparisons between the two. My reading of the "pro Portugese" faction is that it main, and perhaps only, claim to fame is that it is less costly than the Ferrari. I don't recall reading anywhere that someone stated that it works better. I have, on the other hand, read that many people think there are a number of functional advantages of the Italian model. The question is, "Is the Ferrari worth the additional cost?" I think so and others may not.

 

[Dugger]

There are at least two types of the Portuguese corker and one of them, the wine colored Excelvin model, is IMO far better than the red one. The red one seems to be what most shops carry these days but I think the Excelvins are still around if you can find them. They are also about the same price, $60-70, or at least they were; I haven't checked prices for a while. The Excelvin model is built much like the Italian in style, but with the nylon jaws. The jaw diameter, open, is a little over an inch, and the unit will handle bottles up to a little over 14 inches tall. It does need a roll of tape or hockey puck added to the bottling base to handle the shortest 375 ml bottles.
If you can find one of these I would highly recommend it.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I had to take apart the top of my Portuguese corker and clean and free up the jaws, it appears that they get some rust build up over time and do not work as well as it did new. om that poiny on it worked like new again

 

[Runningwolf]

JohnT I understand what you mean now and that makes sense if you're using such large corks.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Thanks for the pics. I didn't realise that the "Ferrari" and Italian floor corkers were one in the same. It's nice to see the italian and portuguese compared side by side.

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Thanks for the pics. I didn't realise that the "Ferrari" and Italian floor corkers were one in the same.

They are not the same. There are a number of Italian Corkers on the market and they are not the same as the Ferrari. The Ferrari is usually blue. Not red or green. They work smoother then the counterparts, the paint is much better and cost a few dollars more. Some Ferrari's are made to bolt together so they ship in smaller boxes. The cheaper Italian Corker is always welded one piece.
Malvina

 

[tonyt]

I knew bringing this thread back to life would be fun.