
£9.99, Lakeland
This requires very little effort at all, making it the lazy wine-drinker’s tool of choice. It sits on the bottle neck, you give a few turns of the handle and then, as if by magic, the cork pops out of the bottle – very satisfying. To free the cork from the corkscrew the handle is turned in the opposite direction. With a built-in foil cutter too, it couldn’t be simpler.
Photograph: David Levene/Guardian

£4.70, David Mellor
A classic, which no self-respecting bartender should be without. The little knife for cutting the foil does the job, and although pulling a cork with this one does actually involve some physical effort, the action is pleasingly smooth. The penknife style makes it easy to tuck in a drawer, and portable for al fresco drinking.
Photograph: David Levene/Guardian

£59, lecreuset.co.uk
Extravagant, but despite the seven-step instructions, it is simple to use: flip the lever one way and the screw goes in, flip it the other and out comes the cork, although this requires some strength and determination. It comes in a stylish box along with a foil cutter, bottle stop, and drip collector, making it a great gift.
Photograph: David Levene/Guardian