Consider this. You find yourself in a backyard among a pack of dangerously thirsty drinkers. You are enjoying a refreshing Dos XX while you survey the chaos. Everyone has a bottle, but in this nightmare nobody can open it. The caps are screwed on too tight or they have dreaded imported bottles with no threading at all. Everyone soon realizes there is only one opener in the yard and you have it. Slowly, the pack turns to you and approaches as one, like a pack of hungry zombies. Or thirsty zombies. Do zombies get thirsty? Wait, I digress…
One by one they raise their bottles near your face. Claustrophobia sets in. What do you do?
Should you set your beer down to grab an opener and help these thirsty zombies? If you do, surely one of these desperate fiends will grab your tasty brew as their own! Or do you let them all collapse from thirst? That doesn’t seem right either.
Do you panic and flee the scene? Heavens no! Instead you reach in your pocket for your GrOpener one-handed bottle opener and the evening is saved!
The GrOpener (aka GrabOpener) is a one-handed bottle opener. It allows you to hang onto your beverage with one hand while popping open other bottles for your buddies. It is the creation of Mark Manger, an artist from Denver and delivers a clever design in a simple package.
Affixed to the underside is a magnet, which serves three purposes. The magnet helps line up the opener onto the bottle cap for a smooth open. Once popped, the cap sticks to the magnet for easy disposal. When the night is over, the magnet may also be used to store the GrOpener on your fridge, while it awaits its next mission.
To use, let the GrOpener hang in your hand, with your index finger in the hole and the middle finger on the trigger (back edge). Give a firm squeeze and the cap pops.
It fits comfortably in your hand and if used properly, it will be in perfect position as you grab your bottle. After many uses, a habit is formed where you can pop the cap in the act of grabbing and lifting your beer.
While the designer claims that it is made for even a grandmother to use, I found it did take a bit of practice to make it a routine opener. When I first received it, I did not find it intuitive and would forget how to operate the opener until I did a bit of fumbling. My first opens took a lot more focus and force than they do now. After using it several times, its use is second-nature and the squeeze grip feels natural and unforced.
The backside of the opener also acts as a tab lifter for opening cans. The design is minimal, sleek, and well suited for its purpose. It comes in several colors, some with industrial anodizing for scratch resistant finishes.
Summary
Does it open? There may be a slight learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, the opener works great. It has a nice novelty factor that will intrigue your guests, but be prepared to roll through a few bottles for demonstrations.
Can it do anything else? Let’s say for no apparent reason you stumble and fall face first in your front lawn. You drop your house key into a raging two-foot tall bed of fire ants. The GrOpener and its magnet can be used to fish the house key out of the swarm without risking a hand full of welts. That should add some peace of mind when navigating the front yard late at night.
Overall rating: (4 / 5). This opener has no glitter or shiny features, but delivers on its unique promise.
References: GrOpener
Editor’s Note: Many fire ants were mercilessly tortured and maimed during the shooting of this photo.