Hand Forged Bottle Opener

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I’m a sucker for fine tools. Especially hand forged steel ones. Through pure luck, I stumbled upon the Hand Forge website and found this beautiful forged steel bottle opener, with a copper rivet and leather strap. Each piece is created individually on the anvil and finished by hand by Lyle Poulin. According to their site, the steel is heated to 2000 degrees when hammered into shape. Steering wheels get way hot here in the Texas summer… but surely those tap out at 200 degrees (it’s hard to judge as the nerve endings in my finger tips burn off by late June).

_MG_8391_forgedHand Forge offers a monogram option and promotes their products toward groomsmen gifts for weddings and other high tone occasions. I wanted mine naked for everyday use and am very pleased with the result.

The opener is about 4.5″ long and fits comfortably in my hand. It weighs a smidge under 3.5 oz (100g) and has a satisfying sturdiness to it. It pops the cap on the first attempt every time. The finish is great and looks like a work of art, while serving as a very practical tool. The fact that this is hand forged is both its highest merit and its lone shortcoming. Handcrafted products cost money to make and aren’t cheap. Whether or not this is worth the price tag depends on whether you’re a fanatic (like me), are buying a gift, or have some extra greenbacks lying around. For me, the opener is well worth it.

 

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Hand Forge also sells this forged keychain bottle opener. Keychain openers are a unique breed as they’re intended to work in a pinch, but not usually effective for daily use. The primary reason is the simple fact that your keys will often get in the way. This opener is 1.5″ x 2″ and is very solid. It will usually pop the cap within two lifts with a full keyring. With its weight and size, I honestly don’t feel like the keys are in the way as with lighter, flimsier keychain openers. It’s also a good looking slug for any keyring and has become my grip for pulling keys out of my pocket.

It can be ordered with the shown design or plain.

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Summary

Does it open?  Definitely. The full size opener is quite effective. The keychain opener is a little less effective due to its small size, but still works great.

Can it open anything else?  Let’s say you’re walking down an urban street after a long pub crawl and make a wrong turn into a dark alley. You find yourself cornered by thugs in ski masks. The odds are certainly stacked against you. But then you reach into your back pocket and find a Hand Forge bottle opener and slide the leather strap around your fingers. You swing the opener like a black jack to ward off the first attacker and your opportunity begins to open up. However, the other two thugs close in quickly and…

Nevermind, you’re safer staying home and using this to open bottles of beer.

Overall rating (full size opener): 5 Stars (5 / 5). This opener is finely crafted and is an impressive tool to grip and admire.

Overall rating (keychain opener): 4.5 Stars (4.5 / 5). The keychain opener is also very well made and easy on the eyes. It feels right on the keychain and works well. Keychain openers always have their limitations, but this must be near the top for this family of opener.

References: Hand Forge website

 

 

Category: Bottle Openers

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