Like a ninja, this work of art came out of nowhere and invaded my cutlery drawer. Emily found this unique opener in an antique store and gave it to me as an anniversary present.
This a Tsubame-Shinko bottle opener from Japan and is from the TI-1 series of stainless steel cutlery and flatware and was unlike any opener I had ever used. It is a 3.15 inch (80mm) disc, nicely weighted, with a center slot for the cap. My internet research tells me this was designed by Takenobu Igarashi and was part of an award winning collection. That’s some good ancestry… but who cares about that. Does it open bottles or what?
Some experimentation was required to figure out the best way to grip and use this opener. At first, I thought perhaps form did not follow function and this one was a bust, but once it was decoded this turned out to be a stellar tool.
To use, the bulk of the opener is placed on the opposite side of the bottle and gripped with 4 fingers. A quick jerk to pull the cap towards you results in a satisfying hiss as the cap is popped. The opener is hand-sized and feels like a well balanced, fine crafted tool.
Summary
Does it open? Absolutely. Every time.
Can it open anything else? Surely so. It can be thrown like a ninja throwing star to chop melons at 6 paces. It could be slipped under a lid to crack open a jewelry box or perhaps the edges could be sharpened to battle invaders. However, my aim isn’t so good – so it’s probably best kept in the kitchen drawer.
Overall rating: 
(5 / 5). Form does follow function. This opener is spectacular.
References: None.