They range in shape and size and design, but each one has the same goal in mind – to make the daunting task of twisting out a cork from a bottle of wine seem effortless and precise every time.

First, there’s the engineer-designed Wine Master Corkscrew. One push down to twist the corkscrew in, one push up and the cork comes out. Wine bottles opened with minimal effort. Then there’s the Puigpull Corkscrew, modeled after a car jack, complete with a ratchet system found on some larger wall-mount corkscrews, yet small enough to be hauled in a pocket. Lightweight, portable, and minimal twisting effort.

The Grenouille Ergonomic Corkscrew touts a curved design, tapered handle and soft thumb rest on top, easing the irritation and adding a layer of shock absorption to repeated bottle opening. The Rabbit Corkscrew not only resembles its name sake, its manufacturer promises it will pull out a cork in three second flat with little effort. Fast and accurate. Air injector corkscrews use a pump and needle system that allows the bartender to fill the bottle with air and force the cork out. Corks are removed cleanly and efficiently. And a host of automatic corkscrews rely on the strength of batteries and a push-button system to extract the cork. Very short learning curve.

While dozens of variations on almost any of these corkscrews exist for opening wine effortlessly, the task of opening champagne – a very hands on activity consisting of turning the cage, twisting the cork, and gently pulling it from the bottle, has yet to see quite so much automation. Separate devices to secure the grip on the cork, ease the twisting action and cut through the cage are available, but the properly skilled hands of a bartender, either professional or armchair, are still required to ensure that the cork remains controlled, lest it fly out and smack some innocent celebrator in the head.