lobster? nut? -cracking side-cutters

[PFSchaffner]

I suspect this one belongs in the kitchen ? 9 inches long, conventional
side-cutters (neatly snipped a torn fingernail; will doubtless work on
anything from wire to crab); middle section striated with a central ridge,
so as to provide grip, as you'd expect in say a nutcracker or jar opener;
chrome plated. Solidly constructed. Made by J.A.Henckels / Zwillingswerk,
which biases my guesses toward the domestic setting. Lobster pliers?
Multi-purpose tool?  If it weren't for the side-cutting nippers, I'd guess
a kitchen shears.

Found slightly similar one on eBay, with a schizophrenic description:
"nut-cracker lobster pliers wire cutter" thus covering all the bases.

[Plyerman]

The nippers are for cutting champagne cork wires, and the toothed section is for wrestling with the cork itself. Seems like every other knife or tool maker in all of Germany made devices like these at one time or another. I've seen dozens of variations, and have managed to pick up a few. (Not sure why I started saving these things, but I did.) I call them "cocktail tools", because that's what the description says on a couple that still have the packaging intact. Here are a few of mine:


Trident brand "Bar Tender"



Korber logo



Schauch's "Party Zange"   (Zange in German means "Pliers")

[amecks]

Wow!  Those are pretty neat.  Never seen a gadget like that before. 

Al

[PFSchaffner]

An entire new field for collecting! And being made by German
cutlers, they're all probably well made, too.  Thank you Plyerman.

[Bill Houghton]

Yeah, but how can you shoot the cork over your house (did that once) if you're gripping it in pliers?  No fun atall.

[Plyerman]

My pleasure. And thanks for posting a picture of your J.A.Henckels / Zwillingswerk. Haven't seen that one before. I'll have to keep an eye out for one.

[mvwcnews]

The AMI OPEN-ALL was U.S. made -- did not have the wire cutter (see http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=2495308&typeCode=0 & http://www.datamp.org/patents/advance.php?pn=D163785&id=13795&set=2 ), etc.

[Plyerman]

The AMI OPEN-ALL was U.S. made -- did not have the wire cutter (see http://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=2495308&typeCode=0 & http://www.datamp.org/patents/advance.php?pn=D163785&id=13795&set=2 ), etc.

Good one Stan, I had forgotten about the Ami tools. (early version on bottom, later more common version on top)

[Billman49]

Yeah, but how can you shoot the cork over your house (did that once) if you're gripping it in pliers?  No fun atall.

You're not supposed to if you are opening the bottle correctly - the cork should be held in the hand as it comes out...

Many people have been injured, even blinded, when letting the cork fly free.... There's fun and there's......