The corkscrew rotates as it plunges into the cork during the first stroke. While the screw is rotating all the force of the handle is pushing down on it. The bearing assembly (part of the screw) is just a couple of washers. Because of friction the screw doesn't want to turn, requiring a lot of force at the handle. The bearing is a weak point of the design in my opinion.

After a few months use the friction got worse and it became more and more difficult to use. It took so much force that eventually the screw bent. I had cut it out with a hacksaw.

I ordered a replacement screw and noticed the bearing was dry of any lubrication. Hmmmm. I added a few drops of motor oil. Now the Rabbit flys! It is SO much easier to use. If the cork is old (we like those old bottles) it is practically effortless to uncork the bottle and to uncork the Rabbit. An amazing difference. New, fresh wines with plastic seals are almost as easy to remove.

My suggestion is to put a few drops of a motor oil or machine oil on the bearings. Remove the cap, take out the screw ("worm" in Rabbit land), and get it totally slippery. If you don't have a quart of motor oil handy, use Vaseline or a mineral oil. Don't use a vegetable oil; it will only work for a while before it oxidizes and turns sticky.

Cheers.

Get the same thing for $10.00 (Rating: 1.00)
Review : This is a very cool product, but there are a million knock-offs out there these days, and you can get them for as little as $10.00! They are almost totally identical, they look just as cool, they work just as well, and the only thing that the knock-offs don't generally have is the fancy wooden box. Cost Plus World Market sells one for $20, and Linen N Things sells one for $9.99. Some companies just don't get the idea of appropriate pricing.

Now...a pleasure to open a bottle of wine! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I purchased the "Rabbit" for my husband this Christmas. We used to uncork wine with a typical "waiter corkscrew". We are not waiters, and would inevitably spill wine, break corks, and feel like idiots. It took a few bottles of practice to feel like a pro using the Metrokane rabbit. It's really a cool system. I've watched my husband open a bottle of wine in 10 seconds flat. My advice? Be patient. Learn the machine, and after a few tries, you'll be uncorking effortlessly!

Forget the Rabbit, buy Le Creuset (Rating: 1.00)
Review : I bought a plain rabbit a couple of years ago, and though i liked it, it did, at times, take a lot of strength to get a cork out. Then it broke in the sense that it would pull the cork, but not take the cork out of the corkscrew afterward. So I went shopping for a new rabbit, and read a featured review quoting bad experience (not unlike mine) and recommending the le Creuset "screwpull". Though it cost more, I did buy the Le Creuset, and love it. It is way easier to pull any cork than the Rabbit ever was!

The Rabbit Rocks (Rating: 4.00)
Review : I am amazed at the negative reviews on the Rabbit. I've had mine for almost two years, with no problems at all. Yes, it is about time to replace the screw, as the teflon coating will wear. The only reason the Rabbit doesn't get 5 stars is that it chokes on synthetic stoppers; about the only thing that works for these is the winged-style puller. Our Rabbit does about 10 corks a week, and up to 50 in a wine party evening. Once you get in the the flow of the operation, it is a breeze. For those who have problems with the Rabbit, simply send it to me, then stick with screw caps, as most other pullers would likely pose a similar challenge.