The Marvelous Innovation Of Bottle Openers

By Author: Stam Bett
Total Articles: 452
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Sometimes it seems like the companies that design product packaging really never think about the fact that one day someone will have to actually open the package. This is the same for all kinds of packages, including compact disks, and many other consumer goods. One of the most perplexing packaging designs is that used on many beverages. It seems like the makers of canned sodas, bottled sodas, and even two litter drinks never think that their product may present a problem for the people that are supposed to consume them. Fortunately, bottle openers have been around for decades to help people open the bottles.

When a person puts a 2 liter soda into the freezer to chill, sometimes the little bit of liquid around the top can become frozen, making the bottle especially difficult to open. This can be very frustrating when entertaining. It can be very embarrassing when the host has to ask the guest for help opening a simple bottle. But, it really is not the fault of anyone but the designers of the packaging.

In recent years there have been a number of solutions to this problem. The most obvious solution, that ...
... the manufacturers simply change the design of their packaging, is also the least likely. So, entrepreneurs have stepped in to fill the void. One solution was a sort of rubber grip, meant to help a person get a better grip on a hard to turn top. This solution was a definite improvement, but fell short of a real fix. Though the improved grip helped some people, the rubber would wear away, and render the grip useless. Additionally, this product was of little use to people who had problems such as arthritis, or other health problems which temporarily or permanently weaken the hands.

The next innovation was the bottle opener. Of course, bottle openers have been around for years, but they have been largely only used for opening soda bottles with metal caps. Now they were being designed with the intention of helping the user open all kinds of bottles. They were being designed to be plastic bottle openers, and even water bottle openers. This was the natural evolution for finding a solution to what seemed like a pretty easy problem: how to open the bottle that was just purchased.

Current iterations of the plastic bottle opener have come a long ways. They are able to open plastic bottles, soda bottles, water bottles, and of course the traditional bottles with a metal cap. There are numerous ways that a current bottle opener is equipped to open different sized bottle caps. The most common is to include various sized holes – which more or less correspond to common the sizes of bottle tops. The openers may also include other apparatuses which will help with the opening of other kinds of bottles, cans, or packages.

It would seem that specialized devices for opening bottles would not be necessary. But, as has been proven time and time again, what works for the masses does not always work for the individual. The fact is that bottle openers have been around for decades. This fact alone proves that manufacturers are intent on producing hard to open packages. Thanks to entrepreneurs, the rest of us don’t have to suffer for the manufacturer’s mistakes.

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