FastRack Red Baron Bottle Capper | Handheld Bench-Top Bottle Capping Tool for Homebrewing | Fits 26mm Bottle Caps | Magnetic Bell & Reinforced Build

I have bottled many many beers with this model and it is still going strong. I had concerns about the plastic arms, but everything is still sturdy and seems to be ready for the years to come. The magnet in the top makes it easy to toss onto a bottle without fearing you will knock off the cap. I do think it's possible to pull too hard and snap the neck of the bottle based on the design, but this is just a theory based on how the unit works (squeezing the sides of the cap tight, not pushing down like a tabletop style would). I shopped around and this one was highly recommended and good price. After maybe 75 batches of brew over the years, I would give it a perfect score. One of the few things I bought in the beginning stage of the hobby that I actually still use and have no intention to upgrade.

I had one of these many years ago in my first attempt at making beer. (horrible disgusting failure was that first beer) I lost it. So I bought another. I bought a different type as well to compare them. This capper is the winner in most categories. The only category this capper fails in is with bottles that have a very high lip on the neck. If you looks at your bottle neck, there is a lip towards the top where the bottle gets thicker right before the very top lip. There are normally 2 sizes. One is noticeably longer than the other. With the longer one this capper works great. With the shorter, it doesn't work well. One category this capper takes the win is the way it has the satisfying finish when it has closed the cap completely. You get resistance all the way and then it finally gives way and you know the bottle is sealed. I also like the magnet feature in the head of this capper. You can put your lid on the sealer and fit it over the bottle.

I used this for capping about 40 bottles. It was simple to use and I didn't have any failures. I could see how someone could break it if they put too much pressure on it after the cap is secure. You can easily feel the action for where to stop. There's some initial resistance when pushing down the arms, then the resistance lessens and the arms go roughly horizontal. At that point the cap is secure and no additional pressure is needed. Some have also suggested the magnet is too weak. I disagree with that. If the magnet were too strong, I'd be worried about lifting or tipping over the bottle at the end when removing the capper. It's just strong enough to keep the cap from sliding off at the beginning of the process.

Breaks easily, 2 failed the first time I used them. I received the first one as a gift. Looked good, seemed to operate well. However, it broke the first time I used it. I blamed myself, assuming that I did not know how much force to use, and that I had placed too much pressure on the cap. I checked online and found that you only need to apply enough pressure to feel the cap "snug over" the bottle top. I knew I had put much more pressure than that, and decided to go with the same model again. The first time I used the second capper, it broke on the second bottle, right where the rivet joins the handle to the works. I know I was not applying too much pressure this time, as the cap was not sealed on the bottle at the time it failed. I was able to finish the run by holding the capper in close with my right hand while operating the other handle normally with my left, but I'm not at all satisfied with the quality of the capper. It may be related to random manufacturing defects and other people may have better results, but I'm going to move on to another model. Kudos to Amazon, however. No problem at all getting a refund squared away.

Product works the way I expected it to. Makes a perfectly adequate seal. Has a magnet to hold the cap in the tool prior to crimp, which I didn't realize before ordering, which has been a nice feature. I do very small batches (20 bottles is alot for me), so I didn't need anything bigger or heavier. VERY easy to use, doesn't require muscles, just a bit of attention to make sure that it's balanced and lined up before levering it down. It's a plastic tool, so I can see that if I was going to do thousands of bottles, this would probably fail over time due to wear (non-metal pivot points, this is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5), but for my purposes it is easy to use, lightweight, easy to clean, and easy to store. If I had to replace it, I would probably replace it with the same kind of tool, I don't feel like I would need to look for a different or better tool, this is what I wanted.

These things work great. I have one that is still going after 4 years, bought another as back-up just in case. They are tough and a pretty simple design. You can ignore the 1-star rating on this product for two reasons. 1st, who the heck bottles in clear glass? Light is a big enemy to beer flavor, brown is the home brewing standard. 2nd, clear glass bottles tend to be thinner and prone to breakage. Manufacturers use them to keep cheap beer cheap. Most of your brown, craft beer bottles tend to be thicker and can handle the downward pressure a capper applies. While I'm on the topic, use EVEN DOWNWARD pressure on the capper or you will risk breaking the bottle. Also, inspect your bottles for cracks or defects that may make them prone to breakage. I have only found a few 26mm bottles that are difficult to cap with this: Dogfishhead being one.

Made my first batch of beer in late December and I bought this bottle capping device because of good reviews. Worked flawlessly so I can’t say anything negative about it. Now about durability,only time will tell and also if I decide to start another batch of beer.

Justo lo que esperaba. Funciona de maravilla para lotes pequeños. Buen material, fácil de usar y resistente. No puede faltar en ti kit.

Amazing little machine. Works fab, love it.

Works well, have had no issues with the number of bottles I've capped, and it's been a few at this point.

works nice and easy having the magnet.

El utensilio es muy práctico y fácil de usar. Algo importante a notar es que uno tiene que fijarse en el cuello de la botella. La base superior de la botella tiene que ser amplia (entre más amplia mejor) ya que sirve como base para que le encorcholatadora pueda hacer presión; por ejemplo, botellas como las bohemias no sirven ya que la base es muy pequeña. Por lo demás, la recomiendo ampliamente.