Design detail
1. Stronger and Lighter The new Elite Series chassis/body has taken styling cues from the original Code38 and is now a single piece construction with machined features for incorporating the new helix spring capsule pack, pivots. The new single piece design is also significantly lighter and stronger with the materials used being approximately 2.5 times stronger than the 316 stainless used in the original Code38.
2. Achieve the perfect degree of spring action for you. The helix spring action is now taken care of with a new compact spring capsule pack. We pioneered this concept about 8 years ago and have now finally been able to incorporate it in the Elite Series. The spring pack consists of a piston and a series of disc springs stacked on top of one another and may be adjusted by altering the size of the stack with fine adjustments made by rotating the top adjustment screw using a special driver.
3. Beautiful to hold and use. The new form is the result of a massive number of design hours and was driven by the aim of taking the Code38 to the next level without compromise. Key enhancements to the design while keeping within the size envelope of the original Code38 include Increased leverage, broader purchase area and a more compact package which has been achieved by slightly recessing the helix.
4. Seamless sliding blade action. Once we had the overall form established we went to work on the foil blade design and it’s action. The knife alone has taken at least 50% of the design hours. The new design is seamless in it’s action and locks solidly in or out. It is also removable and replaceable without tools which could be useful next time you’re passing through airport security without checking in your Code38.
5. Single handed extension. With the increase of the leverage area along the underside, the helix access recesses have been increased proportionately in size to ensure single handed extension of the helix.
6. Engineered to operate smoothly. The lifter pivots on a precision machined and hardened stainless pivot screws and has a small degree of friction applied.
7. Rapid cap removal. The cap removing action has been reversed over the original Code38 design and now allows full cap engagement around the cap contact area which is even more reliable in catching the underside of the cap. The new design is also depth limited so just the cap is removed without the risk of damaging the bottle neck.
8. Hard wearing components. The helix rotates on a hardened and tempered bushing machined from D2 tool steel and is retained with C/S phillips head screws. The choice of screw drive format largely came down to increasing the ease of replacing or upgrading the helix using readily available tools.
9. The finest helix possible. Conical and Tapered French helix. Industry feedback has consistently confirmed the superiority of the CT helix so it is now standard equipment on the Elite Series. The 17-4PH stainless model is fitted standard with a polished stainless steel CT helix and the Titanium model features a black TiCN treated version. Technical Note: While the TiCN treatment is a friction reduction coating, the operational difference is negligible.
10. Longer where it counts. While the Elite Series is precisely the same overall length as the original Code38, the form however has been altered to place the full extent of the length into achieving the maximum mechanical advantage possible for the extraction of the cork.
11. Compact & discreet. The helix folds neatly into a partial recess in the underside of the chassis and has the effect of reducing the folded form factor leaving more room in your pockets for other things.
12. See point 7.
13. Wide body but no wider than before. In a similar way to point 10, the chassis on the Elite series has been optimised in as many ways as possible. The widest point is now exactly where it needs to be in order to spread the loads exerted when extracting a cork.
Note from the designer
Busy restaurants are demanding places. The Code38 Elite Series design and construction builds on all that has been learnt from designing and producing the first generation Code38 and because I am the designer and 3d modeller, I have been very fortunate to be able to give an almost limitless amount of time and energy to the design of this new model, for the commercial cost of outsourcing this work would have restricted the ability to play and explore with what would be an almost endless list of design concepts with associated nuances and mechanical functional variants.
The Elite Series pushes the limits in design, materials, processes and in function with the aim to give you tool which you can rely on and love using, and with the ultimate aim being to help professionals working in wine service deliver and be their best.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the process of researching and designing this new Code38.
Jeffrey Toering
