Oh Gee!
The BattleOpener that started it all, and my very first product, the SwashBubbler is the original bottle opener with a sword hilt! Ready for RenFest or just tending bar, this tool touts a comfortable grip for added control and leverage, laser-etched waffle scales for grip, and embedded magnets to keep bottle caps under control.
Now also available with blade sheath and leather belt hanger, each is 3D printed with your BarBlade of choice embedded mid-print for maximum strength.
Delitescent Design
Whether poppin’ bottles with models or just impressin’ wenches (or menches?), every SwashBubbler includes its signature finger flip hook, so you can bust caps fast and flourish. Adorn the hilt with any bottlecap you like, or choose from an ever-widening array of bedazzling baubles (coming soon!). And should you tend taps in a tenement that tends toward tension, pay attention! When sheathed in its shining scimitar scabbard, your SwashBubbler is nigh indistinguishable from its sharper saber siblings. So if a band of burly bards begins behaving badly, boldly brandish this blade, and banish those bawdy brigands from your bar!
Built Fjord Tough
Designed, fabricated, and finished by me in my Metro-Detroit BattleBasement, each BattleOpener is proudly made in the USA. Hilts and scabbards are 3D printed in durable ASA and ABS plastic, and vapor polished to a high shine. While Basic BarBlades are imported stamped 304 stainless steel, each BattleBarBlade is locally lasercut from 410 stainless steel, hand-ground, and laser-etched by me!
Every BattleOpener is built to order, and built to last.
If these are 3D printed, why are they so shiny? Are they painted?
BattleOpener hilts, sheaths, and scabbards are vapor polished. This is one benefit of using ASA and ABS plastic. When exposed to a solvent, these materials soften and dissolve. Using solvent vapor slows the reaction, and ensures an even application, allowing the outer surface to level out to a smooth glossy finish.
How are BarBlades attached to the hilt? Could they fall out?
Not without the hilt being very badly damaged, no. The BarBlade is installed while the hilt is being 3D printed. The machine pauses at a certain layer, I insert the BarBlade, then the machine resumes printing, trapping it permanently inside.
The optional magnets are embedded the same way.
What's the difference between the basic and BattleBarBlade?
Basic BarBlades are meant to pop standard bottle caps and cantabs. These are ubiquitous tools of the trade, and can be seen poking out of the backpocket of most every single bartender. They're cheap, imported products stamped from thin non-magnetic 304 stainless steel.
BattleBarBlades are my own design, and add several improvements:
- They're magnetic. Aside from being durable, cutlery grade stuff, 410 is martensitic stainless steel, so it's heat-treatable and magnetic. So your BattleBarBlade can stick to a refrigerator magnet or knife strip, rather than always swinging from a hook.
Or attach a magnet to a belt or apron (or put one in a pocket) to keep your BattleBarBlade out and accessible. - The finger hole is shaped to grip twist-off bottlecaps (which sometimes take the neck of the bottle with them if popped using a standard opener).
- The internal 'dagger' profile allows caps to be removed near the palm, and from multiple angles, making it easy to catch and keep bottle caps off the floor.
BattleOpener hilts with BattleBarBlades include a magnet to automatically hold onto dagger-popped caps. - They're a bit thicker and a bit narrower than the basic BarBlades, and the edges are beveled, making them just a bit more comfortable to hold and use all day long.
Those beveled edged aren't sharp enough to cause injury, but they'll open a bag of ice nicely. - They're American-made! BattleBarBlades are lasercut by a local small business, and hand-beveled by yours truly.
Why does the ScimitarSheath look like a blade, and not... a sheath?
The SwashBubbler is meant to evoke the look of a pirate scimitar, who's exaggerated profile isn't exactly compatible with a traditional closed scabbard. Instead, these would hang from a simple leather loop, be stuck into a belt, or betwixt gold teeth whilst swinging from a bowline (yarr!).
Are the ScimitarSheaths interchangeable?
Since they're made to fit the slightly different thickness and width of the basic vs BattleBarBlades, the ScimitarSheaths are not interchangeable. The version that ships with BattleBarBladed SwashBubblers is also about 3 inches longer and has a magnet inside to keep it securely attached.
When I draw the SwashBubbler, wouldn't the ScimitarSheath just fall right out the bottom of the belt hanger?
The ScimitarSheath belt hanger is meant to look like a simple leather loop. But it actually grips the sheath tightly, so it stays in place when the SwashBubbler is drawn.
Aren't swords normally worn opposite the draw hand?
Yes, belt-worn swords normally are secured on the hip opposite the dominant hand, and BattleOpeners certainly can be too, especially if worn mostly for cosplay. But if you're more concerned with bottles than battles, I'd recommend wearing it on your dominant side with the finger hook pointing forward. The motion of reaching down and catching the finger hook with an index finger feels extremely natural and intuitive (re-sheathing without looking does take a bit of practice though).
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