A manual bottle opener (1) that provides a means to slowly and steadily remove a stopper made from cork, foam or plastic, from a bottle by utilizing a gearbox (26) to allow a high number of low torque rotations of a handle (9) to be converted into a lower number of high torque rotations of a corkscrew (2). As a result the stopper is removed without any sudden change in pulling force and there is therefore a risk that the user will not realize that the stopper is out and keep turning the handle (9) and as a result damage the stopper. A corkscrew (2) locking method is therefore provided to protect the stopper and an overload clutch (16) is provided to protect the gearbox (26) and provide auditory feedback to the user.