Modern Stainless Steel Knock Box

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
gophishin

04/25/2013

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

So far so good with this knock box! I was pleasantly surprised that the housing is polished steel and not white, as it appears in the pictures. I don't know if the stock photos they're using have the protective cling wrap on them or not, but it looks better as a polished steel than the more retro painted white box I thought I was getting, IMO. The rubber base is very substantial and solid. The grommets on the bar do seem to be a little on the flimsy side, as others have mentioned, but I'm not too concerned about them wearing out or finding replacements down the road.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Polished steel housing looks fantastic. The rubber footing is also very stable and solid.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

You have to play with the angle you knock at to make sure you don't get any stray grounds coming out the cross bar holes.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

My only thought of what would make it better would be to remove the larger holes on the side for the cross bar. Being that the end balls of the knock bar are threaded and removable, the bar could easily be removed that way, and the box wouldn't have to have the larger holes where a few stray grounds can occasionally slip out.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
James Dodson

04/24/2013

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

Excellent knock box

This is an excellent knock box. Sealed and never licks. The rubber tube covering needs to be replaced at some point. Just go down to an auto parts supply house an buy a small amount of rubber fuel line; it works great and is very durable. Be sure to take the bar with you for the correct size. Less then $2 per foot.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

What's Best About this Product?

Great size

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

see review

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

many

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

none

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

many

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Joo Chung

04/04/2013

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Beginner

Great knock box!

Granted, this is really my first knock box, but I like the high back and side walls to prevent splatter from getting on the counter. The rubber base is nice. Overall, not much to complain about. It does its job well.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

High back and side walls to contain splatter.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Get the larger version. I should have gotten the larger version. Personally, the smaller one requires dumping more often than I'd like.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Beginner

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Gaggia Baby Twin

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Dean Dahlstedt

03/16/2013

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

A must have item

I purchased the larger box and it works great. With my other cheap espresso machines it was not hard to rinse out the little portafilter. Now that I am using a Expobar with the E61 grouphead, I really needed a knock box to dislodge the coffee. This unit works great and is easy to clean. Thanks to the other reviewers for advice on the grommet issue. I will try the hardware store for a fix when the time comes.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

Great build quality and should last for years. Easy to clean.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Whacking the heck out of the portafilter to get some of the more difficult pucks out has got to be hard on any knock box. Expect to have maintenance on all knock boxes eventually.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

About 20 different roasts.

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

A small bag of replacement grommets would be nice.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
zackbox

07/21/2012

When I got into the espresso/grinding/roasting game, I initially did not have anywhere to knock the grounds. I thought that I could just knock them into my small sink holding the disposal, but this was not a good idea since I was banging the portafilter against the granite. I found this box, and it works like a charm. PLUS, all my friends are amazed that I have a knock box "just like a real barrista." Based on previous reviews, I went on and ordered a second bar expecting this one to fail. I've now had it for 13 months with no problems. Sooner or later, I'm sure the O rings will break, but I have a back up ready to go. This is a simple device that works well and completes your coffee bar.

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
David Fore

03/30/2012

In use for some 8 years now and, yes, the grommets and tubing are the design weak points; but we appreciate the fact that the coffee puck is better contained after knocking than in a traditional open style, especially with limited counter space. When the grommets and tubing go--and they will go--you can either purchase the entire assembly (which includes another bar) from WWL or go to a hardware store and purchase 3/8" neopreme rubber grommets @ $0.90+ ea. (I keep a few on hand) and a length (usu. by the foot) of clear vinyl tubing 1/2" X 5/16" (exterior X interior diameters) @ $0.50+ a foot, which you then can cut to a 3-inch length (and thereby have three more replacements when this one goes). On a purely aesthetic note, this box looks great with our 8-year-old Expobar Office Lever and doserless Rancilio "Rocky."

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Jeanna Kozak

12/12/2010

I am posting to add a vote to the others here that have complained about the rubber cover on the bar. It's not trivial if you have high espresso production. I've had this box for nearly 4 years, and I'm on my 3rd rubber cover (about 20$!), and this just two of us, replacing when they are shredded. It's a nice looking box, doesn't slide around, doesn't take up much room on the counter, and cleans up easily, but this design defect on the bar drives me nuts, not to mention the expense. There has got to be a better way.

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
LPJava

12/08/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

Good product, wasteful replacement parts

Like other users, I agree that this is a great product - solid, doesn't move on you, looks nice. I also agree that the manufacturers could make it much easier to replace the rubber gaskets/sleeve which wear out reasonably quickly. To buy a new rod/gasket/sleeve combo at $6-8 + $10 shipping makes an expensive replacement (and yes, buying several at a time is advised to cut down on shipping. still, it's an expensive way over time, to try and get pennies worth of gasket/rubber sleeve! and I've purchased my fair share of replacement rod combos over the last several years!) However, another reviewer recommended trying to replace with a piece of clear tubing found at hardware stores in bulk. Approx 17cents worth of tubing has lasted me a month, with no cuts/tears! The only advice is to get a long enough piece to fully fit between the 2 round end nuts. My 'issue' of wasteful and relatively pricey replacements may be solved!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Thomas Gubiotti

12/06/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

Works Well

A solid, affordable knock box that works well. I like the big rubber foot and the fact that it comes out nice and shiny in the dishwasher. Yes, the rubber grommets on the knock rod will eventually wear out. Just go to the hardware store and in the electrical section buy a case of 1/4-inch wire grommets: they will almost exactly replace the ones on the knock rod and are a cheap and easy fix.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Dudley Bacon

05/12/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Great Knock Box Frustrating Knock Bar Design Flaw - Solution Found

This is a great knock box for the price. The size is very convenient for the five to six pucks I knock into it daily and the big rubber foot keeps it from wandering. I too share the frustration of almost all other reviewers that the rubber grommets get cut through quite quickly, the end caps come unscrewed and you have to buy the whole bar to affect what should be a simple grommet replacement. Shame on the manufacturer for this little scam. I finally got around to trying an an experiment I've been meaning to try for months by buying a piece of tubing at the hardware store long enough to cover the length of the rod and replacing the tube and grommets with it. I bought some clear tubing that I'll describe as the kind you would see on a decorative fountain pump or in an aquarium. I cut it long enough to cover the whole rod plus a little extra to put some friction/pressure against the end caps and maybe prevent them from coming unscrewed quickly. One week and so-far-so-good. The tube covered rod fits very snugly in the grooves; The tube seems to be absorbing the sharp edge impact well and the caps have not come off. I already have three rods, so I retrofitted each one with the tubing and I'm ready for the season, so to speak. At about 19 cents a foot, the tubing represents a dramatic savings over buying new rods. If each tube lasts a month, I'm not going to complain.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Mary Heflen

02/18/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

I Love this product!

I have used this for over a year and it is by far a keeper! I have read the "bad" reviews and obiviously these people have never read the how to use the product or used other knock boxes. Yes I have had to replace the bar ... big deal. I buy 2 at a time and always have one on hand. This is a very small cost compared to having to replace the entire product! I looks great on my counter next to my Gaggia and works even better!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Walt Willard

01/17/2009

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Solid box with minor issues

The Modern Knock Box is a solidly constructed box with a nice rubber base. The issues that I have is with the rubber coated knock bar. The bar is held in-place by two screw-on end caps. In my 4 months of use, appx. 2x per day, the rubber on the bar has degraded and needs to be replaced. Also the end caps tend to come unscrewed. In the grand scheme of things, these are relatively minor issues. The knock bar is replaceable at Whole Latte Love and if I looked I'm sure I could find some rubber tubing to replace the rubber bar covering. The bright side is that the bar is replaceable and the rubber coating can likely be replaced unlike other boxes that have rubber coated fixed bars. The bar end caps could be designed differently to prevent the caps from unscrewing even in light use.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

Rated 1 out of 5

Posted By:
Joel Bates

01/07/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

A very flawed knock box...buy something else.

If I could give this a 0 I would. There is a design flaw in this knock box. The bar, with soft rubber gaskets, slides into the box housing, which from a design standpoint is fine. However, the pressed stainless material that this is made from is very sharp. Over the course of a year or so of use, I cut right through the gaskets through the simple action of banging my porta-filter on the bar to release the grinds. When I called WLL they sent me to the manufacturer who said "we do not provide or sell the gaskets separately, call WLL and buy a new bar". Now pardon me, but why should I be penalized by having to buy a new bar just to get the cheap, plastic gaskets when it was YOUR DESIGN FLAW that paired a sharp metal object (nearly knife sharp) with soft rubber gaskets such that standard use of the product caused the gaskets to cut all the way through. Spend more money and get a better box, this thing is a hunk of junk. Shame on the importer for not supplying the gaskets seperately. I had to waste $6 to get two $0.10 gaskets and now I have a second bar. What do I do with it, give it to a piercer so they can put it in someone's nose?

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Jason Mendoza

11/29/2008

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

Great Knock Box!

Simple and clean looking, this is a great knock box at a reasonable price. Just be sure to get some spare knock bars as the rubber gets worn out after about 6-9 months of daily use. I think the replacements are only $5, so no big deal...might have lasted a year, I can't remember I have been using it with no issues for so long! :)

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur

Rated 2 out of 5

Posted By:
Doug Kaye

11/07/2008

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Fatal Flaw

As a knock box, it works fine, but there's one major problem. The horizontal bar is held in place with rubber grommets, and every time you knock, those grommets are banged against a sharp steel edge. Now, after five months, my grommets are cut through and the only option is to buy a complete replacement bar. That's going to happen every four months, so I'm better off just buying a different make and model.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Frederick Derheimer

06/19/2008

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Connoisseur

stylish and durable

I've now had this knock box for 2+ years. I make between 2-6 espresso drinks a day at home and it took all the abuse and still looks great. I had to order a replacement bar ($6) after a while (18 months) because the rubber covering the bar started to go. Being able to replace the bar is a huge plus, otherwise you're stuck buying a new box. The rubber support it sits in lets you bang away without waking the neighbors!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

My Experience With Using This Product:

Connoisseur