Modern Stainless Steel Knock Box

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."

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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