Customer Reviews

RSVP Modern Espresso Knockout Box

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

You might think "flimsy and undersized" when you see this, but it's actually a very practical knockout box for an ordinary home kitchen. The heavy rubber base is a critical piece that you'd probably overlook in picking up a larger industrial knockout box, and it really is a great sound-deadening part of it. But here's the rub: that rubber sheath around the metal bar begins to come apart after six months or so, and not only ceases to keep you from banging directly on the metal bar, but decomposes into a mass of grimey rubber that partly coats the bar and partly just falls into the box. So whatya do? Take the bar down to your local hardware store and ask for a short length of rubber house to cover it. They'll help you get the right diameter. I bought 3" of handsome blue airhose (heavy rubber under blue rubber with nylon mesh to strengthen it) for $0.35 and it's been a dream.

having roasted my own for two years now, i have been through a few generations of accessories in the process from bean to brew. having a decent knockout box is important and beats knocking the puck directly into the trash. the RSVP Modern is the second box i have used and it is now an irreplaceable part of my routine.

solid and slick, this beauty looks good while taking a beating. six months of twice-daily use have shown no wear and tear. the rubber base is thick, heavy, and deadens the sound of your most vicious puck extracting thumps.

bright stainless box and solid stainless, rubber-wrapped rod look good no matter what. the box holds about 30 pucks, if you let it get that far.

**update 10/4/08**

a year later and i still love the knock box. the bar you will end up beating every day will wear out, though. they all will. so you will want to know where to go to get a replacement bar when the time comes. i did the research and found the replacement, Knock Bar Replacement for 3003CM RSVP Commercial Style Knockbox [espressoparts dot com].

go with coffee. -bw

Ok - I reviewed this knock box as part of a combo a couple months ago and gave it 4 stars since it looks decent and works well when you first get it. However, after using it for a couple months, my portafilter basket has many dents in it since the rubber along the bar is just too thin for a real knock box. Also, both the rubber grommets have split.

I would recommend choosing another knock box because this one will fall part and actually damage your equipment after repeated use (2 months of 6-8 espressos/day).

This is a great little knock box! Doesn't rattle (even if you hit it pretty hard), the post is removable, it's easy to clean, and mine doesn't have the white on the base that the other reviewer mentioned, it looks great! I heartily recommend this!

It is affordable and doesn't rattle the stuff on the counter when I am knockng out grounds. The holes in the sides allow you to remove the bar for cleaning which is cool. The rubber base has a white haze like discolored old rubber and that kind of cheapens the look of it. But then again I like that it looks more industrial in comparison to the others out there that look like they came from a home furnishings store. So, all in all you can't beat the price.

Practical item, nice design; I learned that you do not need to knock hardly on the bar, just a few taps will empty the protafilter; a negative - the rubber on the bar was damaged by dishwasher and is sticky now.

We've had this great looking knockbox in our office for FIVE years now. It works like a CHAMP!

Early on, we had the same problems you've all complained about: the rubber bar cover only lasted about the first 9-10 months; the grommets on the sides split several months after that.

So here was our fix: Walked 4 blocks to the nearest Auto Parts store. Got a 6-inch length of clear hose tubing. Don't remember the exact diameter---took the bar with me until we found one just a teeny bit larger than the bar itself. (Note: I just measured it and the hose's inside diameter is nearly one centimeter. The thickness of the hose wall appears to be approx. 1/8 centimeter) Cut the rubber hose approx. 1/8 inch smaller smaller than the inside width of the knockbox.

Problem solved!

Because the clear tubing doesn't allow the bar to slide back and forth very much, the grommets aren't really necessary. And I'm not sure what this hose is made of, but since it's made for automotive use, it's obviously STRONG. After 4 subsequent years of near-daily use (5 days a week) it hasn't split or cracked. And even though the hose is clear, it has only become slightly discolored from the espresso grounds. Every once in a while I unscrew one of the ball ends, slide the bar out and wash it and the hose with dish soap.

That's it! Not a bad fix for a couple of dollars. In fact, now that I consider it, I don't think the guy at the auto parts store charged me anything for the hose...and I'm pretty sure he was laughing as I left. ;-)

Other than the flimsy bar cover, you'll be very satisfied with this knockbox. It works great, doesn't take up a lot of room, the rubber base keeps it from dancing all over the counter and it looks sleek and sophisticated sitting next to your espresso maker! I say GO FOR IT!

I like the size, rubber on the knock bar a little small but it still a great product.

This knock box looks very nice and the price is reasonable. It even WORKS pretty good for a few months. Then the thing shows it's 'true colors'. As noted by other reviewers, the grometts and rubber bar sheath are entirely under designed. They simply don't hold up to regular use. I called the mfg (RSVP) and their customer no-svc people basically gave me an 'oh well, we sell the whole bar as a replacement unit' answer. So, if I wanted to spend $6 for $0.25 worth of tubing, I could go that route, but I won't be doing that. I won't be buying any products from RSVP in the future either if that is how they intend to stand behind them!

I offer this assessment with a certain amount of sorrow and I offer it on behalf of myself and the friend who I gave this item for Christmas last year. I actually liked the knock box in terms of function. But I'm unhappy with the company response when I attempted to purchase replacement rubber grommets that split after a short time. I was told to buy the entire knock box bar and that was my only recourse. I found this to be very poor customer support. You can't tell me they don't have the rubber grommets they could sell at a fraction of the cost. Plus I don't like scrapping a perfectly good piece of metal. Very not green.