Knock box/drawer recommendations

Curtis Smith

Our new house has a dedicated counter top for my pre-17 L1 and Compak E8, but it is a short walk from the kitchen sink, so I am looking for a knock box, or better yet, a drawer, but the dimensions of the L1 are unique enough that I cannot find a drawer that fits. What are you using?

Reiss Gunson

im not sure i correctly envisage what you have in mind, but if you are thinking of a drawer that sits underneath the espresso machine it would need to be very sturdy

if it were me i think i would opt for a Cafelat knock tube/or similar


reiss.

Curtis Smith

Yes, that is what I am leaning towards; that, or a drawer beneath the E8.

Frans Goddijn

A drawer gets quite dirty over time.

I put a little plastic bag in the knock box, no need to clean, just replacing.

(Adding a picture temporarily doesn’t work here)

Curtis Smith

Great idea! If I find the right size box and bags, doggy bags would be perfect.

Frans Goddijn

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J33djqSjpRw/WwL8tt_LDnI/AAAAAAAAJzc/JEupLQiBhXsI1Hde8VAb-ykmSLBCi0o6QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3014.JPG

Reiss Gunson

Frans Goddijn post=14674 wrote: (Adding a picture temporarily doesn’t work here)

Fixed!

Frans Goddijn

Richard Gregory

Oddly enough Breville makes a couple knock boxes that have removable sleeves that are dishwasher safe.

The downside there is they are that brushed steel look. Which only means if you don't like it, well, there it is.

https://www.breville.com/us/en/Search/SearchResult.html?q=knock

I've been using the big one for years, it is pretty tough and affordable.

Curtis Smith

I was looking at the Metta (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RZHM8K), but Breville is certainly more reasonably priced. I suppose I could tape over the branding.

Curtis Smith

The big one is sold out.

Richard Gregory

Rats.

They’ll come back around.

Let me know if you find anything on the JoeFrex site that interests you.

Curtis Smith

Interesting that you mention Joe Frex, because it was the Joe Frex drawers that originally caught my eye. It appears that the Knock Box Drawer Exclusive ST, W: 23cm x D: 40cm x H: 11cm, would fit nicely under the Compak E8, but it is almost 10x the price of the Breville mini, and, perhaps fortunately, that specific model is sold out.

Richard Gregory

I sent you a PM if you’re interested in the JoeFrex stuff let me know!

Nico Vierl

Did you consider a knock box from the knock drawer company?

http://thecoffeeknockdrawercompany.com/products-2-2/

They look nice to me and should be a but quieter when opening/closing and knocking on it. Also they use a triangle instead of a cylindrical stick to knock against.

I am thinking of buying one for under the grinder since the grounds can be pushed through the top holes if the grinder (or rather me) spills some.

Best,
Nico

Frans Goddijn

The metal box and the drawer in it could amplify the sound the grinder produces if the grinder is placed on top of it.

Curtis Smith

I like the ventilation holes in the Knock Drawer Company's drawers, and as it turns out, their North American distributor is near by. The Joe Frex drawers have more sizes, though. Space is valuable, so it will have to be just the right size. Although the noise amplification is not a huge worry for me, I then think of the inconvenience of cleaning a drawer.

Nico Vierl

If you want a knock box I can vouche for the Gastroback:

https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B004476Z4K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1527664041&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=gastroback+knock+box

Maybe not as nicely looking as Joe Frex but very large capacity, dishwasher save, knock bar can be removed, inner plastic ca be removed and it is very sturdy. I have this for years now and still like it.

Nico Vierl

Sorry to hijack the thread a little, but I was also brooding over what to use best for knocking out the coffee puck and now got the knock drawer in the smaller size. The bigger one would also be with thicker metal. There is not really noise amplification with my grinder. I noticed that the knock noise is much less pronounced then with the Gastroback, probably because of the softer material of the triangle to knock against and the soft rubber stops as feet.
Cleaning is also easy, just pull the drawer out and empty it into the bio waste. You can clean it under water if you want, that’s about as hard as cleaning the Londinium’s drip tray.
Here a picture of about 10 Pucks, mostly around 18 g. After a week in summer, there was no mold yet (as opposed to the open solutions, which tend to get moldy sometimes over the week). If someone says there’s no difference between both solutions, maybe he didn’t have a lever machine, which produce a dryer puck then pump machines.




I hope that helps.

PS: I would not recommend to put a drawer under the machine since especially levers are quite heavy and the drawer will be oversized for use.

Curtis Smith

Thank you! Yes, this is very useful. Life has gotten in the way, but I will certainly report back once I get something. Until then, I scored five pounds of JBM, so we are doing pour over, lately.