I am wanting to buy a cheap, but decent, tamper and knock box for my new (used) Silvia.

I was thinking something basic like the Grindenstein, Cafelat Tubbi or concept art knock boxes. However I've seen that a lot of online stores carry a mixed variety of those products. Does anyone have an opinion on these? The only one I've seen in person is the Grindenstein, so I feel as if I might want to go with what I know.

I'm also thinking about getting a good tamper. I wanted ~30$; but ones like the Cafelat Pillar look amazing. But I think since I can't find anywhere with a low price and decent shipping I'll probably buy a cheaper variety without risking the Cafelat not being as cool as the photos on the web.

I have seen very mixed stocking around town (Montreal). No Cafelat stuff and maybe three stores have the Grindenstein. For tampers I only see really lame 25$ ones or Reg Barber pieces at the expected prices.

In fact I can't really find very many decent online places for Canadians in general. SeattleCoffeeGear would have been great if they even shipped North at all.

First post!

I don't know where you looked, but I hope this helps . . .

idrinkcoffee tampers
idrinkcoffee knockboxes

caffetech tampers
caffetech knockboxes

espressotec tampers
espressotec knockboxes

Cheers,
Jason

The Cafelat is just that bit crucially bigger than the Grindenstein and is a better, tougher and easy-clean design, with it's slot in/out bar. I much prefer it. The G is so small it can't always catch all splashes, requires you to manoeuvre the puck past the bar and needs emptying at least once a day. It is also noisier and slips more easily than the Cafelat.

As long as your tamper is the right size you are winning.....

Cheers

Mike

Greenbeanery.ca (located in Toronto) is another one. They carry a lot of stuff and their prices are usually ok. I bought many items from them (a Silvia/Rocky combo first and then some accessories).

In my case, I use a RegBarber tamper that came for free with the espresso machine/grinder, an Espro pitcher from GreenBeanery and a Grindenstein knockbox, bought straight from Australia.

michaelbenis wrote:The Cafelat is just that bit crucially bigger than the Grindenstein and is a better, tougher and easy-clean design, with it's slot in/out bar. I much prefer it. The G is so small it can't always catch all splashes, requires you to manoeuvre the puck past the bar and needs emptying at least once a day. It is also noisier and slips more easily than the Cafelat.

Spot on, Michael! I had a Grindenstein for about a week and absolutely hated the thing . . . the knockbox that was built into Gaggia base was less messy*. I gave it away (to someone I'm not all that crazy about!).

Cheers,
Jason

* For those who haven't seen one, the Gaggia base is designed for a Gaggia Classic on the right, and an MDF grinder on the left. Below the grinder, behind the word "Gaggia" visible in the photo, is a drawer that is the knockbox. It's shallow, the steam given off from the sent puck can cause mold to grow if you don't wash it regulrly, and it's an overall PITA . . . but it was a lot NEATER than the Grindenstein -- all the grounds went into the drawer rather than onto the counter.

michaelbenis wrote:The Cafelat is just that bit crucially bigger than the Grindenstein and is a better, tougher and easy-clean design, with it's slot in/out bar. I much prefer it. The G is so small it can't always catch all splashes, requires you to manoeuvre the puck past the bar and needs emptying at least once a day. It is also noisier and slips more easily than the Cafelat.

Not to be the devil's advocate, but I would say that your satisfaction of a Grindenstein Knockbox depends on the severity of your coffee addiction.

It can only contain about 10 pucks. That may be not enough for a day, or enough for a week (my case: 1 double a day). It is well built, sturdy and looks neat. I have no issues with splashes (I may depend on the dryness of the puck...) and I only need to push the puck around the bar when the container is full. Having my compost container right on the counter, this is no issue for me. I bought one, air mailed, directly from Dreamfarm.com.au, for CAN$35 (around US$25 then I guess!).

If you want a small knockbox, that can often be stored under your portafilter if you need to preserve counter space, the Grindenstein remain a good choice, although I haven't compared it to the newer Cafelat Tubbi knockbox (the smaller one).

If you want a bigger knockbox, look elsewhere.