Hey guys, I was a little surprised not to see anyone suggest the obvious: If cost is a concern, make your own! Express yourself! A whole host of containers that were originally intended for other uses are readily adapted to a new role as a knock box. I've dragooned everything from neatly-ornamented stainless steel covered sugar bowls and serving dishes to funky retro ice buckets shaped like penguins! You can pick up an appropriate container at the local thrift shop for a song and make the conversion by adding a hardwood dowel rod sleeved with rubber hose. So why not try thinking outside the (knock) box?

Cheers,
Nick

In my house we are always concerned about the visual appeal of kitchen equipment, one reason for going with an Andredja. I therefore ordered a matching Quickmill Knockbox with the machine. This took sometime to be delivered, so we made do with a red plastic lego box (no lego obviously). Now the quickmill knockbox has arrived - guess what, I prefer the lego box. The bar is too far inside the draw on the quickmill making using it difficult and messy. I now stand the Rocky on it, opening the draw to catch the inevitable mess. Honestly, get a lego box - their great.

Nick

Off topic but made me chuckle (and kind of on the theme), I was chatting with another commercial engineer regarding pressure testing requirements, and he mentioned making sure the double spout on portafilts had the required guard if applicable. The story goes.....

A bar had a 2 group group espresso machine, the staff had little idea how to use it and even less inclination to use it. One day, a gentleman walked in and asked for a double espresso. The unlikely event followed:-

Bar staff dosed two shots from the grinder into the group handle and locked it into place (Note, there was no filter basket in the portafilt), started brewing. The double spout handle was of the type that has a cover over the spouts, in this instance the cover was missing, leaving the outlet hole of the spout exposed.

With no filter basket, the ground coffee became compacted in the base of the portafilt, while attempting to make coffee the operator created pressure in the group sufficient to force a pellet of ground coffee out of the double spout (with no cover to stop it). The pellet shot out, across the bar, across the room and struck the only customer in the place over 20ft away squarely on the head. Needless to say he claimed for compensataion.

Rob.

It reminds me of back at school when we used to shoot old bits of chewing gum with our bicycle pumps....awsome, you roll up a little pellet and put it into the screwes thread of an (old style) pump. depending on the ammount you pressed down would dictate the preasure level the pelet let go. I seem to recall its power being somewhere close to my air pistol. you can use blue-tac but it doesnt have the adehesion and releases at lower preasure.

After receint post I wonder if you can make an espresso machine with a bit of chicken wire and a bicycle pump....shoot the shot straight in your mouth....one for all you cycle geeks?

On a serious note letting untrained people use a machine that generates scalding water at high preasure is a clear breach of the H and S act and asking for trouble.