The Bloc Espresso Knock Box + Tamp Station

The actual knock box itself is not perfect and needs to be redesigned- if it was moved flush with the stainless steel bowl edge it might work better - it’s awkward and makes a mess if you knock out your pucks to hard - also it’s small capacity is a bit disappointing. I like it’s look well made and solid wood but functionally it could improve.

Here is Korea.
Shipping is fine and accurate. Product is very good.

very very good!!!

Good looking, compact size and good built quality.
The metal cylinder with the tamp pad can be removed to cleaned.
This part is the only flaw, the tamp pad should provide more room to knock in the puck easier. This part could easily be replaced with a new and improved version, while keeping the rest the same.

Looks great on my counter, lovely design, looks solid, sturdy, industrial. So far great.

Two reasons for the missing stars:

A) mine came slightly scratched, not bad enough to call SAI, complain about it and then have to go through the hassle of returning it to get a new one, but I would have liked to get a pristine block, I didn't. Better QC would have flagged this item and could have been repolished before shipping it to me.

B) the tamping support is a bit flimsy, if you press hard enough it actually moves/bends/buckles a bit, it feels you are going to break it. I somehow mitigated it by adding some rubber support underneath (between the bucket and the counter), but SAI should redesign it, this needs to withstand tamping force.

On the looks 5 star, add the feel while tamping and comes down to 4, the scratch QC overlooked makes it 3 star. If you are lucky not to get a scratched station, you can expect a 4-star item.