Breville Sells a Knock Box That's Like a Vacuum for Espresso Pucks, but Does It Work?

Go into the nearest coffee shop and you’ll likely hear the thwacking of baristas knocking out spent espresso pucks.

Espresso machines use a pump to force nine bars of pressure—around 130 pounds per square inch—through coffee, leaving dried, compacted pucks in their wake. Removing these espresso pucks requires some elbow grease (and a rubberized bar to knock the portafilter against). But, eek! This can be noisy, and some pucks don't want to budge. To that end, Breville introduced a vacuum pump-powered knock box called the Puck Sucker. We put it through two crucial tests to see if it works any better than a traditional knock box.

The Tests

• Espresso Puck Test: We used the Puck Sucker to remove numerous pucks of espresso from a portafilter, comparing its ease of use to our favorite knock box.
• Usability Test: We evaluated how easy the pucker sucker was to set up and operate.

What We Learned

What's the Breville Puck Sucker?

The Breville Puck Sucker is a vacuum pump-powered knock box that automatically engages when you place your portafilter in it. When the vacuum turns on, it pulls the spent espresso puck out of the filter basket and into the catch bin below, so it's easy to dispose of or compost the coffee grounds. 

Does It Work?

Yes—with a catch. In our testing, the Puck Sucker did a great job of gently removing stuck-in espresso pucks without us having to exert any physical energy. The portafilter fits neatly in the cradle, the pump automatically kicks on, and the puck's neatly removed. There’s only one issue: Because the portafilter needs to create an even seal around the opening for the vacuum pump to work, the Puck Sucker is designed to function with 58-millimeter Breville portafilters. So it’s only compatible with the Breville Dual Boiler, Breville Oracle, or Breville Oracle Touch, making it a less universal product than we’d like.

Breville BES920XL Dual Boiler Espresso Machine

$1,600 at Amazon $1,600 at Williams-Sonoma $1,280 at Sur La Table

Most Breville espresso machines have 54-millimeter baskets, which means they're not compatible with the Puck Sucker. And even though we recommend several other, non-Breville espresso machines with 58-millimeter portafilters, they won’t have the right proprietary shape needed for the Puck Sucker to operate.

What to Get Instead

homeffect Knock Box

$26 $20 at Amazon

If you have an espresso machine that's not compatible with the Puck Sucker, we have good news: There are cheaper knock boxes that work with any machine’s portafilter. When we tested knock boxes, we were particularly fond of the homeffect Knock Box, which has a sturdy column as its knock pad instead of a horizontal bar. It absorbed impact in a way that popped out stubborn pucks while reducing the noise and energy required to do so.

The Verdict

Breville Puck Sucker

$80 at Amazon $80 at Williams-Sonoma $80 at Sur La Table

The Puck Sucker is a vacuum-powered knock box that quietly and efficiently removed stuck-in espresso pucks from 58-millimeter Breville portafilters. It costs more than the average knock box and is limited to use with just a few models, so we can't widely recommend it. However, if you’re willing to spend the money and have a compatible Breville espresso machine, we think you’ll enjoy its smooth operation and mess-free design. 

Good to Know

The Puck Sucker is compact enough to fit on an espresso machine’s drip tray for storage, and its catch bin is also dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup. It can hold 10 to 12 espresso pucks before it needs to be emptied and we like the rubber bottom that keeps it in place.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 inches
• Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Portafilter diameter: Fits 58-millimeter Breville portafilters only
• Battery: 9-volt
• Capacity: 10 to 12 espresso pucks

FAQs

What is the Puck Sucker?

The Breville Puck Sucker is a vacuum-powered espresso knock box that removes spent pucks using a battery-powered suction pump. It’s designed to be used with a Breville espresso machine that has a 58-millimeter portafilter, like the Breville Dual Boiler, Breville Oracle, or Breville Oracle Touch.

Can the Breville knock box go through the dishwasher?

While the plastic catch bin on the Breville Puck Sucker is dishwasher-safe, the battery-powered lid will need to be cleaned by hand. We recommend wiping it with a damp cloth to remove old coffee grounds. 

Is the Breville Puck Sucker worth it?

We liked the Breville Puck Sucker and found it worked well. It could be worthwhile if you own a Breville espresso machine it's compatible with. Otherwise, we suggest buying a standard knock box.

Why We’re the Experts

• Jesse Raub was Serious Eats' commerce writer and spent over 15 years working in the specialty coffee industry. 
• He was our in-house coffee expert and regularly tested coffee gear for this site including coffee scales and espresso grinders.
• Jesse previously tested 10 knock boxes.