If you get thin, light crema, you should get it. It really improved my shots. :)
Positive Product Points
Beautiful, steady.
Negative Product Points
The bottom part of it was a bit loose when it arrived (it's screwed onto the handle). No big fuzz though, I just screwed it back on and hope it will last.
Detailed Commentary
My Alessi Coban is said to produce bad to average shots at maxiumum, and I thought I'd have to live with those poor shots, but I decided to order the Reg Barber tamper just cause I liked the looks of it, but when it finally arrived I tried it and the espresso got so much damn better than when tamping with that included plastic version. Learned some tamping techniques online at the espresso guide.
Result: the crema got thicker and darker, and the espresso tasted more like the ones I got in Italy or at some of the better espresso bars in Sweden. I use the Mauro DeLuxe coffee beans. Great beans and a great tamper can really help a poor machine produce good espresso.
Buying Experience
Bought online for about 50 dollars from coffeetamper.com. Shipped from Canada to Sweden where I live, took about a month from purchase to delivery. On delivery I had to pay an extra fee of 15 dollars to the Swedish customs. Perhaps it's always like that when you order from abroad, haven't done it before. Tried to e-mail Reg once, but the address didn't work.
