Got my first taste of home espresso from a $10 deal at a yard sale on a Starbucks barista. Really enjoyed it! Started getting more into it over the next 9 months or so. Eventually learned the gospel about buying a good grinder. So I started looking there.

It's fun for me to look for products. I just like hunting for a bargain. But I'm learning that is not so straightforward in the espresso world.

Anyway, eventually got my Mazzer SJ for $344 on CL. Pretty stoked at the time. Still no complaints. I have learned since then that it's a pretty old model. Oh well. New burrs and a thorough cleaning. Everything is running great!

Next up I depressurized the portafilter. Less consistent shots, but I'm starting to enjoy the process a lot more. And they're actually better I think. Maybe that's just the grinder though.

I'm starting to get into learning all the ways people temp surf their machines of similar boiler size. Seems like overall a very capable machine for the price. but of course, I am already wanting an upgrade.

If I was shopping new, the next level up would be $600 or so for a Silvia. All things considered I'm just really not sure that's worth it. I'm basically just getting a bigger boiler with some better parts all around. So then we get up into the next tier... and all of a sudden I'm looking at over a grand for a middle of the road machine. I'm sure anything in that range will produce better espresso than I'll ever be capable of appreciating, but it's just so much money!

But I really like DIY. So I'm on the lookout for a good deal on a used machine. They come up regularly enough. Problem I've been having is everyone wants to try and recoup most of their investment. One guy is selling an 11+ year old expo at and refuses to go less than $450. Come on man. I know it's only "lightly used," but we already canceled my first appointment to see it because it started leaking when you went to test it. Ugh. I digress.

I've also been looking on eBay. I'm sure some of y'all saw the NS Musica that just sold on eBay for $970. Seemed like a good deal. I was right there bidding up until the last second. But I was relieved when I didn't get it. My lifestyle just doesn't justify spending a grand on an espresso machine.

I guess my real complaint is that it seems like such diminishing returns above $500. Maybe I just need to try a real machine to see the difference.

Sorry for the rant. My girlfriend is treating my like a lunatic for typing all this out on my phone.

I started on a Barista too! Then got a Baratza grinder, then a S.J. I upgrade to an Elektra micro casa a leva and a pharos and have been happy for years. The elektra was 800$ and the pharos was 245$. Pretty cheap combo for the level of espresso that gets you.

If you are going on a budget route, used manual levers like a La Pavoni can often be had for under $500, and in my opinion is the best bang for buck for shot quality & consistency. With some proper techniques, you can easily be up there to get a shot scoring 95%. It's comparable and definitely not inferior to pump machines costing $1-2k and beyond.

For pump machines, it is indeed a more slippery slope. You're actually looking at close to a grand for the diminishing return point to kick in (considering used). There's still a big gap between the Silvia and a good E61 HX machine. From there, it's just a matter of upgrading for the sake of ease of use, bling & slightly more consistency.

If you're into DIY, why not modify the machine you already have? Preheating coils/boilers, preinfusion chamber, PID, steam tips, insulation etc. Could make a difference!

I did a couple a years in Baristatraz, and once I bought a real non-pressurized PF it was easy to get good shots. I doubt a Silvia would be much of an upgrade.

I graduated directly to a home lever (Ponte Vecchio) and 12 years later I'm still loving it. Fact I have two more, and have had a few other home levers. Most are capable of excellent espresso. Now the choices are much broader with the commercial-sized home levers, but these aren't necessary for great espresso.

I don't keep up with advances on the pump machines because I found lever espresso so rewarding.

I consider the grinder wars to be over-rated, and yours should be fine. I get excellent results with small-burr conicals, made by knock and vintage hand grinders. These are not dreadfully expensive.

If you want excellent espresso without investing a lot of money look for a good deal on a pavoni or elektra and a good conical manual. If you don't drink milk drinks a caverel might interest you

Thanks for all the comments! The more time I spend on here the more I think a lever machine might be the right move for me. I love the taste of espresso of course, but I also really enjoy the control and process of the whole routine.

That market seems a little more complicated though. Maybe it's my naivete, but there just seem to be so many different models of every lever machine. I went through a good bit of the Lever Wars thread (can't find it right now to link). One thing that really stood out was the volume of the shot produced. It seemed like they're always on the small side with the cheaper machines. I guess that's a function of the lever displacement or something.And those comments get to the point: I have a lot to learn about lever machines before I invest in one. A bunch of great resources on here though.

aecletec wrote:If you're into DIY, why not modify the machine you already have? Preheating coils/boilers, preinfusion chamber, PID, steam tips, insulation etc. Could make a difference!

I'm definitely interested in and already doing a lot of research on most of these things! I think I've found most of the mod threads on this machine. All saved for future use. I like the idea of a PID, even though most people say that it's not going to be very effective on such a small boiler (I believe someone said it's like putting a turbo on a Datsun?). I definitely want to install a simple thermometer on the boiler though, so I can try to exert a little more control with my temp surfing. I haven't really considered preheating coils at all, but might look into it. Did some research into insulation and ultimately let that one go because of the price. With such a small boiler I doubt I'll see much return there. The steam tips is another good idea for me to look into.

A lot of reviews say the Zaconni Riviera is really underrated... What do y'all think of this seemingly really old one on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zaconni-Riviera ... Sw03lY5gE2

I've owned a Riviera Eagle. Finicky machine to dial in, not very forgiving but once dialed in gives a nice ristretto shot.
Never and I repeat never overdose as there is little to no space between top of basket and shower screen.
My beef with the older group:
- Small group, small volume. Too small per single pull for my liking.
- Portafilters are not longer available. (one other option)
- OEM baskets are no longer available. (other 95% options)
- Maintenance parts are hard to come by. Zacconi changed their current group to a larger non-spring.

The good:
- Temp stable machine
- Premium hardware and finish at least on the all chrome one I owned.
- Good machine for ristretto fanciers.

As far as the cost of machines goes, here is what I have found.

Yes, the barrier to entry is fairly high compared to what most people spend on coffee. But the actual cost of ownership is fairly low, especially if you find an older machine you can fix and get running.

That Expobar you are looking at for 450, Probably won't be worth much less than that in 3 or 4 or 5 years assuming you take care of it and its still running.

However, consider any mods or hacks to the Starbucks barista machine just a sunk cost. That thing is likely going to go bad, and anything you have put into it is going to be lost, because the machine won't be worth repairing.