Hi,

I'm trying to decide on an espresso machine to buy, something in the $800-$1000 price range, hopefully closer to $800. Also, I drink mostly cappuccinos and lattes so it has to be good at steaming milk. I've looked at the Pasquini Livietta T2 and the Pavoni Professional fully manual machine. I like the idea of a hands on approach, which is why the full manual attracted me but the process of making an espresso with a full manual machine seems a bit lengthy. Also, these two machines were just two of the ones I had looked at but I'd love for you guys (who know way more than I do) to suggest whatever you think would be the best.

Regards,

Max

There are a few threads on this very subject. See here for some links.
Espresso machine buying advice - $1000 budget

This should answer the big questions about popular machines in the price range. I think the question of "to lever or not to lever" should be addressed first, though.

I was between the Rancilio Rocky and the Baratza Preciso. The Rocky seems to be a bit more sturdy buy when buying for seattlecoffeegear.com, they have a special deal where you get the Preciso discounted with the purchase of a Rancilio but if I buy a rocky I'd have to fork over an extra $150. With a preciso it's $848 and with a Rocky it's $998. I haven't been able to find a lot of info on reliability, which is my main concern. I'd rather pay the extra $150 if I don't have to replace it for a long time. I was also trying to find out if a Preciso would be a nice enough grinder for the non-pressurized portafilter on a Rancilio.

Regards,

Max

Also, forgot to add that I've started leaning towards a Rancilio Silvia rather than a Pasquini. Any thoughts on that?

You might want to wait a little and see what happens with the Crossland CC1 machine. PID brew boiler, preinfusion, and a thermoblock for steaming. I've heard that it will be around ~$750 MSRP, and that some Seattle area online retailers will be carrying it - I would guess seattlecoffeegear.com would be one of them. You could potentially pair it with a Preciso for ~$1000.

At this point, I share the same sentiment. Wait for the Crossland CC1, because if you don't and it's WAY better than your machine, you'll kick yourself for going the Silvia route. Consistency is the path to espresso nirvana and from all reports, the Silvia is inconsistent at best. What the Crossland introduces to this 'entry-level' line-up is controls for consistency.

+ 1 on the CC! based on Crossland's reputation. Although there there is not as much information as I would like about it, I would also look at the Silvano from Chris as another option if I were shopping.

I would have little trouble picking the Preciso over the Rocky.

Thanks for the info guys. The crossland cc1 seems like a pretty cool machine from the videos I've looked out. It is a semi-auto with a non-pressurized portafilter <-(I don't know if thats a stupid question, sorry). Does anyone know when they are planning on releasing it?

I believe soon - as in a couple months or so. The Coffeegeek.com website has a couple of articles with this info. Look at the most recent articles on the site from the main page.