Hi,
I've been mostly a lurker on this site for years; it's a fantastic place and my go-to place for espresso advice.

So my question is, what do you all think of buying a La Pavoni Professional as a gift? It would be for my father, and here's a link to the item on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...0344292357

Any comments on the listing? I don't buy much on ebay, so I'm a little nervous getting something for more than $20!

My thinking is that if it's too much work for my dad, I'll take it for myself! I'll probably get him a Hario mill to grind the coffee.

Note: My dad loves espresso, but isn't as interested in the method of producing it as I am, so it may turn out that a lever machine isn't perfect for him, but for the current price I'm very tempted!

Thanks for any advice!

Its a nice machine and it would not surprise me if it went for 5-6 hundred

A lever machine takes a certain type of person and you have to go thru some coffee to develop a feel for the process.

Tough to say if its good as a gift for your Dad, heck he may love it, you will have to decide that

I purchased a showroom demo La Pav Professional off of eBay that looks comparable. I would expect the listing you posted to go for ~$600, so you should factor that into the equation. The Professional is a wonderful machine and it will make someone very happy, but it took me (eager to learn and prepared to drink some pretty foul coffee if need be) about 2 weeks to produce my first decent shot, and about 6 months to do so regularly. Whole Latte Love is having a deal of the week sale this week on Gaggia Babies that might be more of a beginner's machine for the non-lever type. Certainly not the same caliber as the Pavoni, but a great deal to test the waters/whet an appetite for espresso...

Anyway, I hope you get this machine and you/your father enjoys it. I love mine and won't hesitate to vouch for that exact machine as a great introduction to fantastic espresso... as long as the learning curve is a known addition to the equation.

Good luck!

Thanks for the helpful replies! I also suspect that this will end up selling for more than my budget, but who knows. One of the reasons it appealed to me was that I know that eventually my dad will get a more expensive machine, possibly hx or something similar, but until that point a lever would have been an interesting and enjoyable way for him to get his espresso, even with a learning curve. And if it doesn't work, I certainly would love to have it!
Either way, I hope I get it, and thanks for the advice!

Keep watching, better deals come up on LaPavonis that need a little TLC if you dont mind doing a little work on one.

I found mine for less than $200.00, but a little risk is involved when you start buying the older ones. You can repair or replace probably any part but you have to watch that all the parts doesent get into too much cost