Baratza sells refurbs on their website for that much. They don't have any now but they should come back. I have bought a refurbished grinder from them and it was like new (mine was not a Vario though).

hmm would it be a nice middle ground to go with the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso (http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/baratzavirtuosopreciso/details)? just not 100% sure i can stomach the extra 150 for the vario...

I am in the market for a new machine and also looking at the same 3 machines mentioned here: Classic, Silvia and Lelit. At $700 it comes with PID, so it's cheaper than the Silvia and probably has better steam capability than the Classic and Lelit.

I'm not sure where you got that the PID'ed PL041TQE Le'Lit is over $600, but it's $549 from 1st-line with free shipping.

And I have it paired with a Super Jolly and have no trouble making espresso that easily rivals what the coffee shops in town make with their La Marzoccos. To be fair, these are the standard college kid baristas who work part time for extra beer money. But the PID makes consistency easy.

http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_m...41-pid.htm



*EDIT*

My apologies for replying to an ancient thread. I just noticed the March date, not the year 2011.