My first machine, a Gaggia Pure, is no more after almost 3 years of daily use.. Steam is sluggish, and shots take forever as well, no matter how coarse the grind.. Would have thought It'd last longer than that, but as I say, it was my 1st, so who knows?

Suggestions for a step up, 1000-1300K Cdn MAX (before tax)? Looking to pull the trigger around April-May '12..

I make cappuccinos for my wife and I on an almost daily basis, and have friends over for coffee fairly often..

So I would need good steaming capabilities (not necessarily at the same time as I'm pulling my shots) if I want to avoid spending 30 min in the kitchen making drinks like I did with my Gaggia..

Looking currently at the Bezzera BZ09 ($900), Expobar Office Pulser ($1200), Quick Mill Alexia (1200) or, if budget creep overcomes me, an NS Oscar (1,370 Cdn).

What's been your experience with these machines? Is there others I should look into in this price range? Which would give me my best bang for my buck, do you think? I know you get what you pay for, but... Best place in Canada to get them? Best time? (are there Boxing Day sales? Do any retailers sell refurbished equip?).

My priority is function/dependability over form..

I know there's a ton of these posts already, but some fresh, more specific input would be appreciated..

My grinder is a LeLit PL-53, won't be upgrading that until it caves..

Thanks in advance!

Add QuickMill Alexia to the list, some sites (Espresso Planet) list it for $1,199 CDN.

Added!

Though when I asked Zcafe why they didn't carry Quick Mills anymore (I was looking at the Silvano), they said the Expobars were a better value (bigger boilers, thermosyphonic commercial 58mm grouphead).

The Bezzera gets very positive reviews and seems to be a great value for the money.

Also, I'm not sure if it's available in Canada or not, but 1st Line is currently selling the La Nuova Cuadra, an e-61 based HX machine, for under $1,000 U.S. This seems to be an incredible deal, since similar machines are usually about $1,500. The only downside I can see is that it has plastic side panels with chrome finish, but functionally it should work as well as any other e-61 machine.

The Alexia is a good machine, but as it has only a single boiler with no HX, it will be slow for making milk drinks. If you have friends and family who like their cappas and lattes, it's not a good choice.

Also, I'm not sure if it's available in Canada or not, but 1st Line is currently selling the La Nuova Cuadra

Nope, and no warranty if they ship it over the border.. :*(

Thanks, I'll keep the Expobar on the list, over the Quick Mill..

I can't help on the experience front, but I believe the BZ09 isn't HX. It's described at idrinkcoffee as a "top level single boiler machine", while the Bezzera site says it's "heated by 2 cartridge heating elements".

I'm not sure there's any such thing as a sub $1000 CDN HX machine

How about the BZ07?

http://www.idrinkcoffee.com/Bezzera_BZ0...7p-b15.htm

Ok, so it's down to the NS Oscar, BZ07P, and the Expobar Pulser.

All good machines. Given those choices, I'd probably go with the BZ07, but the other two are nice too.