The machines on my short list are:
• Bezzera Medea ($1,500)
• Rocket Cellini Premium Plus ($1,700)
• QM Andreja Premium ($1,800)
• Izzo Alex II ($1,900)

The major differences among these are:
• frame construction (steel vs SS - possible rust issues)
• Bezzera is missing the "no-burn" arms
• Vibe vs Rotary pump (Izzo is the only rotary)
• Outer shell (Izzo is a double wall - supposedly stays cool to the touch)
• Some are plumbable - not a big issue because of the low volumes I expect to put through it
• Cellini is the only one with a 2-piece top - reservoir access w/o taking the whole lid off
• Open-top reservoir (on Cellini & QM - easier cleaning)
• Insulated boiler - important? (energy savings are small (?) and it gets in the way of service)
• PID (on the Izzo but isn't Eric's thermometer more useful)

My original "no brainer" hunch was to buy the Bezzera Medea for $1,500 http://www.idrinkcoffee.com/Bezzera_Medea_E61_Espresso_Machine_p/sa-bez-med-b15.htm but then I started noticing some things that were missing and expanded my search to the other machines in my list. If the expected life of these would be say, 15 years, the price differences are only a couple hundred bucks isn't a big deal and would soon be forgotten.

Cellini is only $200 more, I get some nice features but I still have a steel frame.

So now I'm thinking the QM Andreja Premium would be my choice at only a $300 step up and then I watched an on-line video from Seattle Coffee Gear and the noise of vibe pump really put me off (about 4 minutes in on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yMCK7d16ew). It might have been just the recording but this would get annoying. Recordings of other machines from SCG didn't have that effect on me. Watching Chris' video on the same machine, it doesn't sound bad but then there is that background music which masks the noise.

OK, so do I lay down another $100 and get the Izzo which would be quiet? If I put Eric's thermometer on it, I would have a PID and a grouphead thermometer. I am not that anal!

When does it stop? When do I quit looking? Is this what they call analysis paralysis?

BTW, whatever I get, would be matching it with the Compak K3 Touch grinder.

Thank you in advance for any advice you have.

For the Alex, my understanding is that the PID controls the boiler's temp just like a pressurestat, just via a different thermodynamic property (pv=nRt). Advantage of the PID is less temperature swing, but that doesnt get rid of the flush because its a HX and thus you may still want the grouphead temperature. The Alex duetto uses a dual boiler and the PID controls that actual brew temp (and the steam temp, in a different boiler) at at or near extraction temp, whereas a HX with PID sets the temp WAY over the desired temp, so you need to flush just like if it had a pressurestat. All of that doesnt tell you which one to buy, I have the same problem at the moment.

speaking plainly from a personal preference i prefer a rotary pump to a vibe, less noise and the vibe pump by its very nature of vibrating is more prone to faults

1) All will make good espresso

2) $200 - $300 is nothing spread out over life of machine

3) Being plumbed in is far more convenient than you may think - by the time you do a cooling flush with an HX machine, use the hot water from the grouphead to rinse your portafilter and then make a shot or two - you'll be refilling it and emptying the drain tray far more often than you think you will.

4) My buddy's QM Anita is far noisier than my Isomac tea with the same Ulka pump - I think it has to do with frame and machine resonance. I find the noise of my Isomac pump to be at the upper level of what is tolerable and the QM Anita I have experience with (granted it is a different QM model than what you are looking at) is just over the line. If the noise in the video clip bugs you now then just get a rotary pump.

5) Eric S's thermometer is a great tool but is not a replacement for PID. If you want fairly precise temperatures with minimal futzing around then just get a dual boiler PID and be done with it.

When I bought my Isomac Tea in late 2002 there were few if any options for plumbed in prosumer machines and I don't recall any other than a few obscure brands offering rotary pumps in the prosumer class (maybe Reneka Tekno?). I paid about $1100 and it was a real squeeze on my budget at the time, but if I had the same budget/income restrictions today and could get a dual boiler plumbed in rotary pump PID machine for $2000 to $2200 - I'd find a way to make it happen. You don't tend to read about buyer's remorse from folks who went a few steps up but it's a far more common phenomenon amongst folks who figured they'd save a few hundred $$ and "make do" with something that did not have all the features they really wanted.

Phaelon56 wrote:3) Being plumbed in is far more convenient than you may think - by the time you do a cooling flush with an HX machine, use the hot water from the grouphead to rinse your portafilter and then make a shot or two - you'll be refilling it and emptying the drain tray far more often than you think you will.

+1!!

Much of this depends on you, specifically where you set the machine and how you use it.

I prefer a small portable pour-over vibe machine, because it's set up next to a sink, so space rather than water access is more critical. Rotary pumps are silent, but prone to catastrophic failure, heavy, and expensive to replace. If you are going the plumbed in route, you may as well outboard the pump. How big and permanent a space do you have for the machine?

Construction quality is important to some, not to others. Elektra makes marvelous tasting and looking machines, but you see a lot of them on the scrap heap after ten years, since the internal build quality is just average. NO LMs or Cimbali's are found on scrap heaps, since they really are built to last forever. You pay a premium to buy a forever machine. If you like new things every few years, it's a complete waste of time. If you want "a thing of beauty forever," it's what you want to get. The machines on your list are all likely to be scrap in ten years.

Extras like hot water wands, no burn wands, etc depend on how you make espresso. If you don't make Americanos, hot water wands are mostly for show. I have never been overcome with the desire to grab a steam wand. However, there might be somebody, somewhere in the universe, who is adept enough to make good espresso but still klutz enough to burn themselves on a steam wand.

Good controls are essential for the things you want to actively change to affect the shot's taste; if you just want them stable, simpler controls suffice. For instance, I have currently gone away from controlling temperature or pressure - I just want them to be in the same mid-range for every shot. However, I am very persnickety on grind settings and dose weight and would welcome a grinder that was far more precise than current models in this respect.

If this is you first machine, don't sweat it too much -- you can't really know what you will or won't want. Your best shot is to look at the other things you do and buy with an eye to getting the general decision about right. How long do your enthusiasms last? How much time and money do you sink into them? etc. etc.

Danger! Danger! Warning, Will Robinson -- Thread Drift Approaching . . .

another_jim wrote:Elektra makes marvelous tasting and looking machines, but you see a lot of them on the scrap heap after ten years, since the internal build quality is just average. NO LMs or Cimbali's are found on scrap heaps, since they really are built to last forever.

From Dan Kehn's "Buyer's Guide to the Elektra A3":

The overall quality of the A3's materials and workmanship puts Elektra right on Cimbali's heels . . . .

Speaking of 10's, the only other machine to earn this unattainable is the Cimbali Junior for its materials & workmanship score. Elektra won't knock Junior off that perch, but this machine is built for the long haul. Lots of room, good arrangement, smart protections in place. Although the A3 didn't shake Junior's boots for the internal build construction, when it came to the fit and finish of the showpiece exterior, Elektra was looking at Junior through her rear-view mirror. In terms of style and exterior finish, Elektra makes excuses to nobody. Together the interior and exterior build earn the Elektra A3 an overall 9.5 in this category.

And all I can say is Hmmmmmm . . . which is it?

Then again, should my Elektra end up on the scrapheap after a decade of reliable use, the cost of the machine will have worked out to be approx. $350/year, less any future repairs that may occur, and I can live with that.

Cheers,
Jason

Disclaimer: I am a very happy Elektra T1 owner (the volumetric version of the A3); the reader is encouraged to take whatever grains of salt he or she deem to be appropriate.

The Elektra is a full commercial machine, and built better than homers like the Vibiemmes or Quickmill. It is also finished better than most commercial machines. But the frame and interior parts are average by commercial standards.

another_jim wrote: Elektra makes marvelous tasting and looking machines, but you see a lot of them on the scrap heap after ten years....

er... Really? Which models?? Where is this scrap heap?? I'm on my way - running.

another_jim wrote:Extras like hot water wands, no burn wands, etc depend on how you make espresso. If you don't make Americanos, hot water wands are mostly for show.

For the benefit of the op, I would not buy a machine without a hot water wand. Especially if the machine is on for prolonged periods, you have instant hot water for many uses. It's a feature that should be on any self respecting $1000 plus machine.

DrDregs wrote:er... Really? Which models?? Where is this scrap heap?? I'm on my way - running.

Every larger craft roaster I've ever visited who places espresso machines with the cafes they supply has an aisle of scrap machines used for parts. Elektras end up on that aisle about as often as other medium priced commercial machines. Here in the States, I think the biggest web dealer of these is SRE, although the site is so bizarre, it's hard to tell.