How about Synesso? I mean, whatever machine you get could certainly last you the next 30 years or more, maybe the rest of your life, and then it becomes an heirloom for your children! Slayers look interesting too, is their single group out yet?

Aren't those like 10k?
I don't want to spend that much lol.

To the OP, I went back and fourth for a while before I decided to purchase a GS/3 MP. I started with a single group dual purpose machine then bumped right up to a few commercial HX machines (Faema, La Cimbali, Nuova Simonelli), then a La Spaziale Dream DB and finally the LM GS/3. What's the best machine I owed out of all them?....the GS/3, hands down. At that time the GS/3 was the only commercial build, saturated db group that could run on 110v and be plumbed or tank fed. To this day it still is the only option in that category unless you go with a 110v pour over slayer which costs significantly more and I'm not sure is even available yet (I could be wrong on its availability... either way, it's substantially more $$).

You will get some opinions on other options cheaper than the GS/3, but, I believe what I stated above is still true about the class of the GS/3. You can get a different single group commercial DB, buts it's going to be more money and most likely 220v and requiring the be plumbed. There are cheaper options for E61 type db, but they are not full commercial build and/or not a saturated group. There are other cheaper options for a nicely built commercial single group HX, but then you have to flush and manage group temp and you are really not talking comparable machines.

The other bonus of a GS/3 is that it's a well known machince and is tech supported in most every area of the country. Also, keep in mind that the street price is much cheaper than the suggested price and buying a machine of this caliber should be negotiated just like you would with a car purchase. I believe the prices of synesso or slayer are pretty solid and do not have nearly as much room for negotiation...my point is that a single group slayer, speedster, or synesso are significantly more than the GS/3. Most used GS/3s are in the $4000-4500+ range with some less common low offer listings below $4000.

Also, the issues with the early GS/3s are pretty much all worked out...It's quiet now, the drip tray works, the quality is high and it just plain works as it should without problems. If you are looking in the $5000-6000 range for a solid built 110v saturated group db then the GS/3 is the ticket. If you have nearly $9-10k buring a hole in your pocket then go with a slayer or a speedster.

Wow. Thanks for the post.
Very convincing

I wish I could recommend not buying the GS3. For me it has not been a very reliable machine. I do have an earlier model but have over the years have had just about every upgrade possible applied to the machine to bring it up to current spec. I have replaced the logic board of the machine once due to leaking boiler gaskets and I have no reason to believe that this issue will not happen again. The position of the electronics below the boilers is a major design flaw, end of story in my opinion.

How many times have you opened your Livia for some kind of servicing? With the GS3, you will probably want to be inspecting the insides once every few months at least. In a small commercial setting, this is a non-issue but I have found at home that over the years the GS3 has become too much of a headache and sits unused most days.

The gottcha is that for all the headache if I were buying a machine today I'd buy a GS3. Several years later there still isn't anything quite like it especially if you were to get the MP version. Don't expect the GS3 to perform miracles though. There are many machines for thousands less that can produce a shot every bit as tasty even if the GS3 makes things a bit simpler.

Good luck with your decision

Yeah, you're in the wrong place if you want someone to talk you OUT of getting one. haha

I went from a Rocky Silvia to a La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi to a Rocket R58 v2. From the Silvia to the Mini Vivaldi the difference was staggering. From the Mini Vivaldi to the R58 the difference was minor but noticeable to me. I would love a GS/3 but I suspect the improvement would be minimal. More than double the price of the R58 but no way double the improvement in the cup. It seems once you break the $1k barrier you really experience diminishing returns.

Best of luck. I hope you get it!