Alslaw wrote:+1 Hands down best bang for your buck for straight espresso - I use one in my office. You can easily swap a European 220v element with a 110v for under $50. The boiler and piston are stainless steel so you know it is built to last, and they are easy to service and can be completely disassembled without any (special) tools.

+2

You can buy a refurbished unit at the price. If you wind up with a 220 V model, just pre-heat the water in your kettle and then run the 220-V element at 110 volts. It will come to temperature more slowly that at full voltage, but you'll have less work to do thanks to the pre-heat

LObin wrote:There seems to be a consensus about the shot quality and consistency you get out of a Robot. Higher volume is also easier to achieve compare to a Europiccola. At 3-4 shots per day, a Robot would be ideal since there is no warm up time needed nor any issues with temperature management if you end up making a few shots in a row.

I was wondering how to reconcile that consensus with the comment about "general fussiness" that was assumed for the Robot. I am new to espresso and using a Robot and am pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to use. I find the fussiness is only slightly higher than using an Aeropress. I can take the Robot out of the cupboard where I store it, pull a shot, clean it up, and return it to the cupboard in a total of about 8 minutes. Of course I generally have more than one shot but that's the time scale. And subsequent shots don't require any special effort.

So I wonder, how much easier is it to use a higher end lever? What am I missing?

I don't notice fussiness with the Robot compared to my other home levers. The powered levers need to warm up and with the Gaggia there's temperature management to worry about with multiple shots.

I've just been using my Robot since I got it.

The Robot is brilliant but I don't care for the looks myself and I like to keep all my machines out. Atleast it is far more fanciful a look than a Niche zero which is one of the most hideous pieces of highly capable equipment I have contemplated buying.

I have a flair pro that I bought for traveling. As others have mentioned, it produces great shots and lets you play with pressure profiling. It is a bit fussy, but once you get a system down, it isn't too bad.
I have a LMLM that I use as my daily driver and recently had it in the shop so was using the flair exclusively. Most days it was fine, but if I was in a rush to get to work I found it a bit tedious. I was steaming milk with a bellman as well, which added one more step that you won't have to contend with.
Another option that is above your budget but may be worth thinking about is a used Cremina. They come up now and then on the buy/sell forum for about 1k. There is a nice Olympia club listed now for $1200. Again, above your budget but maybe worth considering.