Hello everyone, in my home always had coffee from our classic Bialetti, this saturday is my birthdays and I want to pull really good espressos at home.

I already have a good grinder from a coffee shop, an Obel Z10


And I am searching for the espresso machine, find here some options I found, remark I would like to spend around 450€:

- 400€. Custom modded Gaggia Classic PRO. - Plastidip (vinyl) painted - Mr Shades PID - Custom steam knob - Bottomless portafilter - Flow control dimmer knob - IMS precision basket - IMS shower screen - Brass dispersion plate - Mr Shades 9 bar spring - All new gaskets. Excellent looking, only 2 years old.



- rancilio s27, 20 years old, reviewed by a professional and It is like new, 550€ . I really like it but i think it is too much for a beginner. In size and a bit over my budget



-Expobar office control, reviewed, in good state 380€ . Better quality than the gaggia but without mods




What do you think? should I push for rancilio or just the expobar? is the gaggia at the same level than the others when you add all that mods? should I wait for other opportunities?

I am a bit worried to buy the gaggia and find out that for the same money I could have buy something like the expobar way much better in quality but maybe not that famous. I only see people recommending the gaggia for the beginners...

PD: a barista friend told me that the gaggia poor temperature control will make me to upgrade in less than 2 years so he suggest to go for something like the rancilio

The Rancilio is an HX and a stout unit. You can still get parts for it too. You'll need to flush and learn it's particularities for consistent temp control. It has a nice big boiler so steam shouldn't be an issue. I'd take the Rancilio over the Gaggia any day of the week. It's a totally different class. Be aware that the S27 needs to be plumbed in. So you'll need a softener system too or make room for a 5 gallon jug and a pump.

Since it is your first machine I'd almost recommend waiting for something a bit more user friendly to pop up used like an E61 or prosumer dual boiler...

I honestly doubt, that even if you bought something & brought it home today, you'd be pulling great shots by this Saturday. It often takes folks some practice to "dial in" a new machine.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just wouldn't want you to be disappointed if you're not drinking excellent espresso by your birthday.

Your three choices are a bit of an apples-vs-oranges situation. The Gaggia isn't at all in the same league as the other two, being a single boiler dual use home grade machine. That said, it has good potential for experimentation, as you can vary all the parameters easily, being manual. The other two machines are volumetric machines, generally intended for very small commercial applications or office use. While you can vary things somewhat, they are intended to be a press-the-button-get coffee operation. On the other hand, what you do get will likely be more repeatable than with the Gaggia, since that's what they are designed for. Between the two commercial machines, I'd opt for the Rancilio, providing you can provide it with pressure water, as another poster observed. The Rancilio is far more serviceable compared to the Expobar, which as a reputation for being difficult to work on. Also, the Rancilio has a rotary pump, while the Expobar has a vibe pump, and it's reputed to be a noisy machine. All this said, there are many other 'prosumer' machines, HX and double boiler, that most home users would be better off with IMHO.

appreciate your comment, do you recomend any particular models? budget is around 450

Which did you end up going with? I am also looking for something in a similar spot. I wouldn't mind picking up something like the gaggia classic pro you listed that already has the PID, dimmer, and other mods you described vs. trying to mod myself.