'Best' is subjective and always will be... all that matters is what works reliably for the end user and what makes economical/serviceability sense. Many seem to overlook the most important of all variables... the coffee and skill/technique being applied as the equipment will never totally compensate regardless of hyped brand, cost, etc.

For pump machines, the Speedster for form and function and aestetic beauty and design and effectiveness combined. The Slayer may be mostly a one trick pony but what a trick that is!

On the whole though I would go for an advanced lever. If money and space are no object then a candidate must be the 2 group Kees van der westen idrocompresso slim jim. The LM LEVA X also deserves mention for its innovation but I am not really a fan of its looks. However for a machine that will do almost everything those two machines can do at a much cheaper price point and that looks better than either machine to my eyes - my own choice would be the Nurri L-type SA hybrid lever. To my eyes it is the best looking espresso machine I have ever seen and as an owner of one, I can testify to how good it is in actual day to day use.

luckydragon wrote:I'd say the Speedster has the most unique design worthy of being a centrepiece, but it lacks any kind of profiling capabilities so you're paying a premium just for the looks.

What? This IS the case with the Micra, but that's not the consensus; the consensus is that the Micra brews better coffee because it's finely tuned to do so. Do you have any idea what's under the speedsters hood? Of that you can get it with an additional Idromatic profiler?

The Speedster is far more than just a unique design.

Primacog wrote:For pump machines, the Speedster for form and function and aestetic beauty and design and effectiveness combined. The Slayer may be mostly a one trick pony but what a trick that is!

On the whole though I would go for an advanced lever. If money and space are no object then a candidate must be the 2 group Kees van der westen idrocompresso slim jim. The LM LEVA X also deserves mention for its innovation but I am not really a fan of its looks. However for a machine that will do almost everything those two machines can do at a much cheaper price point and that looks better than either machine to my eyes - my own choice would be the Nurri L-type SA hybrid lever. To my eyes it is the best looking espresso machine I have ever seen and as an owner of one, I can testify to how good it is in actual day to day use.

I want to agree with you on the Nurri lever for all its features and it'll fit in a home a lot easier and do more than a Kees 2 group idrocompresso lever (no single group available yet), with a smaller footprint and a fraction of the cost, but the aesthetics of the Nurri is more subjective I feel. The Kees Speedster I think has a broader aesthetic appeal, doesn't take up much room, makes incredible espresso and can easily deliver Slayer like shots with relocating the jet into the HX cold water feed path, a simple mod. The workflow of the Speedster is ideal for home or light cafe use. And I doubt there's a lack of service technicians in OP's area.

The La Marzocco Leva is feature rich too, but it's probably the ugliest thing ever built in my opinion.

Aesthetics are subjective of course so one man's meat can be another's poison but that is what makes life interesting and different!

If money wouldn't be an issue I would treat myself to a Speedster.Dreammachine.
Factory is half an hour drive away. I could pick it up with my

Without worrying about cost and space for me it would be the slim jim 2 group Idrocompresso. It has all the essential features of the modern dual boiler levers with top level design and construction.

FYI The Synesso ES1 was released today https://synesso.com/product/synesso-es1 ... e-synesso/

That is one ugly machine.

It looks like a bigger Decent