Hello everyone, I am looking to get into the espresso hobby and need a little advice before I make a big purchase. I have done a fair amount of research over the past few weeks, but I do apologize if this question has already been asked. My max budget for both the espresso machine and grinder is around $1900. I plan on making 2-3 milk based drinks each morning which is why a HX seems like the best choice. I have been leaning towards a Lelit Marax but unfortunately it might be out of stock for another month. The PL6T mara is available right now, is this worth the price difference over the regular mara? Bezzera also has a few HX machines in this price range. I am also looking to pair this with the mignon silenzio. Is the specialita worth the extra $170 premium over the silenzio? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Best value under $2000...here in Canada, IMO that would be the Magister Stella PRO (from I Drink Coffee) hands down. I had one and liked it very much. Plain Jane, no-frills, well built and in that classic, folded stainless steel style way less expensive than all the others I looked at. There are a few Teflon tubes inside and the pressure bypass valve on the ULKA was a plastic version...otherwise all industry standard. I think IDC still sells it.

I'd get MaraX these days as the warmup is fast and it's priority is brew temp before steam.

I'd get MaraX these days as the warmup is fast and it's priority is brew temp before steam.

Good suggestion; it looks like a nice machine with more bells and whistles than the Stella. However, the OP wants an HX and a grinder for under $2000. If he got a Stella, he'd still have about $900 for a really good grinder. Although, he could still get a Sette 270Wi and a MaraX, which would be a good pairing. Tough call!

MaraX and the rest on a grinder.