Budget under $2000. What espresso machine to buy?

#1: Post by **C_Money** » August 18th, 2021, 8:19 pm

Hello, I currently have a Breville Barista Pro and have been using that for the last year. I get some pretty decent results but the grinder is not good.

I have the opportunity to sell it so I'm thinking I might. I really want something with a 58mm portafilter.

I just pre ordered a niche so that will solve my grinder problem.

But what machine to get.

I wanted to be sub $2k and was leaning toward the Silvia PRO but then I also thought about saving $700 and just getting a Silvia with a PID but I heard the milk steaming is not good.

Then I thought to myself why don't I just buy my endgame machine of the decent de1..

I can go either way I just don't want to buy the decent and have them come out with a redesign in a year and me want that.

Are there any other machines people would suggest I look at that are no more money than the Decent as that would be my max

#2: Post by **TallDan** » August 18th, 2021, 8:34 pm

Decent Espresso news

No significant changes coming for two years.

#3: Post by **GregoryJ** » August 18th, 2021, 8:57 pm

Hi Cody,

A 58mm basket is nice to interface with the Niche dosing cup, otherwise there's nothing magical about it.

Tell us a little about your usage, how many drinks at a time, how many drinks in a day, what kind, etc. Any special features you're looking for?

August 18th, 2021, 9:26 pm

I pull a 3 shot drink for me in the morning and a 1 to 2 shot for her. Usually cold milk but sometimes I enjoy the hot latte. Sometimes maybe a little nightcap

2 years it sounds like for a decent espresso redesign which maybe I could get away with a Silvia and PID for 2 years.

#5: Post by **GregoryJ** » August 18th, 2021, 9:44 pm

If you're only going to steam milk like 1 day a week, I think a single boiler or hybrid machine would be fine. Something like the Quick Mill Silvano, which has a thermoblock for steam, or Lelit Victoria which is single boiler dual use.

If you're going to steam milk more often, or just want the ease of use, I think a small dual boiler like Breville Dual Boiler, Lelit Elizabeth, Silvia Pro, Profitec Pro 300 would be good. Lelit MaraX should be well suited to lattes as well, just limits you to 3 temperature setpoints.

#6: Post by **Jeff** » August 18th, 2021, 10:04 pm

The rough classes of machines I'd look at are

A modest step up to a Silvano

A mid-range model like the Lelit Elizabeth, MaraX, or BDB

The Bianca/Synchronika/Profitec, probably with the flow kit added. Maybe, long term, a SEP transducer and a Bluetooth scale. That would get you pressure and mass-flow measurements, which can provide a lot of insight, in my opinion.

It's unlikely, in my opinion, that you'll see a "redesign" of the DE1 in the next few years. Firmware changes, yes, but significant changes in the brew mechanism seem unlikely. Even the change in materials for the dispersion block I believe has been pushed out a year or two.

August 18th, 2021, 10:29 pm

If you are already thinking of the DE1, then jump right in to your end game machine and skip all the steps in between. You know the saying: "Buy once, cry once"

August 19th, 2021, 6:33 am

Turn your inner burr to 1, it has numbers on it, and you are good to go, it can handle all type of beans with different roasted level, spending more usually isn't necessary unless that's what you are looking for, once your inner burr was set to the 1, most of beans should fall into the grinder setting 5-8 range.

#9: Post by **JRising** » August 19th, 2021, 8:14 am

C_Money wrote: I wanted to be sub $2k and was leaning toward the Silvia PRO but then I also thought about saving $700 and just getting a Silvia with a PID but I heard the milk steaming is not good.

The milk steaming is not good? What, because of the PID or because of no dedicated boiler? Where did you hear something like that, the steam output of a Silvia is remarkable, considering the size of the boiler, so long as you're happy with a SBDU.

August 19th, 2021, 8:26 am

Someone just told me I would not like it and outgrow it if I wanted a good latte. I wasn't sure but this is good news