I need an espresso setup that will last a decade, budget $5000+

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Boxerdad1
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#1: Post by Boxerdad1 »

My wife recently died (a couple months ago) and I need a hobby badly. I need something to keep me distracted so I'm looking for a friend that is shiny and spits steam. Researching a new setup has helped me get through the days. I have been lurking for quite a while so hopefully I give you the right information.

The budget at this level will be a one time thing so I am looking for very durable, well supported equipment. There is no I will upgrade later for me, money will be tied up in retirement income. So I am looking at this at a going away gift from my wonderful wife. I would guess I have about 10 years left to live and I need coffee.

Budget 5k to 10k
Americanos in the morning and lattes in the afternoon.
I'm looking for a great steamer and grinder suitable for the new machine.
I have been the rabbit hole for a while I have been looking at:

Linea Mini
Eagle One Prima
ECM Sync
Pro 700
Lelit Bianca
I looked at the spaz, but I need more cup clearance. My hands shake on or coffee.

Grinders

Eureka Atom 75
Mk's E65s
Ceado 37T
If a Niche zero would be available I might grab one, but otherwise I want to stay with mainstream for parts and support.
My coffee would be on the medium to light roast.

I thank you in advance for your help

Steve

ilVecchio
Supporter ♡
Posts: 244
Joined: 18 years ago

#2: Post by ilVecchio »

Olympic cremina, will last decades.

Boxerdad1 (original poster)
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#3: Post by Boxerdad1 (original poster) replying to ilVecchio »

Not sure I want to get into levers. I am forgetful and I don't want to cause a portafilter sneeze.
Thanks,
Steve

Vincere
Posts: 59
Joined: 3 years ago

#4: Post by Vincere »

Hi, I am currently going the same route as you, a set up that I won't have to spend anything aside repairs and maintenance for the next decade or more.

My current top picks are LMLM and E1P, why? they are both looks great and are made by commercial based company

but I can't help you choose between the 2, I'm still undecided, I like everything the eagle adds but I like the classic look of the LMLM.

for the grinder, I'm going atom 75, really well recommended for high end home use grinder, Good grinder overall!

SandraF
Posts: 374
Joined: 3 years ago

#5: Post by SandraF »

@Boxerdad1 - I'm sorry to hear of your loss. This is a nice hobby and one where you can always learn something. I'm new and didn't want to have to upgrade for a long time either, so I went with the ECM Synchronika & the Atom 75 grinder.

I haven't had enough experience in general, or with either machine to offer deep dive advice. I can say, though that it's a joy to be learning espresso using such nice (for me) tools. Keep us posted on what you decide to go with.

User avatar
MTN Gert
Posts: 345
Joined: 3 years ago

#6: Post by MTN Gert »

Boxerdad1 wrote:My wife recently died (a couple months ago) and I need a hobby badly. I need something to keep me distracted so I'm looking for a friend that is shiny and spits steam. Researching a new setup has helped me get through the days. I have been lurking for quite a while so hopefully I give you the right information.

The budget at this level will be a one time thing so I am looking for very durable, well supported equipment. There is no I will upgrade later for me, money will be tied up in retirement income. So I am looking at this at a going away gift from my wonderful wife. I would guess I have about 10 years left to live and I need coffee.

Budget 5k to 10k
Americanos in the morning and lattes in the afternoon.
I'm looking for a great steamer and grinder suitable for the new machine.
I have been the rabbit hole for a while I have been looking at:

Linea Mini
Eagle One Prima
ECM Sync
Pro 700
Lelit Bianca
I looked at the spaz, but I need more cup clearance. My hands shake on or coffee.

Grinders

Eureka Atom 75
Mk's E65s
Ceado 37T
If a Niche zero would be available I might grab one, but otherwise I want to stay with mainstream for parts and support.
My coffee would be on the medium to light roast.

I thank you in advance for your help

Steve
It does look like you did your homework well. As far as grinders I think you picked my top choices. I own the E37T and Have extensive use of the Atom 75 and still own the Eureka Olympus 75. I have not played with the E65s but loved the K30 its last Gen. Base line is I don't think you can go wrong but if I had to nudge you in a direction it would be the Atom 75 becuase it should last a lifetime and needs nothing additional to make excellent espresso and it's cheaper than the E65s and E37T by lot

I own the Prima and have used the LMLM a bit too.

The Bianca has some overpressure issues being worked out but is very capable. It sounds like Lelit and ECM/profitec do not want to talk to the customer and you are at the mercy of the vendor for support. This is why i won't buy prosuner machines again.

I paid less for my Prima than a LMLM if you consider i didn't have to buy the $300 additional LM plumb in kit and i got them to include a free naked portafilter top. Just say I got it for LMLM Msrp plus some loose change .

It is really hard to beat the LMLM track record though . The Prima is so new even if it uses well tested technologies

One last machine that advertises being a multi decade machine is the La.Cimbali Junior Casa M21. It a very stable heat exchanger machine(grouphead bolted to the boiler)built like a Abram Tank but if you mostly drink light roasts it may not be as intuitive for your needs. It is half the price of the other commercial machines after discount.
"Stop it....it's naughty and wrong" -James Hoffmann

HH
Posts: 478
Joined: 7 years ago

#7: Post by HH »

Hey Steve,
I'm so sorry to hear your wife has passed. I think it's a lovely thing to buy this as a gift from her though, that really touched me. I'm afraid I can't really offer any advice about the machines you have suggested, but wanted to say 'welcome', and to let us know if there's anything you need. User MTN Gert has some great posts about the Eagle 1, and he has used several excellent machines, so would be worth searching for 'Eagle One Prima' and having a read of his posts.
I'm excited to hear what you get!
Henry

Petyot
Posts: 28
Joined: 3 years ago

#8: Post by Petyot »

Boxerdad1, I am sorry to hear about your loss. I hope this hobby will help you cope with your loss and bring you nice memories of your wife
MTN Gert wrote: It sounds like Lelit and ECM/profitec do not want to talk to the customer and you are at the mercy of the vendor for support. This is why i won't buy prosuner machines again.
@MTN Gert : This is definitely not my personal experience. I have a 2 month old Lelit Bianca and I had some issues with the flow rate of the machine (I was getting 100g of water in 30s, which is very low). I had a few email exchange with Lelit customer's service (Nicole to be precise). They helped me diagnose the problem and they send me the information about the kit I should replace. Showing the emails to my reseller, I had no difficulties to have them take care of the problem. The machine was ready in two days. And BTW, there are a lot of retailers that provide great customer service even without the help of the manufacturers.

dak
Posts: 187
Joined: 4 years ago

#9: Post by dak »

Hi Steve,

Welcome. I can attest that this rabbit hole of espresso at home is a great distraction!

Can you tell us a little about the kind of coffee you like to drink and any prior experiences you have with espresso making and / or coffee brewing? This will impact the best path to follow depending on the roast levels and taste you prefer and it could also impact the amount you need to spend for a competent, long lasting setup. For example, given a preference for darker traditional espresso roasts vs. light roast fruit forward coffees, different machine / grinder combos may work better in each case.

cheers!
Dimitri

jgood
Posts: 893
Joined: 6 years ago

#10: Post by jgood »

If you get an E61 prosumer machine (like I have) you will need to do minor servicing yourself. The Linea Mini, I think, is serviced by LM at your house -- I would double check that to be sure. But, if so, it would be a big selling point.

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