I'm looking for recommendations for a solid espresso setup that will last me as long as possible. The impression I got from the FAQ was that I'd be best served by starting on good, precise equipment rather than cheap. I checked the FAQ for machine/grinder info as well, but a lot of it points to the defunct(?) coffeegeek forums, and the most similar question to mine: What E61 & grinder would you buy for <$2K? [ What E61 & grinder would you buy for <$2K? ] is nearly 15 years old. I assume the recommendations have shifted at least somewhat since then, so I thought it would be worth asking the community for some updated advice. If I've posted this in the wrong place, let me know and I'll remove it.

My budget is $2,500, although I could go as high as 3000 if there's a compelling reason. My thinking is that if I spend a decent amount on a very good machine/grinder combo now, I won't have to upgrade until 10-15 years down the line, and I'll improve my skills on better, more forgiving equipment, saving myself money over the long run. My use case is mostly non-milk drinks, and I plan to make maybe 3-4 espressos and 1 milk drink a day. My understanding here is pretty shaky, but II think I want something with PID control (visual temperature controls are a must) and a pressure gauge, but I don't understand the other features well enough to make a decision. Someone on reddit recommended I look at these models as better value in the rocket appartamento price bracket (Profitec 300, Lelit Elizabeth, Silvia Pro, ACS minima). Are these good choices for my needs? Are any of these brands better regarded in the espresso community?

I also saw the cafelat robot thrown around as a recommendation here, and it's much cheaper than these other machines? What would I be missing by getting a robot over one of those $1,600 machines?

As far as grinders go, it looks like there's not much variation in the ~$600 flat burr space. I have my eye on the Eureka Mignon just because it looks cool and has good reviews on clive coffee.

What will I be the happiest about having bought 10 years from now? What does repairability/spare parts access look like for 10 year old machines?

Hey and welcome

Why would you choose e61 over a lever machine? Levers don't require back flushing and easier to maintain.
Levers provide you with declining pressure and temperature (pressure profiling by nature) and one would argue that they offer more mouthfeel and better flavor profile than e61 but all are subjective to the user.
I'm not here to recommend any machine and there are more seasoned players on the forum than I'll ever be. I'm simply saying look into it and watch youtube videos.
Good luck with your purchase and I like your thinking (better to start with a good machine rather than lose money upgrading every couple of years)

I just assumed that e61 would be better than lever, since that's what I see in coffee shops. I don't love the idea of having to push with 15 pounds of force to get my morning espresso, but if it makes a better shot I'll look into it. Any recommendations of which YouTube channels in particular?

If you don't need milk steaming a Robot and the Eureka grinder should be perfect. And the Robot is inexpensive enough that moving up if you get tired of the manual operation will not be that hard as you'll have lots of money left over.

Ira

My concern with getting a cheap machine is that I'd eventually want to upgrade to a midrange one anyhow, then I'd be out the cost of the robot. It sounds I'm wrong about that and I've way overbudgeted, since a lever machine would serve me just as well. Do you know what repairability looks like for a robot? I assume there'd be less maintenance than an e61, but would it last as long?

I second Ira's robot recommendation. Different grinder tho!
Mahlkönig is releasing their cheaper smaller home version with a 54mm burrs and I think it will be better than Eureka. Get a robot-barista model and start manual profiling your shots. If you like it then by all means get a lever machine. This gives you time to read more about levers and see the reviews of the new soon to be released levers too. I've been using the robot for a year and it's good with medium to dark roasts and there is a mega thread about the user experience.
Regarding youtube just search for Lever espresso machine and enjoy watching.

ijustwantespresso wrote:My concern with getting a cheap machine is that I'd eventually want to upgrade to a midrange one anyhow, then I'd be out the cost of the robot. It sounds I'm wrong about that and I've way overbudgeted, since a lever machine would serve me just as well. Do you know what repairability looks like for a robot? I assume there'd be less maintenance than an e61, but would it last as long?

I've had a Robot for around two years. At this point, we have to be somewhere around 2000 shots pulled. The only 'maintenance' I've done is to clean the base. The pump on my semi-auto lasted around 4-5 years before replacement. There was backflushing, descaling, gasket replacement (this is a thing on the Robot but hasn't happened to/for me yet) other stuff I've forgotten--something with a valve.

I noticed you said you did do milk drinks--Robot, he/she/they don't steam milk.

Any 9-bar pump machine (single, HX, DB) will have much more maintenance than a manual lever. You'll need chemical flush, flush of the water in the steam boiler, back flushing, stringent water chemistry or else descaling yearly, etc. A manual lever has almost zero maintenance.. a gasket every once in a while. The lever will definitely last virtually forever.. a pump machine will need parts replaced after about 5 years.. pump, seals, gaskets, the odd electronic piece might go (I had to replace an SSR after 1.5 years). The electric machines can give you hotter water for light roasts easier, and they can steam for milk-based drinks. With a manual lever you'll need an alternative way to produce micro-foam for milk-based drinks.

From my experience, I thought I *had* to have an electric-pump machine to get good espresso.. Only after I had purchased 2 electrics then try a Robot did I realize the manuals can be really good as well; and that is what I should have started with. But there are others that prefer the electrics as they are more of an all-in-one for milk-based and straight espresso drinks.

The priority should be a good grinder.. I'd recommend a good conical like a Niche Zero to start.. This will last you a good while.. Paired with a good manual (Robot, Flair) you'll have an excellent combo that will rival $3k electric machines and you'll be able to decide how you want to go from there after a few years.. without sinking a bunch of money into some machine you may not like a year or two down the road.

The best alternative ways to get milk is to get a Bellman steamer, or microwave and then use something like a NanoFoamer. I've used both and they both can produce latte art..

It looks like the robot is definitely the way to go, especially for maintenance/ease of use. Wow, you guys are amazingly quick and knowledgeable!!

As far as grinders go, I really like the idea Gregoryj brought up with the settle 270wi, especially the weight-based dosing and long-term support. I don't care at all about the sound or the plastic hopper (honestly I prefer it to shatterable glass). Is there another grinder in it's price bracket that has a more compelling feature set? Would an upgrade give me significantly better results? If not, it looks like I've beat the system with a cheaper and longer lasting machine (the robot) and a very good grinder (270wi) coming in $1000 under budget (!)