Bosco Sorrento is very temperature stable and steaming is very powerful. It is an excellent machine. I ordered mine with a PID as an option which costs 215 €. The only drawback is the size of the machine.

A lot of home users are fond of the Londinium lever machines which is sized more appropriately for a countertop at home. The Izzo Alex Leva is also a very good spring lever, very temperature stable and good steaming power, however there are very few choices available for 54mm tampers and baskets.

I hadn't considered a Bosco lever machine, I never checked but assumed they were out of our price range. Thanks for the info!

For spring levers fitting your budget, the Izzo Alex Leva is slightly above your 3k limit but I assume you are amenable to stretching your budget a little for the right machine. I had the Alex's mechanically identical but bigger brother, the Izzo Pompei and it served me superbly for more than a decade at home. Since it uses the much praised 54mm la san marco grouphead design, it will not be able to use the galaxy of 58mm tools that have been created to serve the e61 market and others, but on the other hand there seem to be technical advantages to the 54mm system which permit a slightly narrower but deeper route for the hot water to go through the puck, which seems to make a difference in taste and make the LSM system a more forgiving one. So i would urge you do not let its unique diameter size put you off this excellent choice. Unlike the bosco it is having a mostly stainless steel chassis.

For a more versatile and modern choice, I can testify to the merits of the spring lever that has replaced the izzo ppmpei for me - the Nurri Leva.
It is helping me make the best espresso and latte that I have ever been able to achieve compared to any of my earlier machines including the izzo despite using the same LSM design for its grouphead. I attribute this to its powerful independent temperature manipulation capabilities where the temperatures kr the grouphead, brewboiler and steam boiler can be independently adjusted. Furthermore the preinfusion pressure can be adjusted through a port at the back of the machine. The nurri also has two paddles which can purge the machine and directly control the preknfusion pump and end the shot and vent the grouphead. Another not small benefit is thta the nurri leva looks stunning visually speaking to me. However it is also considerably beyond your 3k limit though if you push your limit to include it in yoir deliberations, I don't think you will be sorry.

A pump machine choice that has a saturated grouphead and that falls below your budget is the Nurri GTO. It also has a very small footprint and has pressure profiling abilities as well through a dial at the side of the machine.

Primacog wrote:For spring levers fitting your budget, the Izzo Alex Leva is slightly above your 3k limit but I assume you are amenable to stretching your budget a little for the right machine. I had the Alex's mechanically identical but bigger brother, the Izzo Pompei and it served me superbly for more than a decade at home. Since it uses the much praised 54mm la san marco grouphead design, it will not be able to use the galaxy of 58mm tools that have been created to serve the e61 market and others, but on the other hand there seem to be technical advantages to the 54mm system which permit a slightly narrower but deeper route for the hot water to go through the puck, which seems to make a difference in taste and make the LSM system a more forgiving one. So i would urge you do not let its unique diameter size put you off this excellent choice. Unlike the bosco it is having a mostly stainless steel chassis.

I'll check out the Izzo Alex Leva for sure.
Thanks for the input on the 54mm PFs. I've personally pulled shots on a 54mm PF machine and would definitely agree - very forgiving with the shots and they were delicious!

For a more versatile and modern choice, I can testify to the merits of the spring lever that has replaced the izzo ppmpei for me - the Nurri Leva.

I was just reading an article about this machine.. although I love the innovation, for me, I'm just not that intrigued with adding a pump to a lever, dunno why. It DOES allow for backflushing, etc but.. one of the draws to a lever, for me anyway, is the quiet operation.

I understand what you mean - I experienced the silent operation of the izzo for more than a decade and silence is golden! However the pump used in the nurri is a rotary pump and not a vibration pump and so at least is not as loud as the latter. Also the pump switches off once you end preinfusion after which it behaves like a silent traditional lever. Lastly of course, if you are like me, it is a small price to pay for the far greater versatility over a traditional lever that it offers.

Sounds like you are leaning towards a lever.

As an aside though I wouldn't dismiss the E61 DBs too quickly. I might be too simple but their thermal stability has never felt an issue to me. Especially when discussing milk based drinks.

Check out the #3 comment down regarding thermal characteristics. Certainly my experience.

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