I know i am comparing completely different levels of espresso makers.

I am a first time espresso machine buyer.
I have researched a lot and it seems to me that having a manual control on pulling the shot gives good espresso if you do it the right way.
I was then looking into Lever espresso machines and most of them were over my budget.

In the Aram espresso maker you are able to control the amount of pressure and timing.
they use Stainless steel and wood. The stainless steel is good for thermal stability and the outside wood insulate your hands from the heat when making espresso. I have seen some shots the Aram makes on the web and looks really really nice.
Thsi is priced at $400


The Ascaso dream espresso machine is a automated espresso maker.
I have no idea about the quality of the espresso this machine makes.
Priced at about $600

Can you people please suggest your opinion.
Please don't judge me on having to compare between these 2 choices.

I love my Portaspresso and would probably have recommended it. However, have you considered a Flair Espresso? At its price point (200ish which is a fraction of other quality espresso devices), it almost kills all the competitors in the entry-level/budget segment due to the extremely sharp pricing and its reportedly good quality in the cup.

@samuellaw178, thanks for the reply.
i looked at the Flair espresso and from what i found on the net, it had good reviews on the shot.
not sure about the quality and make.

I leaned towards the Aram because it looks similar to the Portaspresso hc-p (which has better reviews)

Since you use the portaspresso, can you tell me if you get excessive heat to handle it when in use.

The build quality of the Flair doesn't seem like an issue from what I see. It's a very simple design and the crucial parts ('grouphead' assembly etc) are available as spare parts. I really would love to try comparing the Flair vs Portaspresso one day.

frilto wrote:Since you use the portaspresso, can you tell me if you get excessive heat to handle it when in use.

The device does get hot, as do Flair and Aram. However, just like cooking with pot and pan in the kitchen, it's not an issue once you know where not to touch.