Just for consideration, for about the same price as Vario in Europe you can get something like a Quamar M80E or an Elektra Zenith 65E that both equal to Super Jolly, but are more sturdier build than Vario. The downside is that they're somewhat bigger than Vario because they're built for commercial duty.
You can check their prices from (for example) casabarista.nl (Quamar) and elektros.it (Elektra) if you're interested. They both also sell Bezzera machines (probably grinders as well).

I am a beginner moving from a Rancilio Silvia to the Strega
I am a very happy person using my "Witch"
Heats up I approx 15 minutes,brews really good coffee and is a handsome Machine
Yes by maneuvering with the lever you play with pre infusion and folks have added mods to modify the brew pressure
After getting overwhelmed by the choice of E61 he machines I was entranced by the idea of a lever and the Strega which is a hybrid. Use her daily for espresso and milk drinks

I also have a Vario but dedicated to few coffee (aero press or French press). USA another grinder, my beautiful HG-1, for espresso That is a manual single dose grinder. Fun to use

Dear All,

Thanks for all your suggestions and sharing your experience.
Around two weeks ago I bought the Strega together with Fiorenzato F4. So far I am glad with the choice.

It took me a while to get the right grind settings. Additionally, i have been patiently working on frothing skills. No doubt its difficult and I have managed to reach a decent microfoam structure( at least thats what i think ). cappuccino's taste good! But I know its far from the required quality, say if you have to even make a decent design. But it comes with practice.
I am also thinking of experimenting between finer coffee grind and less coffee/ slightly coarser grind and more coffee to see how the results turn out. I am curious

Now I am heading to some posts for maintenance of the Strega and Fiorenzato. I remember coming across various places where they mention usage of Blind filters but that's something which isn't provided with the machine. So I am curious if that's even possible for this machine!?

Cheers
Suhas

A blind filter is used for backflushing, which you don't need to do with lever machines. With lever machines you need to periodically take the grouphead apart per the manufacturer's recommendation and inspect for any damage/wear and lubricate the seals on the piston.