You can get nice Elektra Microcasa a Levas used. Also if you want the larger commercial group Conti still makes the group they use on a Prestina. The only gasket you might not be able to easily find is for the boiler, but that's not hard to fabricate out of gasket material. I found it easy to make gaskets for my steam and water taps. The pressurestat has a current version that now has the Jaeger brand. I have no regrets about my Prestina, which pulls shots rivaling the top cafes and has commercial steaming power. I run it off a FloJet pump.

About the originating post, I think the Strega would be an excellent choice.

You know, I agree. In the OP's shoes I would go for a Strega. Had I not come across my vintage President I would be a Strega owner right now. I had the chance to use Jim's at one of his HB meetups and I found it's versatility and cup quality very impressive.
I've owned numerous Pavoni's, a Cremina, and even a Riviera; I simply prefer the taste of coffee that comes out of a commercial sized group head.

@dominico
I am going from an 58mm E61 to a Cremina.
You mentioned you prefer the taste from a commercial head.
Can you elaborate on that?

Maybe i used the wrong term in my OP. I was thinking of something like this:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Vintage-Espresso ... 2044516904

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Gaggia-Vintage-L ... 2044516904

Looking at the price i would think that these are amazing machines, If they were already restored i'm guessing the price would be close to that of a brand new Strega. Is this price a fair representation of the quality of espresso they produce or a sign of their "collector value"?
I've looked at the Prestina before, and i'm kinda intrigued. I like that it's very different than just about any other machine i've seen and it's hard to find anyone that has something bad to say about the shots it makes, but part of me still thinks it fugly as hell and looks like something that belongs next to the deep fryer at a highway burgerjoint. I don't pick espresso machines for their design, but good god i'm not blind either.

Consider that the Strega is available in new condition and has features that were not even a dream when those antique machines were designed.

CoffeeBeetle wrote: Looking at the price i would think that these are amazing machines, If they were already restored i'm guessing the price would be close to that of a brand new Strega. Is this price a fair representation of the quality of espresso they produce or a sign of their "collector value"?

I can't talk to those machines specifically but I've had some of the most phenomenal espresso from vintage commercial lever machines. Some machines such as the Lambro, Prestina, and Brugnetti are well known to have great shot quality even by today's standards, my guess is that there are more "sleepers" out there as well.

That said, your safest option is still probably the Strega, I just wish it looked a little flashier.

Gpinch1 wrote:@dominico
I am going from an 58mm E61 to a Cremina.
You mentioned you prefer the taste from a commercial head.
Can you elaborate on that?

Yes, I meant from a commercial Lever group. There is always some subjectivity where taste is concerned, but I prefer Cremina shots to those of any E61 machine I've tried, and I prefer commercial sized lever group shots to the ones I've had on the Cremina / Pavoni / Riviera. Perhaps its a function of clarity or mouthfeel or a combination of those, but after thousands of shots on both home levers and commercial levers I feel like I can "taste" a 49mm group shot.

Well said and completely agreed. But I'll add that with all of this focus on gear and after demonstrating to another H-B member the superiority of a Prestina shot to an excellent Cremina one the day before ... Yesterday morning I pulled a shot of home roasted Ethiopian Gedeo Worka on my 1968 La Pavoni Europiccola and it was just delicious. At a certain point gear, skills, coffee and grinder combine into all you'd want unless you're squinting so hard you're not tasting anything.