Espresso Machines at ANY budget! $125 to $6000 (buyers guide)

Espresso Machines for Home at any budget and price.

$125:

$250 Kit:

$400 Kit:

$550 Kit:

$700:

$850 Kit:

$1000 Kit:

$1500:

$2000:

$3500:

$4700:

$6000:

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Time code:

0:00 - Intro
0:54 - $125
1:36 - $250
2:38 - $400
3:15 - $550
4:14 - $700
4:46 - $850
5:20 - $1000
8:13 - $1500
9:14 - $2000
9:59 - $3500
10:49 - $4700
11:25 - $6000

[KyleRowsell]

I’d truly appreciate if you smash that like button 👍🏼 which setup did I miss?

[TexelGuy]

Pro-tip for the Flair Neo: You can unscrew the bottom part of the pressurized portafilter and essentially turn it into a non-pressurized basket and use proper espresso fine grinds with it, I've been making much better espresso with it now without the pressurized bottom.

[crwper]

Great video. As a Gaggia Classic Pro owner, I would add that these machines have incredible community support for repair and modification. This means you can get in cheap, and later on you can add a 9 bar OPV and PID for a couple hundred bucks and breathe new life into the machine.

[b-lt]

For 700 ish I went for Lelit Anna PID + Mignon Silenzio. 2.5x boiler size of GC, way better temp stability and steam power, built in pressure gauge and PID. 57 mm is an annoyance but everytime I get accessories I find more. I think that's a far superior choice over a GC.

[lastmountpit]

I own the Niche Zero and a modified Gaggia Classic Pro, with a PID, naked portafilter, 9 bar OPV mod and pressure gauge. Got the Gaggia second hand for 200$ and the mods added another 150$. Got the NZ for 400$ from a friend. This 750$ setup produces coffee that a new and unmoded 3000$ setup will do, if you are not interested in milk! So if you are on a budget, look for bargains and get your hands dirty!

[drandrewtan]

My setup is the Flair 58, Fellow Stagg kettle and the Niche Zero (and I use Bellman steamer for the milk). I intentionally picked this set up over the La Pavoni for more consistent temperature control and much easier maintenance. I reckon it’s a pretty under rated set up, and I’m glad there’s a push for manual espresso machines that could rival machines that cost thousands.

On the expensive side, Olympia Cremina would be nice but it’s $7000 here in Australia, and I’m not so sure whether its espresso quality justifies its price.

[DriftaholiC]

My anywhere setup that I take camping, work, travel and at home: 9Barista $450, Bellman 50SS Steamer $100, 1Zpresso J-MAX $200. Making a Cappuccino better then a café anywhere you have fire, cooktop or portable stove priceless.

[calvinpitts]

Just imagine all the possibilities when you include used gear. I got an older Rancilio Silvia and Rocky, both in perfect working condition, for $700 combined.

[BPFACTS]

mazzer super jollys or minis can be bought second hand for around 200 usd, can be modded to be doserless and when used correctly they're 100% retention-free. literally down to 0.1 grams - while the grind quality is even better than the niche with the bigger flat burrs.

[timothyisidro]

I'm using the Delonghi Dedica, switched out the original pressurized portafilter it comes with and instead used a 51mm bottomless portafilter. Also switch out the panarello steam wand with a proper stainless steam wand.
For the grinder, I paired it with the Timemore C2 with their new E&B Burr, VASTLY improving its fine grind capabilities.
Total comes to about $350 (Php17, 000 where I'm from)

[donh]

As a Rancilio Silvia and a Gaggia owner and as a very experienced barista. I would say a Flair with a pressure gauge will make better and more consistent espresso. I know many former Silvia owners have said the same

[wearenotchefs]

For those on a budget, I recommend getting a DF64 over the Niche Zero. It's half the price, even after upgrading to the titanium burrs, provides zero retention as well, and has a stronger motor.

[scottydoggymama]

Great options. Just sent to my friend who was saying he feels it is time to get another machine. We both had the breville before. Mine died after 10 years his died after 5 years. I had told him to get the Bambino. Me, I finally saved up enough and last month got the La Pavoni Europiccola. I have owned a Baratza Virtuoso Preciso for 11 years and got a Comandante C40 cos you must have coffee in a power failure.

[habitsofsuccess]

My main issue with coffee channels that throw out a million machines at crazy prices is that they don't mention the cost of upkeep. I've read about the upkeep (maintenance, replacing parts, etc) of machines like the La Marzocco surpassing the cost of the machine after a handful of years and this was for personal use. Which is crazy for the price you pay. It sounds like a regular occurrence and definitely needs to be talked about more often.

[scottleggejr]

On the high end, add in Slayer SG, La Marzocco GS3. You could do a whole video on the "features" and differentiation on all of the units as you spend more. Boiler count/volume is a whole thing, then boiler vs HX is a whole thing. Then you have rotary vs vibe pumps. Then you have temp control PID vs thermostat + temp control/variance/thermal volume+stability. Then you have not only flow control, but flow profiling and the linea mini has neither with a fixed gicleur. You also have internal vs external pump, internal reservoir vs plumbed, etc. There's a ton of stuff to take in to account when picking a machine for home. Then for a business, you have all of that plus you need certifications like UL and NSF.

[thelaughingstorm]

For those on a budget pick up a second hand Gaggia Classic, picked mine up for £300, brand new they're around £500

[bossman]

I just modded my gaggia classic by adding a PID, flow control knob, and 9 bar OPV spring. This basically makes a $500 machine to a $3000 machine. Highly recommend!

[hunterillsley]

I’m running the Normcore grinder and the flair Neo (without the gasket) and I LOVE IT.

[SippersSocialClub]

Just purchased a Silvia Pro! Got a great price on account of the ProX version just being released, also waiting on my Niche Zero to arrive :) Total setup cost was about $2050

[leumas]

As much as you (and many others) seem married to the Gaggia Classic Pro, when I was looking for an intro Prosumer-grade machine I found the Bezzera Hobby to be more consistent in temperature output and just more enjoyable to use in general. I paired it with the Eureka Mignon Silencio and haven’t had a moment’s regret; nor have I felt the need (at least not yet) to start considering upgrades.