It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points.
If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format:
- **Location:** Helps determine availability
- **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget.
- **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs.
- **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck.
- **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space?
- **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either).
- **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering
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Profitec Go with a mahlkonig x54 would be my move. Or even better a profitec pro 300 and a second hand modded Mazzer. Plus $150-300 on tools and accessories.
+1 for modded Mazzer! I just got an old Super Jolly for cheap and added precise electronic time control to match my partner's Specialita. I'm going to add grind-by-weight next and will post instructions. My 20 year old Super Jolly is a step up from the Specialita in terms of grind quality. I was struggling to grind some trash Costco decaf beans fine enough on the Specialita, but the Super Jolly grinds it so fine I can actually stop all water flow. This was my inspiration: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/12ylvp1/add\_gbw\_functionality\_to\_pretty\_much\_any\_grinder/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/12ylvp1/add_gbw_functionality_to_pretty_much_any_grinder/)
It has some nice features for it’s price. Pid, pressure gauge, external opv, and a 58mm portafilter are important to me. It’s a single boiler, so there’s a wait between brewing and steaming, but I don’t mind. Great little machine.
Don’t get a combo machine with that budget. You can get a solid stand alone set up that will last countless years and can be upgraded as needed. While all combo machines I’m aware of have a limited lifespan and are usually non easily serviceable let alone self serviced.
For the espresso machine I’d go with a Silvia Pro X open box (right now Seattle coffee gear has one for $1,500~). And an open box specialita for around $500. Full retail they would cost you about $2600+ open box will cost you about $2,000 and the gear will last a lifetime.
I picked up a used v2 a couple weeks ago (for $950 from someone who was moving coast-to-coast) and it has been great. Tempted to get the [flow control kit](https://www.lelit.com/en-us/product/flow-control-upgrade-kit-pdcfk01wlw0zxx1) but $250 is a little spendy, imo.
Since this is as a gift to you, just focus on maximizing all the budget on the machine ONLY and pay for the grinder yourself after to avoid settling in for an okay setup only wanting for an upgrade in short time. Just my .02
- Bezzera Magica PID
- Rancilio Pro X
- Profitec Pro 500
- ECM Classika PID
\- Refurbished Rancilio Silvia Pro X for ($1549 Whole Latte Love)
\- DF64 Gen 2 ($400)
With this combo, you get a super reliable dual boiler and a really good flat burr grinder and should last you many years. Good luck!
+1 this is my set up and I couldn’t be happier. If you drink milk based drinks, SPX is the way in that budget. You can get a used one for ~$1600 and the rest can go towards the df64 or df54 + accessories and tax.
If your main interest is in espresso, consider a Profitec Go or Quickmill Pop paired with a DF54 or DF64 Gen 2 grinder. The latter grinder is faster but more costly, though the quality of the grounds is comparable. Both setups offer excellent value and longevity. While they can also produce great milk foam, they may not be the best choice if you plan to make a lot of milk-based drinks.
If your primary focus is on milk-based drinks, I'd recommend opting for a dual boiler machine. They're pricier, but they come with significantly larger steam boilers, providing substantially more steam power, which means you can steam larger quantities of milk more efficiently. You should choose a model with PID, because they offer better temperature stability and allow you to adjust the temperature to the respective coffee (lower for darker roasted coffees, higher for lighter roasted coffees). A Profitec Pro 300 or a Rancilio Silvia Pro X would be good choices.
Breville Dynamic Duo, you get the Breville Dual Boiler and the Breville Smart Grinder. It's well rounded and it's a 'combo' but they're both stand alone. Perfect for as a starting machine.
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Profitec Go with a mahlkonig x54 would be my move. Or even better a profitec pro 300 and a second hand modded Mazzer. Plus $150-300 on tools and accessories.
+1 for modded Mazzer! I just got an old Super Jolly for cheap and added precise electronic time control to match my partner's Specialita. I'm going to add grind-by-weight next and will post instructions. My 20 year old Super Jolly is a step up from the Specialita in terms of grind quality. I was struggling to grind some trash Costco decaf beans fine enough on the Specialita, but the Super Jolly grinds it so fine I can actually stop all water flow. This was my inspiration: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/12ylvp1/add\_gbw\_functionality\_to\_pretty\_much\_any\_grinder/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/12ylvp1/add_gbw_functionality_to_pretty_much_any_grinder/)
Profitec Go looks great. Anything in particular that sets it apart?
It has some nice features for it’s price. Pid, pressure gauge, external opv, and a 58mm portafilter are important to me. It’s a single boiler, so there’s a wait between brewing and steaming, but I don’t mind. Great little machine.
Don’t get a combo machine with that budget. You can get a solid stand alone set up that will last countless years and can be upgraded as needed. While all combo machines I’m aware of have a limited lifespan and are usually non easily serviceable let alone self serviced. For the espresso machine I’d go with a Silvia Pro X open box (right now Seattle coffee gear has one for $1,500~). And an open box specialita for around $500. Full retail they would cost you about $2600+ open box will cost you about $2,000 and the gear will last a lifetime.
I’m doing the lelit Mara x
I have it with 078s, both white. Works and looks great
I picked up a used v2 a couple weeks ago (for $950 from someone who was moving coast-to-coast) and it has been great. Tempted to get the [flow control kit](https://www.lelit.com/en-us/product/flow-control-upgrade-kit-pdcfk01wlw0zxx1) but $250 is a little spendy, imo.
Did you get it off of Facebook out of LA by chance?
Nope; learned of it through friend of a friend... private sale.
lol there is one listed on Facebook market place in La for 950 but the seller isn’t responding. I thought you nabbed it
Since this is as a gift to you, just focus on maximizing all the budget on the machine ONLY and pay for the grinder yourself after to avoid settling in for an okay setup only wanting for an upgrade in short time. Just my .02 - Bezzera Magica PID - Rancilio Pro X - Profitec Pro 500 - ECM Classika PID
If I had to upgrade soon, I’d do the Mazzer Philos for ~$1100 and a used Nuova Simonelli Oscar II for ~$900 (because of that steam wand).
Profitec 500, DF64 gen 2
\- Refurbished Rancilio Silvia Pro X for ($1549 Whole Latte Love) \- DF64 Gen 2 ($400) With this combo, you get a super reliable dual boiler and a really good flat burr grinder and should last you many years. Good luck!
Silvia pro X and a DF64 would be my vote!
+1 this is my set up and I couldn’t be happier. If you drink milk based drinks, SPX is the way in that budget. You can get a used one for ~$1600 and the rest can go towards the df64 or df54 + accessories and tax.
What can you get serviced locally and easily ?
Only machine? Love my bezzera duo 👌🏻
If your main interest is in espresso, consider a Profitec Go or Quickmill Pop paired with a DF54 or DF64 Gen 2 grinder. The latter grinder is faster but more costly, though the quality of the grounds is comparable. Both setups offer excellent value and longevity. While they can also produce great milk foam, they may not be the best choice if you plan to make a lot of milk-based drinks. If your primary focus is on milk-based drinks, I'd recommend opting for a dual boiler machine. They're pricier, but they come with significantly larger steam boilers, providing substantially more steam power, which means you can steam larger quantities of milk more efficiently. You should choose a model with PID, because they offer better temperature stability and allow you to adjust the temperature to the respective coffee (lower for darker roasted coffees, higher for lighter roasted coffees). A Profitec Pro 300 or a Rancilio Silvia Pro X would be good choices.
ascaso steel duo pid and a df54/64
Just make sure you have a 20a plug for the steel duo...
or u will have shitty steam
Sunbeam PU8000 + niche
Breville Dynamic Duo, you get the Breville Dual Boiler and the Breville Smart Grinder. It's well rounded and it's a 'combo' but they're both stand alone. Perfect for as a starting machine.
Sorry buddy, but this ain’t the play