Let us pretend for a moment that you had up to $10K at your disposal for a new espresso machine, and whatever you didn't spend on a machine, you couldn't keep. What would you go with, and why? ($10K is somewhat arbitrary, but would include some of the higher end options by Slayer, etc.)$

ACS vostok fully loaded. …… Just to see how it looks next to the Evo 😎

@"Cuprajake"#p72944 - sorry mate. Can’t have that one. It’s above the permitted budget of $10k. https://www.coffeemachinestore.co.uk/products/kees-van-der-westen-spiritello-commercial-coffee-machine-supplier 😲🫢😱

@"MediumRoastSteam"#p72947 can i have the drip tray lol

* [MANUMENT Leva Machine](https://manument.com/en/manument-leva-machine) , Just to see if it is any better than my £400 manual lever machine 😆

Good heavens… I wasn't familiar with that Kees Van Der Westen Spiritello. That thing is stunning. In one sense I'm certainly well-equipped with a Vesuvius at my primary residence, and a Minima at 2nd home. But I'm intrigued at the thought of some higher end options. I appreciate the machines that pay equal attention to the aesthetic as they do the engineering side of it, and could see myself going extremely analog (lever perhaps), or more on the technology driven side. Some might choke at the prices, but considering what grinders can go for, that puts things back in perspective.

@"Platypus"#p72978 The manument is well above 10k I believe.

@"chlorox"#p72990 Whoops, the budget may have to get even bigger!

@"Platypus"#p72994 Yeh, doesn't even get a vostok and a kafatek flat max!

A thought experiment - Your first choice of an espresso machine up to $10k USD

chlorox

Platypus
The manument is well above 10k I believe.

Platypus

chlorox

Whoops, the budget may have to get even bigger!

Adrianmsmith

Platypus

Yeh, doesn’t even get a vostok and a kafatek flat max!

DavecUK

I’ve been reading this thread with Interest…fortunately I already have my 1st choice of machine…the Evo2

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

Surely there is always room for a vostok, even if just to report on how much bigger it actually is in real life ☕🤪

That is a work in progress for me at least ; possibly not next year!!

HarveyMushman

Yeah I’d just keep my (original) Linea Mini.

The Kees single group lever is the only other machine that piques my interest but I’ll almost certainly never buy one.

Even then I’d probably keep the LM alongside it!

dfk41

HarveyMushman The Kees single group lever is the only other machine that piques my interest but I’ll almost certainly never buy one.

Why? Also, if you think the LM Mini is up there with them, is there not another LM model which appeals? I had a GS3 Auto once. Immense pride from owning it, but for me, little else……I think you can get decent coffee from almost any machine that does not have inherent design flaws, as long as you have the skill sets

HarveyMushman

dfk41

editing as I replied to your comment without reading it properly!

I’ve just always been a fan of KVDW machines since I saw a Speedster at a cafe in London about 10 years ago.

I guess the same reason I like my LM. It might not be any better than other machines, it just ticks boxes for me. And I like to buy stuff that ticks my boxes not other peoples.

As for the GS3. I’m not the biggest fan of how it looks. Same with the Leva X. I’d love an AV function my Mini though.

DavecUK

Adrianmsmith Surely there is always room for a vostok, even if just to report on how much bigger it actually is in real life ☕🤪

It simply will not fit under my Kitchen cabinets, even though Paolo reduced it’s height when I asked.

sketchy

It does make me wonder how many of these options that look impressive, if not exotic online would be underwhelming if you had a chance to use them side-by-side with some of the other contending options.

HarveyMushman

@dfk41 is correct with his comment about any machine making good coffee in the right hands.

If we all bought things solely for their maximum functional benefit though, life would be awfully boring.

Cuprajake

Once you get past a certain point they all make good coffee

It’s wants after that

sketchy

Cuprajake Most certainly. “Appeal” is an interesting combination of a functionality and form. Then there is the balance of tech. One can do amazing things as a result, but then there is a removal of feel. Somewhat analogous to driving a high-end sports car driving an amazingly fast dual clutch transmission, versus a proper manual gear box. The latter being slower, but almost always more satisfying.

Cuprajake

Once you get past a certain point they all make good coffee

It’s wants after that

LMSC

More than happy to keep our current set up - Evo 1, Duo and filters! 😊

sketchy

Perusing some of the resellers, and sorting by price in descending order, I see the usual suspects like LM Linea Mini, GS3, Synesso, Slayer single group and slayer steam single group, Victoria Arduino Prima One, along with some that seem more rare, like the Faema E61 JUBILE.

As much as I love the window shopping, I do feel my biases come into play since I’ve always enjoyed my Vesuvius. The Evo Leva and Vostok do seem intriguing.

chlorox

If I lived in a home that had a 1000 square foot kitchen and the income to buy and maintain it, then a LM LEVA X would be interesting but thay would cost way more than 10k usd. It doesn’t look that good to me, has a rear that is lacking in imagination, lacks a grouphead venting feature and have more plastic than it ought to in its construction for its cost but it is a total and revolutionary revisionising of the spring lever. The grouphead may look too much like a cross between an obstetrician’s equipnent and the uss enterprise throttle, but it is not just a standard lever grouphead adapted like the kees van der westen spriitello but something truly fresh and innovative. Everything else in the LM line is of no interest to me. Likewise for the kees van der weaten range with the notable exception of the Speedster with idrocompresso which is one of the most innovative and most beautiful espresso machines ever made, not to mention among the very best built ever from a fit and finish perspective. But it is also priced north of 10k too!
For me, my favourite real world machine for my real world budget is the nurri L type lever which comes in much less than 10k. does everything I want in an espresso machine well, makes superlative coffee easily and still looks the best to me.

sketchy

chlorox Excellent comments. And yes, that Nurri Leva is a beautiful looking machine.

HarveyMushman

I do love the Faema E61 but it would be a purely aesthetic decision and the side I’d see most of in my Kitchen is by far the less attractive!