I have the 2nd gen (I think?) varia vs3 for my espresso grinder and itās been great for the past 2 years. I replace my eureka perfetto after it died on me. It was $299 but I think theyāre on sale now. Itās not a flat burr but it gets very fine Iāve choked my Lelit a few times going too fine.
Eureka perfetto - not amazing at anything. But does most things well. I really like mine - but have combined it with a commandante to get a dedicated filter grinder.
As Iām sure youāve seen itās about clarity vs body rather than flat vs conical. E.g. Eureka with espresso burrs or Philos with 189D will occupy the same space as the niche
Having said that, Iād suggest 064s with SSP MP or 078s with SSP, good high clarity flats
At your budget, you could do a Breville Bambino Plus and a Mignon grinder. That's what I have and it is plenty of grinder and machine below aficionado "I can taste the differences between Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa beans at any roast level."
Cheap machines are discussed so often here I keep a post: https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1pemyi9/comment/nshft26/
SUMMARY (US market):
* hand grinders: 1Zpresso Q Air Manual ($70) and KINGrinder K6 ($100)
* electric grinders: Baratza ESP ($200), MiiCoffee/Turin DF54 ($250), and any Eureka Mignon intended for espresso you can find refurbished or used
* espresso machines: Casabrews 3700 ($100), HiBrew H10B ($125), De'Longhi Dedica ($150), De'Longhi Classic($180), Breville Bambino ($250), Breville Bambino Plus ($400)
Saying cones are chocolate and flats are clarity isn't true. There is significant overlap between them. Flat burrs are also not better for espresso than cones. Look at the Lagom Casa or Turn SK40 or possibly something from the Eureka Mignon line
ashgreyt
