Mara X V2 PL62X

Get a [Lelit MaraX ](https://majestycoffee.com/products/lelit-mara-x-v2-pl62x)it is a temp stable HX. 1699 USD This Rocket HX becomes super hot, then you have to do cooling flushes. IMO it is too much money for old tech, HX are too much guess work. Knowing the country would help, guessing US? On the MaraX they put a temp probe in the group head, to can choose to regulate the temp of the steam boiler via this probe. It will somewhat diminish the steam pressure at times, but it also has programming for this. Read up on it, it is very cool. There are also dual boilers, where it has separate boilers for steam and coffee water. More precise and stable. Then you have single boilers, but you have to switch the same boiler between brew water and steam. So a wait up to 2 minutes after brewing a shot before you can steam. [Lelit Elizabeth](https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/products/lelit-elizabeth-espresso-machine) How about a grinder? Baratza Vario W+ is grind by weight, 54mm flat burr (ceramic) good price point for those specs. If you want a design that fits the e61 gor for Eureka Specialita, 55mm flat burr timed grinder

We’ve had our Lelit Mara X V2 since December last year, and we wouldn’t trade it for any other machine in its class. Like you, we make coffee almost exclusively for ourselves (99% of the time), but we’re seriously invested in the home barista hobby. That said, if we ever decided to upgrade to a dual boiler machine, we’d most definitely stick with Lelit. They’re the reliable workhorse of the home espresso world… built tough, Italian craftsmanship, and consistently praised for performance in the prosumer segment. Will there be a gripe here and there about Lelit? Of course there will be, but the same goes for any and all manufacturers without a single exception. Lelit is a solid choice. https://preview.redd.it/n8j6fffctcjg1.jpeg?width=1636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78cae23bb713a8ee6952829b931ea9c3b3653600

We love our Lelit Mara. 👍🏽

I’ve got a Lelit too, a Mara, and we also love ours.

The Breville Dual Boiler’s steam wand simply lacks the power and performance I expected compared to other machines in its class and that’s ultimately why I returned mine. For roughly the same price, I switched to a Lelit Mara X, and it outperforms the Breville dramatically in every way, especially with steaming. https://preview.redd.it/x9z1lzejw9dg1.jpeg?width=2181&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05e3416b6d1934e19db5429eae29a6d904e1bc67

Look, before we start comparing apples to oranges, let’s get the straight facts on the Breville Dual Boiler machines. Yeah, it lights up and SAYS “ready” quickly with tons of folks timing it at 3-7 minutes from ice cold for the brew side and lights to go green. Someone can technically pull a shot that fast but for everything to actually be dialed in with the boiler fully pressurized so you can brew and steam at the same time, group head and portafilter properly soaked and hot? Most people (and even Breville’s own testing vibes) suggest giving it at least 15 minutes. Anything less and your first shots or milks will absolutely not meet peak performance (I know, I owned one). The idea that it’s instantly café-ready for a perfect latte with killer rosetta art right off the bat? No chance!, that’s full-throated BS. Now flip to the Lelit Mara X V2… this thing’s an HX with a classic industry favorite heavy E61 group head, so yes, the luxuries of the gold standard comes with taking little longer to get “everything” thermally stable from dead-cold, usually around 20 minutes or better (with users landing in the 20-25 range a lot). It naturally depends on the ambient temperature. The heavy brass group head needs time to heat through. But here’s the fun part! If you’re judging by the same lax “it’s lit, let’s pull a shot” standard some Breville fans use, you can often yank a decent espresso from the Mara X in under 10 minutes (5 or 6 minutes in brew-priority mode), but for real consistency (especially back-to-back shots or milk drinks) the full wait is where it shines, and once it’s there, it’s gold-standard stable temp for killer, repeatable espresso. Bottom line? The Mara X takes roughly 5 to 10 minutes longer to hit full optimal temperatures than the Breville. But honestly, who cares about a few extra minutes when you just slap either one on a smart plug (or use the Breville’s built-in auto-start timer) and schedule it to fire up before you’re even out of bed? Machine’s piping hot and ready when you stumble in, no waiting, just straight to great shots and latte art with any espresso machine.

Mara X v2 here. I have figured out a workflow to make two back to back every morning and it’s been fine. When I’ve had to do more, my temps start fluctuating and I lose consistency.

While I think the common recommendation here of a Bambino+ is a very good one and I 100% agree with it, I would like to push back a little bit on the folks saying that quality differences in the espresso don't matter anymore once you add milk. While milk can cover quite a bit of bitterness and other bad qualities in a shot, a well done Latte does showcase some of the good coffee qualities nicely so a good bean and a good grinder will definitely show through. I moved from a super cheap 10yo DeLonghi to a Mara X v2 and from a Breville Smart Grinder to a K6 and I can taste both upgrades in a Latte with the same beans. I doubt I would taste the difference between a Bambino+ and the Mara - the Bambino has PID, better pressure control and a 3-way solenoid so on mid-dark beans, there is no reason why the Mara X is better ... all it does is it just looks nicer while making it ;). And the DF54 is already a pretty good grinder so I agree with most users here, I just don't like the snobby undertone of "once you add milk, you can use instant Folgers ..." :)

It's very unusual for someone to have both a Micra and Decent on their short list, since they are totally different types of machines. Micra is a flat 9 bar machine. The only variables you can adjust are yield and temperature. Someone who wants to experiment with profiling should not be considering it. Decent is the total opposite, and lets you vary all possible parameters in real time as the shot pulls. Micra and ECM Synch are built like tanks. Decent also has good build quality. FS1 doesn't necessarily have bad build quality (it's too soon to tell), but someone who is interested in build quality would be better served with the other 3 machines. If you find the lower cost of FS1 attractive, then also consider Profitec Move or Jump. I suggest you make a list of all the things you don't like about your Mara X that you would want to be improved with an upgrade. Then, prioritize the things on that list. This should make it much easier to decide. This exercise might also indicate that sticking with your Mara X, or possibly upgrading it with flow control, might give you all you need.

With a Mara X, unless your physical dexterity is much better than mine, you aren't going to steam and brew simultaneously with it. The disadvantage of Profitec GO for milk drinks isn't the lack of simultaneous brewing and steaming. It's the wait time and faffing around required for switching the boiler from brewing to steaming, and later from steaming back to brewing. Find some video reviews of the GO and carefully study that transition (in both directions). Then decide if you can stand it or not. If you can, the GO may be better for light roasts. You might also want to look at Quick Mill Pop Up AKA Lucca Tempo. It adds flow control which can be helpful for light roasts.

HX is the brewing technology that is used in the Cellini and other espresso machines. It isn't directly related to use of plastic. HX technology has evolved considerably in the past 25 years, and HX machines such as Profitec Jump or Lelit Mara X are much more technologically advanced than the Cellini, and have better temperature stability. However, all semi-auto machines with pumps, such Cellini, use plastic water tanks, and plastic water lines to connect the tank to the pump. The only way to avoid that is to go with a manual lever machine that lacks both a water tank and a pump.