Flair 58 Plus

I have both. They make different coffee. I use them on different beans. They both make good coffee, but “level” of coffee implies one tier when I think they occupy different tiers.

Weighing in as someone who switched from the same breville to a flair 58 pro - never had any issues and going on year 3. With it being manual there's a lot less moving parts that can break. It was a massive upgrade in being able to adjust water temp, change shot profiles, and dial in setting that are bean specific. The only downfall is 1) losing ability to steam milk and 2) does take more time. On average it takes me about 3min to pull a shot from weighing beans to cleaning but my espresso is much better and I have a much deeper understanding of espresso now too

Im at the same place than you. Preheating the brew chamber while preparing the rest adds maybe 2sec to my process?

I am using a Flair 58LE and a Nanofoamer Pro v2 I love it! Would recommend it 100%

Based on what you’ve said, it does sound like you’d be a good candidate for a lever machine. Generally I avoid recommending lever machines unless someone knows they want a lever machine but…for you it might make sense! A Robot or Flair Pro 58 would be a solid choice, and would definitely be enjoyable to use. You’ll need a Nanofoamer though. If you just want a pump machine and you need a small footprint I would recommend a De’Longhi Stilosa/ECP3420 or Gaggia Classic Pro. They are all very similar machines: simple construction, small 100ml (108 for GCP) boiler, single pump and steam wand. They are all very moddable which is an enjoyable experience if you like that kind of thing. The construction quality is solid on all three but the materials get a little better as you go up - Stilosa is heavy on the plastic but only costs $100, ECP3420 is metal but a thinner gauge and only $130, and GCP is a slightly thicker gauge metal for $500. Notably, you would need to upgrade the portafilter/basket and tamper on the De’Longhi machines, so their true cost is $50-100 higher depending on what you get.