Multiple Brands - Gemilai, Miicoffee, Turin - CRM3007L (G3007L)

Legato V2/Apex V2/G3007L (many names). Comes out of the box with programmable PID temp control for both brew and steam, programmable pre infusion, adjustable OPV, a separate thermoblock for steaming (so instant heat up and no temp surfing, plus a ton of steam power), and even a hidden flow control (although finicky). All on a pretty solid chassis, with a fairly thick stainless steel exterior, 550ml stainless steel boiler, and stainless steel brew group and portafilter. Only downsides are that the steam wand is not double walled (so it’s a burn hazard) and it only has one pump (so even though there are two heating units, only one can be used at a time). All for $400-500 USD. Turin also offers some E61 machines that theoretically are a steal, like an E61 dual boiler for $1600, but I have no idea what they’re like and that’s a lot of money to risk.

If you are going to really get into barista/espresso hobby may as well jump right to mid tier. I would do the turin legato/miicoffee apex and buy a DF64v with the rest. Then call it a day This way you get all the capacity to play around with tons of factors but also if you don't like the hobby you have a easy workflow for good coffee and still under 1000