Odyssey Espresso - Argos

I ordered an Odyssey Argos spring lever at the top end of your budget. I’d recommend a Flair58+2, good kettle and a Nanofoamer (if you like milk drinks). Then spend the rest on the best grinder you can afford. You will get unbeatable shots and learn a lot.

I have a robot and an argos and I really like them both, but back to back shots isn’t great for either of them. The Argos is ok if you want two drinks at a time, but anything more and it’s pretty bad

I can only get 3 shots and 2 steams before i run out of water, then you have to steam the pressure off before you can refill it. I’m the only coffee drinker in my house so it’s perfect for me, and it really is a joy to use.

Yeah, Personally, I think the most forgiving dial-in -- and most versatility -- comes with hybrid spring levers. The pump pre-infusion, the ability to decide when to release the spring (based on time-to-first drip, basket fill-rate, etc), and the ability to modulate pressure by manipulating the lever -- all these let you adapt to a shot and gives you a good intuitive sense of where to adjust grind/dose, all in real-time. Yes, it's a manual process. I personally think it's easier (and more fun) than *programming* a machine at the crack of dawn. But, YMMV. That said, some Thoughts and Feelings ^(tm) about machines: **Bezzera Strega** - My personal runner-up, great value for money - But, requires some tinkering IMHO: - Fairly temp stable but needs a PID (fairly straightforward) - No OPV for pre-infusion; Ulka vibe pump is duty cycle limited to 11bar, which is too high for my tastes. I would prefer to replace the pump and install an (adjustable) OPV - no exhaust solenoid. Some crazy nut installed one, though, with a button no less! **Nurri Leva** - Well, I ordered one :P - Caution: uses La San Marco (55mm) grouphead. A dearth of accessories. **Londinium R24** - The original hybrid spring lever. - Incredible in cup - clumsy engineering and janky manufacturing. relies heavily on a british contract CM that is...not robust. **Profitec Pro 800** - A really well-executed dipper - A bit pricey? Lack of pump pre-infusion is unfortunate given cost - You can plumb in, but pre-infusion still limited to boiler pressure **Londinium Vectis** - Compact dipper style spring lever - great in concept, fast heat-up time - limited shot volume, needs lower doses, thin on body, great in-cup, small boiler which is moderate levels of ass-pain to re-fill. - launched during pandemic, has the QA woes to show for it. recent iterations have improved many of the issues plaguing it (defective grouphead casting, self-destructing pstats), but again relies on a contract CM that is not keeping up. **Odyssey Argos** - Spring or direct lever dipper style - Best bang for the buck of all time? - Basically unobtainium due to huge popularity/lead time. - temp stable via PID control of boiler pressure, comes at the expense of steam stability (but you don't care about milk steaming) - pain in the ass to re-fill the boiler - Very clever air bleed system enables multi-pull Fellinis to increase shot volume, without destroying the puck.

The Linea Micra is supposed to be up to temperature in 5 minutes (versus maybe 29 for my Mini). The Odyssey Argos in 7 minutes. And as others have said, thermoblock-based machines are basically walk to.

I have the argos 2nd hand, in europe too. Indeed long term support might be an issue, but there is a very active community online that helps each other out. I really like the ultra fast heat-up time. Switch it on and within 5 minutes i can pull a shot. And the absence of a motor running makes me smile every time I use my argos. Just the sound of coffee dripping in my cup. Also, i dont drink milk-based drinks so steaming wand is not needed for me. Small boiler is a little bit annoying as it needs very frequent refills. As long as you dont have a big party to serve the argos is really cool. (I have a gaggia on the side when i need to serve multiple coffees)

Odyssey Argos, once you go lever espresso a push button will seem so lacking

my Odyssey Argos heats up in six minutes

I've got an Argos Lever right next to my LMLM. It's a fun second machine. A bit over the $1000 budget but it's got great features.

Lots of different ways you can go. For a traditional flat pressure shot, no milk drinks, I would go with a Rancilio Silvia and find one with a PID already installed to avoid temp surfing. If you want a little more room for experimentation, Quick Mill Pop Up or Lucca Tempo (same thing) offers flow control on a similar chassis. I do think you seem an excellent candidate for a lever machine with an integrated boiler like the Odyssey Argos, if you’re open to it. Grinders are very much a personal preference. Two considerations would be preferred roast level, and preferred hopper design. If you want a single doser for light roasts, I would point you to the Lagom P80. A good single doser for dark roasts might be the Niche Zero. If you’re not sure which you’d prefer, or you know you like both, I’d get a Mazzer Philos and experiment with different burr sets. Large hopper grinders tend to lean towards darker roasts, as they tend to perform well even when exposed to air and light, while light roasts lose flavor fast. A grind by weight option is ideal, the Ceado E37S is my pick in your price range, although you could consider the E37J if you want to experiment with easily accessible 64mm burrs. Edit: I should also throw out the the Fellow ES1. It’s a super new machine so not a lot of info on reliability, and I haven’t personally used it, but theoretically it’s the dream single-boiler machine.

I would get a lever machine with an attached steam wand like an Argos Odyssey or La Pavoni Europiccola. Pretty much ideal for traditional espresso paired with a high end traditional grinder.

GCP is a dang simple machine. Basically a pressure vessel, pump and valve.  You'll be just fine, there's a whole discord for gaggiuino install help too.  Fwiw: it was a Gaggiuino or the Argos Odyssey for me. And I picked the Gaggiuino so others in the house could also make espresso without a new training course. The Gaggiuino has far more capability than I'll need to use.