Cremina

That’s mine. Haven’t even looked at another since I got it. Occasional daydream about having a SL counterpart, but that’s just cloud talk.

I can second the love for a Cremina, and its BFL expectations, since it’s 100% mechanical. No PID, no firmware to ever update, not even a pump that might need replacement decades down the road. And the coffee out of it is phenomenal, once you get past the learning curve.

First of all you watched the wrong people on yt. It's coffee influencers. On yt money talks. All the reviews of machines it's not real user experience, they have the machine for 1 week, play a bit pull 2 shots and think they know all a about it. I suggest get a manual lever machine. A cremina, a Pavoni or a cafelat robot with a top of the line grinder. All this heat up under 10 min, the Cafelat is ready as fast as the water boils. Also a manual grinder like a kinu m47 it's awesome, small compact setup. I use a manual setup and the quality it produces can't be found in a coffee shop. I hope you consider. https://preview.redd.it/ve845w6lhzhg1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9759480de7adc0ba19d3618b28f96acfb8a2fc6b

Cremina is a power house when it comes to milk steaming power

This 100%. I've had one for several years now and love it. Total simplicity, great workflow, awesome shots. No complex and expensive PIDs or other electronics. Mine was built in 1978 and is still going strong. I'm going to put it in my will.

There are indeed certain manufacturers that have built a reputation and thrive with brand loyalty. La Marzocco can be considered as a modern day Apple having a cult following. Olympia Cremina is another product which is overpriced despite being a LaPavon in disguise! However a Vantro X1 is definitely different from other prosumer machines like an ECM/Profitec or a QuickMill or a Lelit Mara. I wouldn't compare them. More than flavor it is the durability, reliability and longevity of the parts fitted inside these machines.The thing that is often overlooked is the maintenance involved with espresso machines. I am not talking about the usual grouphead cleaning, decalcifying etc. but replacing gaskets, tubes, springs etc. Modern day machines have too much electronics built into it (chips with software) and they never last. How many times do our laptops/mobiles become non-responsive and need hard reset?! Likewise at some point, the parts (LCD screen, touch sensor etc.) would fail and when you look for repair services, it would be like repairing a budget laptop under 10k. Repairing would cost you the same as a new one or even more! Replacement of parts would be most economical but non-standard parts would be difficult to find. The classic machines are fully mechanical and have only electrical components like diodes, relays etc. The parts of patented E61 machines which first appeared in the market in 1961 are still being produced and are abundantly available. The cool thing is, if you know how to fix a tap in your home, you can easily disassemble the whole machine yourself and replace parts easily with a wrench and screwdriver set. I say this from my experience. These machines are built for easy maintenance and to last another world war unlike those cheap ones out there.

olympia cremina will last longer than you

Hot take— Olympia Cremina. Can find them used for $1200-1800 depending on condition and age. The first day or two will be a little fiddly as you get it down. After that, consistent shots won’t be an issue and it doesn’t take me any longer to pull a shot than my Rancilio does. Honestly I would argue direct levers are more forgiving because if your grind size is off, you can still make it work. Now the best part: it’ll last you a lifetime. There really isn’t much to it— a heating element and a switch are the only electronic parts. Even the pressure stat is mechanical. Just swap the piston gaskets out once a year or so, takes 10 minutes.

Olympia Cremina, slightly modded