Flair 58 Series

Flair 58. Heats up super quick really, and you get the benefit of flow control.

Flair will get you excellent espresso for that price, but you gotta put in a lot of work. That’s of course assuming OP already has a $400+ grinder which will be a requirement for any decent machine.

fellow robot owner: wouldn’t say machines obsolete. But I do think that or the flair are the best bang for your buck. The same price semi automatic is going to be much worse.

Get a flair espresso maker for about $150 , or find a secondhand one for less. Use costco beans. Buy a decent grinder either manual 1zpresso for the least expensive path, otherwise get a DF54 or look for secondhand again for cheapest option. All in, this would be less than $500 and possibly as low as $300. Espresso shots cost less than a dollar with this path. I assume you have a water kettle and scale.

58+2 (own this already), timemore sculptor 64s, morning dream steamer. This is my end game.. I love manual lever machine, hate manual grind, and still cannot steam milk properly on my stove steamer.

Just going to chime in and agree with everyone recommending a Flair. Got one for Christmas as a “dip my toe and see” about brewing espresso at home and the results have been shockingly excellent. Workflow is not ideal, but if you’re comfortable with an Aeropress this is similar.

I don't get it, doesn't using a 49mm stepdown basket (like the billet basket from SWORKS) on the Flair 58+ II produce the same exact results? That's my current set up. Or this is for those who don't own a flair and this can be a first purchase option?