leitch
Feelin' a bit rrranty
@Tubbsy go the Linea Mini or a GS3. Otherwise go for a comparable dual boiler+rotary pump model from ECM et al. If you want something that looks fucking baller, go for a KVDW Speedster.
At this level, serviceability is going to be the main differential. Coffeesnobs heroes will say you need a Slayer for pressure profiling etc but it's a total wank, a completely uncontrollable variable, and you will not miss it one bit. What you will miss is being able to make coffee at home when your made-in-Portland-by-a-drunk-hippie machine shreds the 5th group head pin seal and is unusable for another 3 months.
La Marzoccos are reliable as hell and on the odd occasion that something goes wrong (and usually it's the steam wand tap because it's been used every day for the last 10 years), parts are readily available and they're easy to work on. Same goes for the various E61 machines.
Think of it like a bike, you wouldn't spend $6k something boutique and unproven with patchy support like a Deviate, would you?
At this level, serviceability is going to be the main differential. Coffeesnobs heroes will say you need a Slayer for pressure profiling etc but it's a total wank, a completely uncontrollable variable, and you will not miss it one bit. What you will miss is being able to make coffee at home when your made-in-Portland-by-a-drunk-hippie machine shreds the 5th group head pin seal and is unusable for another 3 months.
La Marzoccos are reliable as hell and on the odd occasion that something goes wrong (and usually it's the steam wand tap because it's been used every day for the last 10 years), parts are readily available and they're easy to work on. Same goes for the various E61 machines.
Think of it like a bike, you wouldn't spend $6k something boutique and unproven with patchy support like a Deviate, would you?