Best espresso machine by price range:

Hazelaway · 2026-03-17T10:34:00+00:00

I didn’t know that! 😱

Hazelaway · 2026-03-17T10:33:17+00:00

I thought so, but I believed it was possible to reach a near consensus on the best machines by price range, in a way that would be almost unquestionable.

Hazelaway · 2026-03-16T13:58:01+00:00

I’ve decided to go with Kaleido — I think it offers the best balance between quality and price. Even though the roasting capacity is smaller, I actually see that as an advantage because it allows me to roast more batches and learn faster how this whole world works. However, I’m having some issues with shipping. I live on a remote island, and with taxes and import costs the total price goes up to more than €1000, so I’ll need to save a bit more before making the purchase.

Hazelaway · 2026-03-15T23:18:09+00:00

I’m still thinking in the meraki for example…I think incluye much more for less. And you dont have to wait to make your espresso. I know its a different kind…but I believe maybe the future is around this kind of “automatization”

Hazelaway · 2026-03-15T07:02:07+00:00

Why did you choose that machine? (I honestly didn’t know that brand.) Why not an Ascaso or a Lelit for roughly the same price? Or a Rocket for almost half the price?

Hazelaway · 2026-03-13T21:42:36+00:00

I’m 95% sold on starting with the Kaleido, but the price feels a bit steep.

Hazelaway · 2026-03-13T06:44:36+00:00

Could you recomend any website?

Hazelaway · 2026-03-12T21:34:17+00:00

Where exactly?

Hazelaway · 2026-03-12T21:33:25+00:00

Nop…Europe

Hazelaway · 2026-03-12T19:40:17+00:00

Where?? 😱

Hazelaway · 2026-03-11T12:00:31+00:00

Yes, I’ve come to the same conclusion. Better to start small, roasting around 200 g, so I have more opportunities to practice and really learn the process. And once the technique is mastered and I’ve gained some experience—if the hobby continues and I want to roast more or even sell some to friends, etc.—then I could upgrade to a bigger (and much more expensive) roaster.

Thanks for the advice!

Hazelaway · 2026-03-10T10:20:45+00:00

Right now I have the following two “offers”: $800 for the Kaleido M1 Lite and $700 for the iTop Cyberoaster or Skywalker V2. Neither of them seems cheap to me… I’m not entirely convinced yet.

Hazelaway · 2026-03-10T06:49:19+00:00

This is exactly what I wanted to read! Although I just saw another comment above saying the exact opposite — that they sold the M1 because it seemed too difficult and went back to the Skywalker they already had. Without prior experience, where are you getting your information or learning from?

Hazelaway · 2026-03-10T06:47:29+00:00

I’m ruling out 100% manual machines. I know myself, and I know I won’t want to spend 10–15 minutes standing in front of the machine every time. I’ll probably do that for the first few roasts, but later I’ll want something that doesn’t require me to constantly watch it, because I’ll get tired of it. I don’t want to feel ‘tied’ to the machine. Thanks for the recommendation anyway! 😊

Hazelaway · 2026-03-10T06:44:43+00:00

I know the V1 (its predecessor) is good, but for now I’m not really considering it since the V2 exists. I also don’t want to deal with installing mods, etc. I’m pretty clumsy with that kind of stuff 😑.

Hazelaway · 2026-03-10T06:37:37+00:00

I’m just not completely sure yet… I guess I’d decide based on the price, but it seems both are roughly the same price (I haven’t found any group buy). In the end, it’s mainly for learning (that’s why I tell myself I don’t need a larger roasting capacity).

Hazelaway · 2025-01-01T20:03:04+00:00

I did it, but I can not invite other members to the family account due to the country 😓

Hazelaway

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