u/Danklotorious

For context I recently purchased a Breville Bambino Plus alongside a DF64 gen 2 grinder to kick off my home espresso setup. Everything worked great until my Bambino started having issues about a week ago. The manufacturer confirmed that it was defective and I was able to return the machine for a full refund. I’m now in the market for a new machine, and I feel quite a bit more knowledgeable and interested than I was a month ago. I make around 2 drinks per day on average, one straight espresso and one milk based drink. I’m not overwhelmed by modifications, but wouldn’t mind paying slightly more to avoid them. I liked my Bambino, don’t get me wrong, but I was a bit off put by the instant issues and mediocre build quality, with quite a bit of plastic. Im in the market for a space efficient premium feel and would love to experiment with a boiler setup and potentially a PID. I’m currently eyeing options like the Lelit Victoria or the Profitec Go, but would appreciate any input. Given my $1000 budget (can go over a bit if features justify it) what machines would you all recommend?