Lloyd......also bear in mind there are not many wrong choices these days when it comes to equipment - especially when you go up in the performance categories, differences are minor/cosmetic/nuances, etc. They can all make good, even great coffee in the right hands. I can spend $250K on a roaster and it's still got plenty of problems long after it's been installed and commissioned - it's what you make of the situation and how you adapt. having played with just about every bit of kit released in the last 20 years, I roll my eyes at the ridiculously amplified, embellished, nonsense often sprouted by the "one eyed" brigade. That is, those that seem intent on rubbishing all other options except for the brilliant decisions they themselves had made in choosing, or even selling gear. Generally, I regard these people as proud parents with a new born child, except they themselves become the child when it comes to describing how and why when it comes to coffee equipment. It's the sheer volume of this nonsense that breeds abnormal levels of fear and insecurity in a new buyer's mind. Coffee is my business and I think about coffee all my waking hours, but I can't stand reading utter shite about equipment. Here are a few considerations. There are reliability issues with the most famous of brands......yep, that's right there are components that fail unexpectedly, regardless of all the engineering and evolution of the brand's equipment. Just like BMW, Mercedes or Audi you will find horror ownership and service history stories easily on the internet. Read enough of them and you'll never buy a car with those badges. No amount of research can help you in such cases and nobody can tell you upfront what the precise life-cycle costs will be for a specific brand of luxury vehicle, so the same rules apply for coffee equipment. There is no wrong decision and no regret. When faced with choices, you can only rely upon the facts that are available and separating facts from opinions. If the decision has a more emotive element such as style or appearance, then let it be emotional and as KK has said, nothing else matters. It's only coffee equipment, not a career change or life partner.
