Again, very valid points, FC, however, getting into my pragmatic mood, most people would say that, all else being equal, most $50 bottles of wine will taste better than a $25 bottle. However, they may rationalise that it doesn't taste twice as good, and therefore can not justify the expense, particularly for a consumerable. You may then argue, why do people, then, spend $2000 on a TV, if the picture is not TWICE as good as a $1000 telly? Perhaps it is status, perhaps it is perceived quality, I don't really know. But in terms of espresso, I would still contend that most people have not had fantastic espresso, but think the coffee they get (you know, the skim double decaf latte with a twist of lemon) IS fantastic because they haven't had any different. Therefore, if the $400 machine can produce a similar result, then, in their minds, they are making fantastic coffee at home. I must say there is nothing wrong with this approach anyway as it is all in the mouth of the beholder. As they say, the best wine is the one you like the best. Another point is that, for most people, I would contend that coffee just isn't important enough to justify the $2000+ spend, but justifies the <$1000 spend. For others, including myself, there is an element of trying the <$1000 first to determine if the passion is maintained for the home espresso (in my case, it definately is) before the increased spend on the upgrade. One final point is that, comparing to other consumer goods such as hi-fi's, cars, etc, is that people see the more expensive hi-fi's or tv's in their local department store, and other retail outlets alongside the cheaper versions. Therefore there is a more common point of comparison. I can walk into the local David Jones and compare the $2000 Grundig TV to the $500 Palsonic and make my own judgement. However, at the same department store, I can only compare home espresso machines ranging from $100 - $600 or so. As a general consumer, how would I know that I can spend more on a machine? How would I know what E61 means? Personally, I don't even know where my closest retailer of the upper models of espresso machines is (apart from www.). See my (many and laboured) points? Cheers Patrick
