Ascaso Steel Duo

Pros

• I've had a duo for 2 years now. Overall I am very happy with it. The machine is beautiful in person and it gives me a little joy every time I use it. The switches are very pleasing to use lol. 5 minute heat up is pretty accurate and can...
• I personally like the look of the spx in all black better than the steel duo. I did the wood accents.
• Espresso Machines: Lelit Elizabeth (previously mentioned, a great option), Profitec Move, Ascaso Steel Duo, Silva Pro X
• The Ascaso Steel Duo is pretty cool too, as already mentioned.
• This is the machine I’m thinking of buying. Don’t have to worry as much about scale buildup. And it heats up in less than 5 minutes as opposed to 30 for a boiler. ... downsides are steam isn’t as powerful, but is still good. Can still us...

Cons

• The steel duo has so much going for it, but the wetter, more anemic steam seems like a pretty major compromise.
• for that $2500ish look at the izzo alex duetto 4, quickmill vetrano or quickmill qm67 evo, profitec ride or pro400, lelit bianca v3, rancilio silva pro x, ascaso steel duo.
• An "upgrade path" could be considered to be to the Ascaso Steel Uno or Duo, with one or two thermoblocks. But note, no auto-milk steaming/frothing system. And warm up time of ~3-5 minutes (more with portafilter heating).
• My only complaint is that light roasts can be a challenge. Those can be a little erratic, perhaps due to the thermoblock losing temp throughout the shot. That and you need to have it on a 20 amp circuit due to the dual thermoblocks
• It’s a very interesting machine but I ultimately decided against it because of serviceability concerns and because many sources claim that the PID is not calibrated from the factory, meaning the temperature it shows can be off by a coupl...