I like Fellow - we use a Fellow kettle & Fellow grinder. But: their v1s have gaps. Recent history is littered with espresso machines trying to hit this price point. You will do better with nearly any machine with single boiler (for water, leave the milk frothing to the stovetop!) and e61 group head.
Disagreeing on a few points. E61 groupheads are literally the part that definitely needs to evolve, there are hundreds of E61-machines on the market and it hasn’t evolved for decades, even though there are quite a few improvements needed. I’m trilled brands like Arkel and Fellow are doing that.
Standard single and double boilers at this pricepoint can be very energy-consuming. This is also an area where espressomachines have innovated very slowly over the past few decades. Any innovation is welcomed in my book. Like the induction boiler on a Heylo (very different pricepoint, 5k)
What I would like to see for a current standout espressomachine myself is one with good quality innovative machinery, a non E61 one, with a high repairability score (like Arkel), innovative heating and customisation (which Fellow delivers upon - or via a lever-), sustainably made to last a lifetime.
And if I can really push it to the limits: a machine that can be easily adapted in the future for new innovations by the user or a brand-dealer/distributor. 🙏
Given this would be more ornamental than practical in the short term, plus [waves arms at economy], I will be waiting. [moves Jira ticket to “Blocked”]
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