Profitec Pro 600
I agonized over which machine in the Profitec lineup to go for. I emailed and called Ciaran to discuss features and get advice. The clincher to go for a more expensive machine was when Ciaran advised "you'll have this for 20-30 years". Um, how old will that make me?! When I realized I would be looking at it on my counter for a quarter of a century I made a model out of cereal boxes, put it on the counter and consulted my wife. She asked me if I wanted a Blue Peter badge.
Delighted with the machine. Even my poorest shots taste great. The machine extracts flavour so well that they have the taste and texture I would expect in a specialist cafe. I accelerate the warmup by pulling a few water shots once the boiler reaches temperature. I can disable the steam boiler when I'm not heating milk. The combination of temperature readings and timer on the PID, and pressure gauges mean I have good information on what is going on; on my previous Gaggia Classic (also bought from Home Coffee Machines, 11 years ago) I was operating blind. Conclusion: a better machine definitely gives better coffee, and it's more fun it you enjoy the process.
BTW, I had a minor problem; turned out to be user error. But I called Ciaran and he helped me identify and resolve in minutes. If I had bought off Amazon or Brown Thomas, who would I have called?