Choosing an espresso machine - is pressure important?

[Fallingwater]

I'm trying to choose an espresso machine that'll make at least passable coffee. I'd like to spend about €100; more is possible, but anything above €150 is out of the question.
A friend who used to sell them told me that I should look at the pressure; according to her, the (few) machines that have 20bar pumps make better coffee than those that have 15bar ones.
Problem is, all the 20bar machines I saw cost between €100 and €150, but the really expensive ones (€500-600) all have 15bar pumps, and somehow I find it hard to believe that a €120 machine can make better coffee than a €600 one just because it has a pump capable of more pressure. Or to put it in another way, why do all the expensive ones use 15bar pumps if what my friend said is true?

Other than that, what's the difference between the €120-or-thereabouts machines and the €50 department-store specials?

Note that I'm in Italy, so advice about US-centric stores and brands is unlikely to be useful to me.

Thanks, and sorry for being an annoying newbie

 

[CCafe]

If your in Italy why worry about such trivial machines!?

Here's the thing, these styles of machines all use a vibration pump. Some pumps are rated at 15 bar while others are rated at 20 bar. Now your espresso isn't getting extracted at 15 or 20 bars. They all have some sort of bypass relief built in either they have a secondary tube going back to the reservoir or they dump the excess water down into the waste drawer.

To say a 20 bars makes better espresso then 15 bar is to say I make better espresso then you because I've been doing it longer. Its the advertising that should be scrutinized here. Manufactures have been doing this for a very long time. Simply put they are trying to sell you on a bigger number equals better performance. The same is true for vacuum cleaners. They used to say that a 15 amps cleaned better then a 12 amp machine. It might have a bigger motor on it but that doesn't equate to better cleaning. That's probably why your friend is trying to say 20 is better then 15.

Honestly your in the mecca for espresso. Finding a machine there that produces a quality shot shouldn't be that hard. You should try talking with your local cafe and see what they suggest for home use.