However, the brand and model name of espresso machine is the information, which I desire to know because my $30 machine is suck and I need to replace a new one.
for 200 usd i would try krups. i am not sure if you can get a gaggia for that.... i have a krups for 6 years now and i like it. it is a good beginners mashine. i bought it for 100 usd here in europe, should be around that also in us
For 100 to 150 just go to walmart or any store and find model. Most of us are complainers about these models because we can afford to drop a few hundred to a few thousand depending on the type of machine. You will probably be pretty happy with what ever you buy. Just remember to feed it good coffee though! :evil:
As for a 15 bar pump. No, pressure is pressure... if the pump is going at 15 bars then the group is also pushing water out at 15 bars. One way to tell this to install a pressure gauge on a portafilter. Now being there are several different types you might have to come up with different ways of adapting your pressure gauge.
The other way I test pressure is from a fitting I designed. On machines like Jura Capresso you have plastic lines that feed water to the group. They usually have a John Guest fitting so with a little time and money you can adapt John Guest fitting with a few bigger fittings until it is big enough to attach a pressure gauge, thus allowing you to test the water pressure at the group.
The reason I made the fitting was for a machine that had a Procon pump, but you could not attach a pressure gauge to the wand. The wand was all one piece and you could not take off the spout. I needed to make sure it was set around 9 bars. After wasting 2 hours it tested about 9.75 bars maybe 10. But now I can test it in 30 seconds, it’s a nice tool to have.