It depends entirely on what you expect from it, and the honest answer splits in two.
What a cheap machine actually is
Under roughly 200 euros you get pressurised baskets — a valve behind the mesh that builds pressure artificially — and usually a panarello frothing sleeve.
That combination means the machine works on day one with supermarket pre-ground coffee and no grinder. It produces something recognisably espresso-shaped from almost any input.
Where it is a good buy
As a first step, to find out whether you enjoy making espresso before spending real money.
In a tiny kitchen, where a 15 cm machine fits and a 30 cm one does not.
For milk drinks, where the milk covers a lot.
Where it is a false economy
If you already own a grinder or intend to buy one, a cheap machine wastes it. Pressurised baskets make grind size nearly irrelevant, so a good grinder changes almost nothing.
Spending 250 on a machine with non-pressurised baskets and 200 on a grinder produces vastly better coffee than 200 on a machine and 250 on the beans.
The trap
Buying a cheap machine, being disappointed, and concluding that home espresso is not worth it. The machine was the compromise, not the idea.
What to avoid entirely
Machines with a built-in grinder under 300. Both halves are compromised.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026