Ahhhhhhhhh espresso. My other love other than Porsches and my family.
I'm a fiend for good equipment. At home I've got an Izzo Alex Duetto II (a dual boiler PID controlled rotary pump marvel) and a Mazzer Mini E grinder.
My old Expobar Megacrem (which was matched to a Compak K8 Silenzio).
My old Rancilio Silvia (matched to a pair of Rocky grinders), with Auber PID controller.
At my cafe, I've got a 3 group Ruggero (basically a customised Expobar), with individual boiler and PID per group, 1x Mazzer Robur grinder for house blend and 2x Mazzer Kony doser grinders for single origin and decaf. I've also got a Yama tower for cold drip coffee.
(my manager in the foreground)
At my office and in the staff kitchen at my bakery, I've got a more simple setup... 2x Saeco Royal Cappuccino super autos.. Convenience plus. (no photos of these though, they're nothing to write home about)
The secret to good espresso is fresh beans and a good grinder, and knowing what to do with them .. The quality/price of the machine comes last, so as long as it can create acceptable temperature and pressure, if the rest of the process is up to scratch, you'll get a half decent cup.
A good start is a Rancilio Silvia. Although the price of these has gone up, you simply can't get a proper commercial quality machine at home for any less. You can retro fit an Auber PID controller to make brew and steam temp more accurate, although this pushes the price of the whole setup closer to some other superior home machines. The matching Rancilio Rocky grinder isn't too bad, but it can clump the grinds up. A Compak or Baratza grinder is a good step up, or a Mazzer grinder for the big spenders.
As for temp, all of my machines are set at 91-92 degrees Celsius, as this suits the custom blend i have made for my cafe (and subsequently use at home, office and bakery), with the exception of the super autos.. They aren't as customisable in their programming. I've found in the past that 91-94 degrees Celsius is the sweet spot for most coffees beans, although it pays to experiment if your machine has the temperature tuneability.
Ps if you want the best of the best, look up the Kees Van Der Westen Speedster.