I have an Oracle at home which is dual boiler and a bambino for the van. Yes there is a difference, is it worth the £1500 extra and the weight and fragility? Probably not. The coffee is great and unless you are really really serious about your coffee, water, puck prep then the difference is so minor there isn’t anything in it.

Would I pay the same amount for a thermoblock as a dual boiler? Nope.

It makes espresso but can add water for Americano and has a steam wand for latte and cappuccino making. But pot coffee no not really.

If you are blowing the seal around the shower head, it is usually because you are locking the portafilter in too tightly. It doesn’t actually need to be fully locked right over. But yeah it’s an easy fix. My issue with the sage is that it starts the slippery slope of realising what good coffee is and then you need better beans and a better this and that. The sage is an amazing piece of equipment, well made and will last years and years being reliable and consistent.

Personally I would always recommend a ‘Sage’ or in the US ‘Breville’ Barista Express. Regularly on sale on Amazon on Black Friday or whatever but easy to setup and use for someone with no experience and simple to use daily. Was always rated as one of the best consumer espresso machines on the market.

This is generally a problem with hand grinders and leads to uneven grind. One way I have seen other similar grinders resolve it is by having a metal frame at the bottom the helps stop the twist. Yours doesn’t have one so there is probably no easy way to fix this issue.