Cafe espresso machines, October 2026
The best commercial espresso machines in Perth.
Two group, three group, or the machine people photograph. These are the commercial espresso machines we'd put on a Perth cafe bar right now, all sold and serviced here by Espresso Works. Tell us how many coffees you pour a day and we'll show you where to start.
Twelve machines, five Italian makers. Prices are approximate RRP, GST in. Buying one? Talk to us first.
Your size
How many coffees a day?
Size the machine for your busiest hour. About a third of the day's coffees go out in it, so 300 a day is roughly 100 in that hour.
Count a normal busy day. Opening soon? Use what you expect to be pouring in 12 months.
Two group or three group
Two group or three group?
Most cafes need a two group. A third group earns its place when the rush runs long and two baristas are on the machine at once.
Two group
Most cafes
- Up to about 300 coffees a day, or 80 in the busiest hour
- One barista flat out, or two sharing
- 630 to 750mm of bench
- A 20 amp single phase circuit for every two group here
- From about $6,600 in this list
- Less to clean, less to service
Three group
The long rush
- 300 coffees a day and up, or 80 and up in the busiest hour
- Two or three baristas on the machine at once
- 930 to 1,030mm of bench
- 20 to 32 amps, and some can run on three phase
- From about $7,700 in this list
- A bigger steam boiler keeps up when the milk orders stack
- Lose a group to a fault and two thirds of the bar keeps going
On the line between the two? Count baristas. If two people will be pulling shots at the same time for most of the morning, buy the third group.
From workhorse to elite
What more money buys you.
Every machine here makes good coffee. The price climbs with how steady the brew water stays through a rush, and how much of the barista's job the machine takes on.
From about $6,600
Heat exchanger
One big boiler makes the steam, and the water for each shot runs through a pipe inside it on the way to the group. Simple, strong steam. The brew temperature drifts a little as the rush goes on.
From about $14,900
Heat exchanger with PID
The same layout with a controller that holds the boiler to the degree, plus pre-infusion and a touch screen. XLVI's Steamhammer X and 55 Volante OZ.
From about $15,000
Dual boiler
A coffee boiler of its own, with the group heads sitting in it, so the water for every shot is the same temperature as the last. The XLVI STH9 and La Marzocco's Linea PB.
From about $30,300
A boiler for every group
Each group gets its own boiler and temperature, so you can run the house blend on one and a single origin on the next. Some add scales that stop the shot by weight.
The machines
Twelve machines. Three sizes.
Every one is in Espresso Works' range and serviced in Perth. Pick your size first, then pick from it.
Most cafes. Up to about 300 coffees a day.
Your size
ACM
Evolve Dark, 2 group
$6,600 approx. RRP
- 13.5L heat exchanger
- Programmable doses
- 20 amp
The lowest price here for a proper two group. Shot timers, joystick steam levers and automatic group cleaning. Made in Italy.
Ask us about this one
Rocket
Boxer High Group, 2 group
$8,500 approx. RRP
- 13.2L heat exchanger
- Volumetric
- 630mm wide
The narrowest two group in this list. High groups, pre-infusion, shot timers and a tempering valve for long black water. Hand-built in Milan.
Ask us about this one
Wega
Polaris Tron EVD, 2 group
$11,200 approx. RRP
- 12L heat exchanger
- Volumetric
- High cup
High cup groups, lit panels, an automatic group wash and a programmable hot water tap. Built by Wega near Treviso.
Ask us about this one
XLVI
Steamhammer X, 2 group
$14,900 approx. RRP
- 14L heat exchanger
- PID
- Touch screen
A heat exchanger with PID temperature control, pre-infusion and cool-touch steam wands. Runs on single or three phase.
Ask us about this one
La Marzocco
Linea PB AV, 2 group
$24,200 approx. RRP
- Dual boiler
- Saturated groups
- 20 amp
The machine a lot of specialty cafes run on. Separate 3.4L coffee and 7L steam boilers, dual PID, and scales as an option. Handmade in Florence.
Ask us about this oneOver 300 a day, or two baristas on the machine at once.
Your size
ACM
Evolve Dark, 3 group
$7,700 approx. RRP
- 20L heat exchanger
- Programmable doses
- 20 amp
Three groups for a little more than most two groups cost, and it still runs on a 20 amp circuit. 940mm wide.
Ask us about this one
Wega
Polaris Tron EVD, 3 group
$12,600 approx. RRP
- 17L heat exchanger
- Volumetric
- 25 amp
The two group above with a third group and a 17 litre boiler for the milk rush. It needs a 25 amp circuit.
Ask us about this one
XLVI
STH9 Total Black, 3 group
$15,000 approx. RRP
- Multi-boiler
- Saturated groups
- 32 amp
Separate brew and steam boilers, saturated groups and PID, for less than XLVI's own three group heat exchanger. Needs 32 amps or three phase.
Ask us about this one
La Marzocco
Linea PB AV, 3 group
$28,500 approx. RRP
- Dual boiler
- 5L and 11L
- 32 amp
The three group version of the specialty standard, with saturated groups and dual PID. It needs a 32 amp circuit.
Ask us about this oneA boiler for every group, and a machine that becomes part of the room.
XLVI
55 Volante, 2 group
$30,300 approx. RRP
- Boiler per group
- Two steam boilers
- PID
Independent saturated groups with their own temperatures, two steam boilers and electronic steam control. It's on special as we write this, so ask us for today's price.
Ask us about this one
La Marzocco
Linea PB X AV, 2 group
$31,500 approx. RRP
- Boiler per group
- Cool-touch wands
- 25 amp
The Linea PB with a 1.3L boiler for each group, dynamic pre-heating and Pro Touch steam wands. Scales are an option.
Ask us about this one
La Marzocco
Strada S ABR, 3 group
$44,700 approx. RRP
- Boiler per group
- Scales built in
- Low profile
Low enough to talk to customers over, with scales in the drip tray that stop each shot by weight or ratio. About $40,400 without the scales. Needs 32 amps.
Ask us about this oneHow we picked them
Every machine here comes from Espresso Works' current range, sold and serviced from their workshop in O'Connor. We chose twelve commercial coffee machines that cover a Perth cafe from its first year to its busiest, sorted them by size, and kept the specs as Espresso Works list them. The tags are only a guide: the right machine is the one that fits your bench, your power and your rush.
Written by the Brother of Mine wholesale team in Port Kennedy, WA. We've roasted for Perth cafes since 2017.
Prices are approximate recommended retail including GST, rounded to the nearest $100 and checked October 2026. They move, specials come and go, and some of these are built to order, so ask us for today's price before you budget on one or plan an opening date around it.
Before you pay
Four things to check first.
Your power
Every two group here runs on a 20 amp single phase circuit. The three groups and elite machines want 20 to 32 amps, and some run on three phase. Get an electrician to look at your board before you choose.
Your water
A commercial machine is plumbed in: a water line, a filter and a drain. Perth water is hard on boilers, so budget for the filter and its cartridges from day one.
Your grinder
Put the grinder in the same budget. The machine can only brew what the grinder gives it. Pick one from our top 10.
Your service
Espresso Works service everything on this page from O'Connor, and they offer finance and leasing. Book a service before you open, rather than in your first busy week.
Buying a machine? Talk to us.
Tell us which one you're looking at, or how many coffees you pour, and we'll help you size it. We buy through Espresso Works, so talk to us before you buy and we'll help with the price, the grinder to go with it and the introduction. No obligation.
Jos
DanYou get one of us. Machine, grinder and bar layout for new venues, before you spend a dollar.
Picking the grinder too? See the 10 best commercial coffee grinders and the grinder buying guide. Opening a cafe from scratch? Start with the cafe startup guide.