My apologies if this comes across as anything but info sharing...
IMO, for non-espresso prep, especially if you're willing to buy locally fresh roasted coffee, they'd be happy to grind it in their state-of-the-art grinder (just about every local roastery will have that exact same grinder). Just tell them how you plan to make coffee, pourover or press or..., and they'll know where to adjust the grind dial. Coffee geeks will say you must grind right before you brew and while that is ideal, it's not always possible (travel for instance) or if you want the best grind possible and rather not spend equivalent to a decent full suspension bike for one. Transfer the grind into smaller mason jars, should be good for at least a week or more...
For espresso, now we're talking... If you have about 20 mins or so, from start to cleanup... (less if you don't froth milk)
Again, grinder first... The best espresso grinder in its class is the OE Pharos (I had 2 of them, each adjusted for a different espresso machine):
http://www.oehandgrinders.com/PHAROS_c_22.html
If you want that same burr set in a motorized grinder, instead of cranking the handle yourself, the Compak K10 is $2K.
Those would be equivalent to almost every cafe's espresso grinder, but not quite state of the art. Just quickly... cafes serve medium/dark roasts (for lattes) and these grinders are great for that roast level and espresso blends. If you want to explore lightly roasted and/or single origins, then there are better grinders for that purpose. In short, the darker the roast, the easier it is; the lighter the roast, the more difficult (ie more $$$$).
As for the machine... They're just hot water delivery w/ a pump. Usually cost goes up as the espresso brew boiler gets larger (for temp stability) or more complicated electronics for various other things (temp, preinfusion...). Same goes for the steam boiler if it's a double-boiler machine; generally larger more $, all things equal. Then aesthetics (lots of chrome or chunky metals) and of course brand name. Most are made in Italy, assembled by Fiat moonlighters, they're pretty to look at and generally very reliable with normal basic maintenance. Just don't look under the hood...
I'd recommend these 2 reputable vendors as a starting point:
https://www.chriscoffee.com/
https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/
I'd be more than happy to lend out my Pharos as it's collecting dust for years as a backup and help you spend as much of your hard earned money as possible. It's fun to spend other people's money.
It's like bikes... if you're in it for the long haul, you're likely to regret having started w/ a "starter" bike and go thru many upgrades before settling on a bike. For a year or 2. You prob don't want to do that w/ espresso neither unfor as I have. And like bikes, there're tons of classifieds but decent and popular equipment often times not very discounted on the used market. Sometimes demos from above vendors are not much diff.
It seems to be an art
I’d have to get a real job!
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