Quick Answer: The Flair 58 Plus 2 ($699, or $524 factory-refurbished) is a manual lever espresso maker with a full commercial 58mm portafilter, an electric preheat controller, and an all-stainless brew path. It’s the only Flair 58 variant Flair Espresso currently sells — the original Flair 58 and Flair 58 Plus have been folded into this one model. Per Coffee Chronicler’s thermocouple-based long-term testing, though, the heated chamber doesn’t heat evenly: the bottom runs roughly 87-88°C while the top runs significantly hotter, and the frame measurably flexes above 4-6 bars of pressure.
The Flair 58 shows up as the top pick in nearly every manual-espresso roundup on this site, and it’s earned that spot — a real 58mm commercial portafilter on a lever machine under $700 is still a genuinely rare combination. But “best overall” and “flawless” aren’t the same claim, and two things worth knowing before you buy rarely make it into the marketing copy: which Flair 58 you’re actually buying, and what independent thermocouple testing found inside the brew chamber. (Shopping the whole lineup? See our best Flair espresso maker guide.)
Flair 58 Plus 2, by the numbers
| Spec | Flair 58 Plus 2 |
|---|---|
| Price | $699 new, $524 factory-refurbished |
| Portafilter | 58mm, commercial-standard |
| Temperature control | Integrated electric preheat, 3 settings (dark/medium/light roast) |
| Brew chamber | 90ml capacity, 16-20g dose, up to 55ml yield |
| Materials | All-stainless brew path, walnut portafilter and tamper |
| Weight | ~12 lbs (5.4kg) |
| Warranty | 5-year limited |
The number worth anchoring on is 58mm — the same portafilter diameter used on commercial café machines, which means baskets, tampers, and accessories transfer freely if you ever upgrade to a pump machine or already own one. That’s the Flair 58’s core pitch, and per Flair Espresso’s own specs it’s real: nothing about the 58mm brew group is scaled down for the home-lever format.
The Flair 58 Plus 2, tested
Flair 58 Plus 2
- Electric preheat controller with three roast-matched settings — a real convenience upgrade over earlier Flair 58 generations.
- Full 58mm commercial portafilter shares baskets, tampers, and accessories with café machines.
- All-stainless brew path and a real-time pressure gauge for shot-to-shot feedback.
- Per independent thermocouple testing, the brew chamber heats unevenly and the frame flexes above 4-6 bars.
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In daily use, the Flair 58 Plus 2 delivers on its core promise: a genuine 58mm commercial brew group, driven entirely by hand, producing shots that can match or beat an entry-level pump machine when the technique is right. The lever action is smooth and well-geared, the pressure gauge gives real feedback through the pull, and the all-stainless brew path means nothing but metal touches your espresso from kettle to cup. The electric preheat controller — the headline upgrade over the original Flair 58 — is a genuine convenience: three settings tuned to dark, medium, and light roasts remove some of the guesswork earlier Flair owners had to manage by feel.
The naming trap is worth clearing up before you shop. Flair has iterated the 58mm line twice: the original Flair 58 launched with no built-in preheat option, the Flair 58 Plus added an optional electric preheat element as an add-on, and the Plus 2 you can buy today folds that preheat controller — plus simplified wiring and a smaller power supply — into the standard package. Flair Espresso’s current site confirms the Plus 2 is the only Flair 58 variant it sells new. If you’re comparing an older review or a used listing described simply as “the Flair 58,” you’re likely reading about a different, discontinued configuration — worth confirming which generation you’re actually buying, especially secondhand.
The honest catch, and it’s a real one: Coffee Chronicler’s long-term review put thermocouples directly in the brew chamber rather than trusting the marketed “preheat controller” claim at face value, and found a genuine temperature gradient — the bottom of the chamber measured only about 87-88°C while the top ran significantly hotter, meaning light roasts that need the full 92-97°C window can require a 3-5 minute wait before pulling. The same testing found the frame flexes above roughly 4-6 bars of pressure, tilting the portafilter enough to produce a visibly off-center extraction stream through a bottomless basket. Neither issue is disqualifying — the reviewer still called it “the most capable manual espresso maker” for accessory compatibility — but both are the kind of unglamorous, testing-verified detail that separates an honest review from a spec-sheet rewrite.
How it compares
| Flair 58 Plus 2 | Cafelat Robot | Flair 49 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $699 | ~$599 | ~$349 |
| Portafilter | 58mm commercial | ~58mm | 49mm |
| Heated chamber | Yes, electric preheat (uneven per testing) | No — passive decline only | No — manual kettle preheat |
| Workflow | Manual water purge needed | Simply drains, no purge | Manual, fully mechanical |
| Best for | Heated-chamber techniques, commercial accessories | Simpler, more predictable workflow | All-manual value, no plastic brew path |
- Get the Flair 58 Plus 2 if the 58mm commercial portafilter and heated-chamber techniques like extended pre-infusion matter most — see our best manual espresso machine guide for how it stacks up against every lever we’ve covered.
- Get the Cafelat Robot instead if you want a simpler, no-purge workflow with a more predictable temperature decline, per Coffee Chronicler’s side-by-side testing.
- Consider the Flair 49 Pro instead if you want the no-plastic, all-stainless Flair experience for roughly half the price and don’t need the 58mm commercial portafilter — see our best Flair espresso maker guide.
Who should buy it
Buy the Flair 58 Plus 2 if you want a lever machine with a genuine commercial-standard 58mm portafilter — so your accessories transfer if you later add a pump machine — and you’re willing to work around a brew chamber that heats unevenly rather than perfectly. It’s also the right pick if extended pre-infusion and other heated-chamber techniques matter to your workflow, since the unheated Cafelat Robot can’t offer them at all.
Skip it if a simple, predictable, no-purge workflow matters more to you than the heated chamber or the 58mm format — the Cafelat Robot trades those features for a design Coffee Chronicler found easier to use consistently. Also worth a second look if $699 is more than you want to spend: the Flair 49 Pro delivers the same no-plastic, all-stainless brew path for roughly half the price with a smaller 49mm portafilter, covered in our best Flair espresso maker guide.
The bottom line
The Flair 58 Plus 2 earns its spot as our top manual-espresso pick — but “best overall” doesn’t mean “flawless,” and independent thermocouple testing is worth knowing about before you buy. At $699 ($524 refurbished with the same 5-year warranty), it’s the only Flair 58 configuration currently sold, so ignore reviews and listings describing an older “Flair 58” or “Flair 58 Plus” as if they’re still available new. The 58mm commercial portafilter and electric preheat controller are real advantages; the uneven brew-chamber temperature and above-4-6-bar frame flex are real, tested limitations. Pair it with a grinder from our best manual coffee grinder guide, or see the complete Flair lineup — including the cheaper 49 Pro and Classic — in our best Flair espresso maker guide. Comparing against pump machines entirely? Our best espresso machine pillar guide covers the full field.