I dislike the concept of capsules. It makes a lot of sense for companies to push the gillette model of disposable proprietry consumables, and some of these capsules taste good, but i just plain refuse to give in…
I have a stovetop bialetti for emergencies but otherwise I use a La Pavoni and a Gaggia grinder. It’s not for everyone but i find the ritual a bit zen-like.
The OP complained about too many functions and dials…well these guys are minimalist industrial machines, put the coffee in bring down the lever, although there is some learning to do with technique if you want top notch coffee.Also you can service them yourself and they are built like a tank.
