Cappuccino Coffee Espresso Maker

How well do you know your espresso? An expert barista shows us how to prepare the perfect espresso in Discovery Channel’s “howstuffworks” series. Watch more at dsc.discovery.com

im a barista and for christmas i wanted to get my parents an espresso machine.
i know how to make the coffee and all that but i dont know what im looking for in a good eespresso machine!
so does anyone know a good brand or model i can check out??? i dont want to spend over $300 if i dont have to.