So upon closer inspection of your pix and the new nonpressurized basket I bought, what I have is a mesh rather than micro holes. Can this really do the same job as a native non pressurized basket? Can you get a Rancilio Silvia pull from a cheap pressurized machine just by finding a good non pressurized basket and using a good grinder? Are micro holes better than mesh??
I think they arbitrarily used the terms mesh and micro holes. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of baskets marketed out there on slight differences in basket, but your new non-pressurized basket should work like the one in the pictures.
As far as the ability to pull good shots, with the right grinder, you can absolutely pull better/good shots. I think what espresso machine matters too though. The steam espresso machines will not pull better shots due to the basket as they hit 1-1.5 bar max and overheat the grounds.
However, there is a reason that SOME of the espresso machines cost more. A Gaggia over a De'Longhi has a much better pump, a better group, better and bigger boiler, a 3-way valve, bigger water reservoir, etc... A Rancilio Silvia over a Gaggia has a bigger boiler, better heating element, better 3-way valve(the newer ones at least), better steam wand, heat exchanger, etc... And it goes on up. It seems like the higher model machines allow you to control more, with much more precision. E61 brewhead, PIDs, dual boilers, dedicated hot water spout, etc... As with anything in life, you can spend as much as you're willing to shell out, although you will hit diminishing returns eventually, depending on how discerning your taste-buds and how high you can point your nose in the air, haha.
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