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I use a French press a lot to make a lot of coffee not my favorite but works in the morning

Yeah, that's why 90+% of the time I'm just brewing coffee and not making espresso.

There's been a lot more quality hand grinders and portable espresso makers put out in the last few years that can make it more reasonable to get started, but sometimes if you know you want to go there "buy once, cry once" is the way to go in the long run. It's actually harder to make espresso on some of the entry level machines because of temperature inconsistencies, you can make a good shot, but maybe not every time.

A good grinder, a pour-over kettle (I use a repurposed stainless steel oil can with a gooseneck pouring spout) and a pour over device goes a long way.

Lemon ice cream.

Makes pipes and cigars look simple, doesn't it?

@OmgFrigginMike said:
Hmmm.. obviously I haven't looked into this much we have just talked about it at home a little. Would $400 be more reasonable? I'll take a look at the grinder when I get home tonight and send you a picture. It honestly might be this one.

Ditch this and get a burr grinder and it will be a huge improvement to your ground consistency. Digital scale (essential) and a goose neck kettle helps.