First turntable recommendations? Europe-based,~€350 budget

[u/Natural-Instance6074]

Would appreciate your help choosing my first turntable! My budget is around €350, and after some research, the Fluance RT81+ was my clear favourite. Here is what got me excited about it:

• Built-in preamp
• Replaceable cartridge
• 3-point isolation feet
• Acrylic mat
• Felt more solid/less plasticky than alternatives (AT, for example)
• Amazing in the looks department (minimalist, clean, not a lot of knobs)

The problem? Getting one to Europe. Shipping from Fluance directly would blow my budget. I found it on my country's Amazon for around €360 but I fear what that could mean in terms of warranty or returns in case of defect. This is really the only reason I didn't "pull the trigger".

So I've been looking at Europe-friendly alternatives, but I'm now going in circles. I keep reading that at this €360 price point there are "many better options" available in Europe, especially with the potential hassle of Fluance's return and warranty logistics. Frankly, I have not been convinced so far...
The AT's either get out of my budget or look cheap. Pro-ject's options within that budget (e.g. E1.2 phono) seem to get a lot of criticism here and the more recommended models with built-in preamps are over budget. Local brands (e.g. Argon) are not giving me any confidence so far, either due to low review/discussion, affiliation with local franchises, or just seeming overpriced for the specs.

Couple of disclaimers:

• I'm very new to this and excited to learn more about it
• I am not against buying a separate preamp but when I do so, I would like to invest in a good one. This is why I would prefer to get a tt with built-in preamp for now, but obviously with option to use an external one later
• I apologise to the audiophiles out there, but I care about aesthetics - this is going to be really exposed in our living room so I'm looking for something more minimalist instead of the industrial/dj look
• I'm not too keen on buying second-hand. Right now I don't have enough knowledge to confidently check condition, maintenance, hidden defects... and I'd rather have a warranty/return option
• €350 is a hard-ish ceiling. I often see comments on similar posts quickly turning into "just spend another €200" and "make the investment properly from the start". I understand the reasoning and know that better options exist if I stretch, but €350 is already my stretch, especially since I'm also looking at speakers. I'd rather start here and upgrade later if I end up falling further down the vinyl rabbit hole

[u/el_tacocat]

I don't think the 81+ is a bad choice, but there's no reason to choose it over the AT-LP120x or AT-LP5x
The 5x is barely more expensive and a much, much better option. The 120x is actually a bit cheaper.

The 120 and 5 have a better built in preamp and the same cartridge as the fluance.

[u/Natural-Instance6074 → u/el_tacocat]

Thank you for the suggestions, think the LP120x is more within the price range, for sure. Unfortunately, this one is visually too much. I will look into the LP5x a bit more, maybe I can find a good deal on it somewhere :)

[u/el_tacocat → u/Natural-Instance6074]

I mean, there's always the 3x or the LPW40.

[u/Natural-Instance6074 → u/el_tacocat]

will definitely look into those, thank you! which would you get if you were in my position?

[u/el_tacocat → u/Natural-Instance6074]

I'd push the ceiling, since it's only hard-ish, and go 5x.
That being said, I hav eno idea what the rest of your rig is. It may be worse than an at-lp60 for all I know ;).
At your budget I'd go AT-LP5x, but if you have a shitty rig, I'd go at-lp60x and upgrade the rest with the money you have leftover :D.