Editing Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

So there has been some talk about getting a laser cutter.

Prices are coming down; and some decent units are out there.

A used Epilog I've been told can be had for around $5000.

However some of these random no name Chinese brands are undercutting that -new-.  Matt Westervelt in Seattle recently got a 50W unit from Redsail for about $3000.  In a similar price range, Jeri Ellsworth in PDX ordered a JCUT 3040 with a 60W laser bulb after some haggling.  Ebay has some very small engraver units for $1000 (dubious quality) and Jake said he saw some units for as low as about $250 in Shenzhen (presumably similar to that low end engraver, questionable quality).

If we can collect information here about some different viable models, how much space they take, how powerful they are, what their surface area is, software compatibility, etc.  And can determine what looks good - let's see what we can do.  

I've got a close friend in HK who has dual Chinese & HK license plates and if we have a specific model he may be able to hunt it down and slow boat it to us for some costs savings.  Maybe not, but it's worth looking into. -grey