[Someone1234]

I am surprised it can cut paper without causing ignition.

I wonder how many of the projects shown were created using the "basic" ($2K) version and how many were produced using the pro ($4K) version?

I will say their early bird prices make these compelling for small business/etsy setups. However once they go to full price, I don't know if that will remain as true. It would take a LOT of wallets to break even at a $4K buy-in for the "basic" version.

PS - We live in an exciting world. Between 3D printers and these, you really can do more at home than ever before. And this type of technology is bringing tooling prices down massively even if you have it fabricated.

PPS - Looking at the material costs on their page, and looking at how much these items sell for on etsy right now ($39 inc. free postage), you'd have to sell over one hundred hardback skins for a Macbook Pro just to break even (and that's ignoring many of the hidden costs of running a business, like accountant, licensing, your salary, etc).

[jay-saint]

A 100 unit break even point is incredible low. Have you read many of the write ups on product based Kickstarter campaigns. From what I have read most break even point are into the 1,000 plus units if you have to account for fabricating molds or dies. Then these mold and dies can only be used fro one project. That is the beauty of 3D printing, laser etc. You have one tool that can be used to fab hundreds of designs or product with no tooling costs.

[danshapiro]

(cofounder/ceo here) I don't remember which sample items we made on which model, but everything you see is printable on the basic model. For example, the monitor stand and dollhouse don't have pieces larger than 12x20.

[outworlder]

> I am surprised it can cut paper without causing ignition.

As a kid, I had a lot of difficulty trying to ignite paper with lenses under the sun (white notebook paper). I then gave up and used the lenses for cutting instead. So I'm not that surprised.

To this day I wonder what would be the correct set of conditions that would make it easier to combust. I remember trying black paint - that only made the cutting part easier.

[vxNsr]

I had really no problem using a magnifying glass to burn printer paper as a kid, as long as it was the summer, trying to do that in the winter was for some reason impossible.

[elihu]

I have a laser cutter and I was surprised as well that it doesn't generally catch things on fire. It cuts through cardboard like it's not even there. It's only harder materials like wood that you get any noticeable flame at all, and that problem largely goes away if you use an air compressor (which also serves to blow smoke out of the way of the beam).

That said, it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the machine while it's running.