My local makerspace has a really good laser cutter which members can use. It works well for that kind of usage as there's not too many ways you can kill it or yourself.

Generally cheap machines have compromises which mean more work for you - less reliable, less accurate, weaker laser, worse software - all of that means a lot more trial and error, a lot more burnt material and a lot more stuff you just can't do.

If you want to laser cut thicker materials, but only occasionally, you'd probably find it much more cost effective (and low effort) to either outsource or find a makerspace which has a decent machine. Laser cutting is quite easy to outsource as it is very easy to fully specify what you want (2D drawing + material specification is all you need).

Do you have a suggestion? I feel like the last time I looked into laser cutting, it was either SEOd hits that were crazy expensive or shops that looked dodgy. Nothing in-between.

Stay away from anything cheaper that 1k at the moment.

Generally speaking, for cutting anything above paper or balsa wood, you will need module that costs around $500, higher power modules need decent power supply.

There are some laser cutters from china that claim to have such power for less, but there is not jet "consensus" on any of DYI forums/reddit's that any of them are good jet.

You can send your designs to ponoko for small batches. Much cheaper than buying a laser cutter unless you plan to scale up.

I bought a 50*70cm "60"-watt unit online for about €2000 shipped. It is the size of a chest freezer. It works reliably, except that if you don't power it up with the laser armed, and instead flip the safety switch after power up, it will not fire the laser. I had one Hall effect endstop fail, but everything apart from the enclosure itself is COTS commodity stuff, so I just got a pack of new endstops on eBay and fixed it. Cooling with an Ikea tub full of water, vent with a hose out the window.

For home gamers, keep in mind the price of the machine is only one part. Large laser cutters are expensive to ship (from china), and take up a big space. Most materials will also require adequate ventilation.

As others have suggested, jobbing it out or joining a makerspace is often the best choice for occasional use.

We need to vent our laser cutter to the outside. There's also considerable danger that what you're cutting catches on fire, so they need to be supervised. It's not just the cost of the machine--they're not just "plug and go"