That all helps! You'll get more value out of a diode setup on that budget. I'm a CO2 guy, so I'll let the diode experts share their thoughts. I remember someone here having strong opinions about whether those videos are fake (or just really well staged), again I'll let the diode experts opine accordingly.

For comparison sake, with CO2 you'd probably be looking at something like this setup:

• OmTech K40 + rotary
• Upgraded motherboard (so you can use Lightburn, the preferred laser cutting software)
• Basic water chiller
• Lightburn software
• Inkscape for design work (free)
• Probably around 1800-1900 AUD ($1200 US) for everything after tax/shipping/etc.

That would get you a 40w laser with an 8x12" working area and a rotary. Great for engraving, pretty good at cutting, not much room to work in. Also not enough vertical space to engrave bottles, glasses, or anything wider than 2cm (so basically you can engrave pens).

CO2 is a better option once you're north of $3k due to stronger cutting power and faster cuts.