Well, the solution is in this statement!
The product quality of the top DIYers is so far above what the LPF member can ever hope to get from one of our typical Asian e-tailers that you can (
and should!) command a price that is
representative of your quality builds! I've been snooping around the next-price-level market (CNI / Viasho...) lately and have come to the conclusion that there's no guarantee of quality even at that level...
So, as a humble collector of your fine hand-built lasers,
please do not stop building lasers; instead, name your price according to your level of effort (and skill) and if the buyer can't (or rather,
won't) pay the price,
it's their loss.
This way you are assured that your work will truly be appreciated and limited to people that understand the effort and skill that stands behind your builds! The underlying benefit will be that
you will still profit some from your effort and
you will be rewarded by dealing only with members who are sincerely insterested in your talents and zeal for the science (& not those that are just looking for cheap & easy access to a powerful laser)!
The way I see it, there are several types of members:
- Those eager to learn about the science AND having the talent (and tools*) to put that knowledge into practice
- Those eager to learn about the science AND having the resources to support those more talented indivduals...
- Those that just want a monster laser - on a budget.
There are of course extraordinary cases (
unemployed enthusiasts, etc.) but I think the three bullet points cover the majority).
EDIT *SupermanFTM has a point; even if you have some talent in the field (which I don't...), you still need the tools. And
Mike, I'm not an
appliance operator, I am an
admirer and collector of unique and fine hand-built Lazors...