There’s cheap, and then there’s too cheap.
Explicit ![[LS184] Little Tykes Lasers & the Race to the Bottom](https://podcast.makearmy.io/media/podcasts/LaserSource/cover_medium.webp)
S04:E34
The trio digs into a bigger question behind the week’s chaos: when does “affordable” turn into “too cheap?” Alex’s hands-on with a $200 Ortur R1 sparks a real conversation about safety, false confidence, race-to-the-bottom engineering, and where the hobby line crosses into becoming a liability. They compare the R1 to sturdier entry-level machines, talk about modules, ecosystems, software limitations, and why some companies listen and others don’t. Along the way the guys hit vendor ecosystems, Xtool debates, business planning for Q4, school orders, and the fast-growing MakeArmy app overhaul. It’s part gear talk, part business talk, part existential “what even is a laser anymore?” discussion.
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![[LS184] Little Tykes Lasers & the Race to the Bottom](https://podcast.makearmy.io/media/podcasts/LaserSource/cover_thumbnail.webp)