Expensive "hobby" , however no more expensive than cars, photography, high end Hifi etc.
The problem with treating this as a hobby is that you really need to maintain your investment in the machinery in terms of resale. I can look at my machinery in a different way, in that its merely a production tool and resale is irrelevant , I actually would rather destroy or dump my machinery than sell it on , I do this to stop others from entering the market cheaply. In your case , you really need to buy the rolls royce of lasers as if it doesnt bring you a good income stream , you can recover a good chunk of what you spent. But like a car , it might be worthwhile looking for a late model used machine with a warrantee - perhaps a trade in etc - the first owner will have taken the big hit in terms of drop in value.
Rodney Gold, Toker Bros trophies, Cape Town , South Africa :
Roland 2300 rotary . 3 x ISEL's ..1m x 500mm CnC .
Tekcel 1200x2400 router , 900 x 600 60w Shenui laser , 1200 x 800 80w Reci tube Shenhui Laser
6 x longtai lasers 400x600 60w , 1 x longtai 20w fiber
2x Gravo manual engravers , Roland 540 large format printer/cutter. CLTT setup
1600mm hot and cold laminator , 3x Dopag resin dispensers , sandblasting setup, acid etcher