My wife ran the invention studio at the college she attended, so she has plenty of experience with high end laser cutters. She's been talking recently about wanting one for at home to complement her 3D printing. I'd love to get her one for Christmas, but wanted some advice.

The Glowforge line looks nice and super simple to set up. I like how user friendly it is, but she's also very hands on and has upgraded her 3D printer, so she doesn't need something as hand holding. It does seem solid, though, as a starter one, but I don't know if the basic or plus would be better.

I dont know much about other brands. I'm willing to spend around $5,000 at max for this for her. As I said, she does have experience and is happy to upgrade on her own, but I do want it to be usable pretty quickly from getting it. The room we will have it in has ventilation if that is a concern.