One aspect that gets overlooked a lot of the time when looking at cost is support. JJP has a dedicated tech support team and part of the cost of machines has to go toward paying for that. I cannot speak for other manufacturers, but I have been very impressed with the support that JJP has given me on my Hobbit. Almost every time I called someone picked up ready to help me with my issue; the couple times I left a message I received a prompt callback within the hour. The fact that they are willing to stand behind their products like this makes me confident in supporting them in the future.