Is there such a thing as buying a laser machine for personal use, e.g. to share between a group of friends?
Or are they just too expensive? It would cost me several thousand to get all the areas I need done if I keep going to a clinic that has laser services (usually Lightsheer).
A real laser machine will run tens of thousands of dollars, even used (check ebay, do a search on cutera, lightsheer and other mfg. names.) You could buy a home where I live for what a new one would cost. You and your friends could probably have pro laser treatment for the cost of one of those. I also don’t know if anyone would sell you one, not being a licensed practitioner. Imagine what a real medical laser could do in untrained hands!
There are quack devices sold on eBay and elsewhere, sold as “home laser hair removal”. I have never tried one, but they are being discussed on this forum right now.
However, if you and your friends are really, really are committed to it, you could buy a professional electrolysis machine and perform electrolysis on each other. But, as I and others here have learned, it is a real commitment of time to learn how to do it safely and correctly. (For the cost of a pro laser machine, you could probably all go to electrology school! :D) Really! Electrolysis machines run a few hundred dollars and up, new ones a few thousand depending on features etc. You could buy a used electrolysis machine for the cost of one of those quack home laser products.
Also remember liability issues that could arise working on each other, and laws vary from state to state.
Here is the summation on price. The most expensive electrolysis machine, brand new, retails for $10,000. The LEAST EXPENSIVE REAL LASER machine is $50,000 brand new, last I heard, the most expensive was $250,000, but that may have already changed. In the used market, electrolysis machines run from $100 - $8,000, while REAL LASERs seem to start at $25,000, unless the person is just selling it to liquidate the remaining second mortgage on their house they took, and they just want that last $7,000 paid off before the interest rate skyrockets to 18%, next week.
Most people would spend between a few hundered dollars to a few thousand dollars for permanent hair removal via electrolysis. In fact, the average person would be able to complete their hair removal job for less than the cost of school and a good equipment set up.
Now those of you who get together and buy a decent used machine, like a fischer, instantron, apilus, silhouet-tone, hinkel clarablend or sterex, can read Mike Bono’s The Blend Method, and get some hands on training and maybe do serviceable work on each other. For most people, however, the best buy really is good work with a pro.
At the risk of being accused, once again of self promotion, for the price one wouldpay for training, equipment, and certifications, I could probably complete full beard removal on as many as 6 to 8 transgendered person’s beard removals. I know for sure that I could do at least 4 of them for that price.
It’s not just about buying the machine. You need to be experienced and know how to use it. So you would need to spend time and money on training. You’ll also need proper equipment and regular maintenance, which has associated costs. And finally, you can’t buy one in many states just as a consumer. This is not something that you should be considering unless you’re planning to get certified and have this be a major part of your life and/or business.
Wouldn’t this be a machine that would work?
It looks strong enough with 54jcm2
James, 4-8 TG beards for that price, wow! :o Not trying to talk me out of going to electro school are you? 
Seriously though, could you give a ballpark quite for how much money and time a job will take if someone provides a current photo? I may be up your way in a few months and was thinking of having you bring me to first full face clearance after some more local laser/electro treatments. I also know a few others here who might be interested in having you look at them, the usual quite given here is 150-200 hours at $65 an hour well over $10,000 for most.
Incidentally, my current electrologist said she remembers meeting you at an AEA convention. She said you were very charming 
Just to put this machine in perspective. This is a 1 mm spot size at 54 joules Fluence. If I took a Gentlelase and put the pulse into a 1 mm spot, I would get 6,480 joules Fluence. So basically the Gentlelase is 120 times more powerful than this little laser system.
I will leave it to you to look back through all the various threads about why this laser system won’t work. In other words, why fluence is not the only consideration.
Well it has 1-100ms pulse?
Did you look that through?
I mean it sure beats the tria and everyone says about the Tria: “it sorta works”
The spot size is very important. Are you missing the point that sslhr is making? The reason GentleLASE is one of the best machines is due to the large spot size of 18mm. This machine is absolutely useless. You need to take into consideration all three variables: joules, spot size and pulse. Tria has the first two and a 400ms pulse, and even then most don’t think it will cause any permanent damage. The power of the joules decreases with decrease in spot size. For example, on GentleLASE, on 18mm max is 20 joules, but if you decrease the spot size to 15mm, the max is 30 joules, etc.
One of the reasons the Candela lasers are superior to other professional lasers is the 18mm spot size on both the alex and the yag. It allows the beam to penetrate deeper into the skin. I can’t imagine how shallow a 1mm spot penetrates.
Does anyone have a picture of a Silhouet tone 250 machine with the connections in place?
good grief do we spoil you people rotten on here or what?
This is all that should come in with the machine. In this picture everything is connected, except the red wire, as that could be connected to either the silver bar, or the black roller handle.
Is that laser?
Does it work or gimmick?
Let me see if I got it correct, you are saying Tria has the spotsize of 18mm and enough joules, but not the pulse?
No. Tria has a smaller spot size than the GentleLASE which has the biggest spot size on the market. But it’s several times bigger than 1mm, and joules go up to 25 or so. Pulse is 400ms.
The machine in the image above is an electrolysis device.
http://www.thelasertrader.com/pageinpage/inventory_search.cfm
how about here. they have candela and all kinds of used lasers at price that would make it cost-effective to buy the machine, rather than go to a technician
Keep in mind maintenance costs. Cryogen for example needs to be replenished etc.
