You could pickup a cheaper Chinese laser off ebay for $500-$900 but good luck with reliability and learning another control. Of course those have more power, but if you can add laser functionality to the solidoodle it would make it a much better tool in my opinion.
Ebay alternative:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CO2-LASER-ENGRA … 3f270c10fc
This kit utilizes the fan plug header and still allows you to use your 3d printer. They provide free software to take an image from inkscape and convert it into Gcode which the solidoodle will run no problem. If you have a 2D part, you can export from solidworks, or cad program as .DXF and enter inkscape, and with the plug in, convert it to Gcode. 2 in 1 functionality is pretty slick.
I have a plastic enclosure around my unit, for safety purpose i would have to buy the stick on tinted laser shielding to prevent stray light/reflections from escaping.