Well I bought the Roots machine second hand off e-bay so I have no idea what the price was for it when it was new. That had to be what sunk the company because it is a really impressive product, nicely packaged and with lots of great information like a list of recipes for flies made from dubbing wire and a pretty slick instructional video. It is probably nicer than it needs to be. I've played around with it a little and it has been a pleasure to work with. Hopefully I will have a bit more time this winter.