I use a MIG welder but with flux-core wire and no gas, I got it about 12 years ago for £200 (new), it is a perfectly good machine and I am not a good enough welder to get the most out of it.

It's much cheaper than the laser stuff. It gets expensive if you want to use gas, but if you stick to flux-core you don't have to.

You might want to look up the max thickness and other common issues hobbyist level laser welders have before purchasing, or at a minimum wait for the laser welders to mature a bit more. You'll spend less than half and be far better served with a cheap tig welder at this point in time.