At this point, I think it's worth it to wait and see if BFL has a product to deliver and what it's actual performance will be.
Although I have to agree with wtfvanity and say that for most people, I don't think it makes sense to invest in mining equipment anymore. You're better off trading in bitcoins and looking to make a profit that way.
Question is *when* will BFL deliver? They have missed their delivery estimates several times if i recall correctly... At this point there is a guaranteed double in difficulty when all the first batch of 300 Avalon units come online.
Interestingly, I find the professionalism of all the asic manufacturers to be, well, lacking... As i'm writing this, i'm refreshing the Avalon batch #2 preorder page (they were supposed to open up at 9:00am and its 9:40 now!) ... And in my boredom i've found two spelling mistakes:
Avalon ASIC will not be responsible for if a bitcoin bug is introduced rendering it useless between the period of time a batch of Avlaon units are being built.
orders open on febuary, 2nd, 2013. 9:00 am EST
Hah! they misspelled
February and
Avalon! They misspelled their *own* company name! =P
Maybe batch 2 is the cashout phase for Avalon's long con!
LOL ROFL .. same with bitcoinasic.net (the new bASIC) .. very bad spelling.
I agree that all ASIC manufacturers seem to lack professionalism.. 2-bit companies run by "kids". At least some companies have prior reputation with FPGA technology.