Looking for a reprap kit for around 500$

[Geoff]

Well a broscillate(how is it written again?) is very expensive to get here where I live. Do you use regular glass?

That I can get at a fair price :-)

I have used a few different materials now..

for PLA, I have used (non heated)
Pyrex(Borosciliate or however you spell it...) Normal Glass, Blue Tape, A Mirror, MDF board, Slate (yes slate from an old billiard table) and they all worked very well, except on super big parts where they would lift a bit. You just want a flat surface really.

If it's going to be heated, well so far nothing has cracked for me that I heated up, even the mirror - but that being said I have seen it happen before, I have even seen people crack pyrex by not regulating their hotbed temp and just letting it go wild (plugging it in and hope for the best type people)
But it is not expensive stuff, I bought 3 x 20x20cm pyrex plates for $30