I agree, and if you're not a purist some of the laser stuff can look quite nice. I have several shotguns that were done so at the factory and certainly am not embarrassed to use them in public.
None of it can come close to genuine hand-cut engraving however, IMO. I once had Gournet engrave a new damascus knife I had just bought. The engraving cost me more than the knife did, but I wouldn't take anything for it. I marvel at the abilities of Gournet and other top engravers.
As an aside, though I can appreciate the talent and work required to execute it I have never been able to warm up to the bulino style. The images are just "too real looking" for me, almost photographic.
