Todd Begg's flippers - Glimpse and MIG are way under $1k. And fast too (I had a Glimpse 2, regret selling it...it was the fastest flipper I had, faster than my Bogie). Now Todd uses IKBS, so it's gonna be even faster.
My criteria for flippers is a nice design (yes, I agree with the comment about designs) and a zero-wrist flick action.