[Updated by opinions as of 3/14/2014.]

I know how hard new players have to afford UVs with their tough budget (I used to be one of them).
Sure, Alchemy Machines can give UVs and they require not so much crowns (when refering to 1-3 star weapons), but they need orbs (which are somewhat rare in clockworks and sell at increasingly higher prices based on their star rank) plus are rare to get in them. If you get lucky and obtain them in the Alchemy Machine, they still are as random as Punch's UVs.

My suggestion is not that UVs get cheaper as a whole, but for temporary UVs to be available at cheaper prices. I know there will be skeptics, but I am confident that this would possibly please the majority of players both new and veteran alike.

This will allow UVs to be accessible to a wider amount of players. UV will be categorized by their duration and price. Like current UV tickets, any type of UV normally found in the current system would be random based on their specific item class (Armors, Shields, Weapons, etc.), and will be sold through Punch in the Haven Bazzar. Unlike normal UVs, temporary ones will also be limited in the maximum potency of the random UVs obtained.
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Bronze UVs (projected price: 5,000cr/1UV - 12,500cr/2UV - 35,000cr/3UV): Labeled Brown, these are the cheapest UVs. However, they will last only 2 days and you'll get no better than a High UV Boost. Good for players on a very tight budget who want to at least experience UVs of their very own.

Silver UVs (projected price: 7,500cr/1UV - 21,500cr/2UV - 70,000cr/3UV) Labeled Grey, these are longer lasting than bronze UVs, but at a more premium price. Lasts 1 week, plus you also gain access to up to Very High UV boosts.

Gold UVs (projected price: 12,000cr/1UV - 45,000cr/2UV - 105,000/3UV) Labeled Orange, these are the strongest, longest lasting temporary UVs out there. Accessible to ALL the normal UVs boosts (up to Maximum! on Armors or Very High on Weapons), and they will last 1 month.

Platinum UVs will be the permament UV Class, and will have the same price (20,000cr/1UV - 75,000cr/2UV - 225,000cr/3UV) and attributes as the current UV system. These will be colored Pastel Blue (White, with a slight tint of Light blue)
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The temporary UVs will take a UV slot just like any current UVs and can be "Rolled" like normal UVs.

To make the temporary UVs less OP, there's another twist, you won't be able to add a higher quality UV over a lower quality temporary UV (i.e. replacing a Bronze with a Silver) and that the "Rolled" UV you substituted over the older one will only reset the timer of that UV slot (rather than increasing that slot's duration).

This may make UV's a bit less special, though now a days UVs are mainly thrown on to make their weapon or armor just a bit better for Lockdown or to sell gear at a higher price (not that I oppose those who do either things). None the less, this could boost the economy in Spiral Knights by allowing people on tight budgets to be given some extra "Punch" to their gear without spending too much but at the cost of the UVs duration.
As well, it wouldn't affect those who sell gear in AH as bad because not only the Temporary UVs can't be sold in AH regardless of strength, they can't be boosted as high as Permament UVs (except for Golds) and that all Temporary UVs will eventually expire.