Treasure Chest Machine review.

So i already have a Rapier 2 and a Super V from Cary and was so impressed that i ordered 2 treasure chest machines from him. I asked for 1 to be set as a liner and 1 to be set as a soft shader. The communication once i'd made the order was first class, Cary kept me up to date on an almost daily basis and promptly answered any questions i had.

My machines arrived VERY quickly indeed which is something some other builders could learn from. US to UK in 4 days, not bad at all! Packed with the 2 machines was printed instructions on how to change the stroke and guidelines for the voltage settings. Both machines have an ultra professional look and feel to them.

I've used the liner (3mm stroke) now for nearly 2 weeks and it's hands down the best liner i own. I've used 3rl, 5rl and 11rl and it performed equally well regardless of the needle used. I've used it on forearms, inner upper arms, backs and feet and the ink flew in every time. Really nice lines every time, very consistent. The machine has a sort of hum to it that's louder than my Vivace and my Rotaryworks but is still very quiet. They feel nicely balanced in the hand and are a joy to use.

The shader (2.5mm stroke) is also a great machine. Identical to the liner apart from the stroke length. I haven't been able to achieve super smooth greys with it quite yet. I'm still experimenting with voltages and hand speeds. I'm still getting slight needle marks with darker tones that need layering to smooth out.

Overall i'm extremely happy with these machines and would highly recommend them to anyone. I'm continually impressed with Cary's machines and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next. :)

Update: after experimenting with the shader i've found using it on 9.5 v and above (with the new easy-click needlerunners) the best for me. I've been able to achieve really soft gradations and used it to do this portrait of James Dean which i was pretty happy with.

Attachment 5363

What voltage are you running it at for lining/ shading?

For lining i've used it on 8.5-9 and because of the way i shade i set my shader on about the same. Cary's recommendations were 5-7 for the shader but it was just a little slow on that voltage for me.

Cool, I am buying one from another member I am very excited

man i love carys rapiers but the treasure chest didnt do it for me...great shader but not a liner ....too slow...i really think the rapier is the main machine in the rotary stakes

I started lining with the treasure chest with a short stroke on a couple tattoos today (2.5mm) @10.5 volts loose 5s from eikon and a traditional 7 from tatsoul, its the first time i liked using it as a liner. The problem i had with it before was that it was too slow.. set up like this i was able to move my hand at a more reasonable speed. Anyways, i really just wanted to chime in and second everything Bishop said about his positive experience with Cary and the treasure chest. So far is worked very well with every job ive thrown at it, lining with 3s 5s 7s, loose 5s 8s and even a 14. for magnums everything up to a 13 so far, all handled with ease. Its such a well crafted machine, i really like the way it feels ( my joints arnt complaining either) I still use my coils alot because i can always get the job done quicker with them, and i love to tinker around with them, but when im in pain i turn to the rotarys.

Ok I love my treasure chest. For color blending it is perfect, I also like it a lot for black and grey. If it was a tad faster lining would be great too. From what I hear 11volts is the max. Has anyone run it higher without issues? And on a side note, I have noticed a slight vertical vibration like a pogo stick, but only while lining. Is there a way to counter this effect? Or is this machine just better suited for shading? I saw some lines healed and could notice heavier parts of the lines, like what you might expect if you felt a vertical vibration. Not terrible or everywhere in te tattoo, but I could definitely tell.