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im interested in getting one but im still on the fence with it. i dont really know much about them, so for a noob like me what should i be looking at when i im looking into getting one?
also lining with one, whats the deal? keeping in mind i do 90% traditional style work should i even bother with this?
It makes lining shitty areas (ribs) a breeze. Its 100% a try it thing. The good news is if you don't like the machine as long as you are not buying garbage someone will no doubt buy it.
Premade needles.com has very reasonable 170.00 rotaries and the site owner is a good guy that I have nothing but good things to say about - he needles are great too
I think the stealth is a great intro rotary. It gives you some diversity by choosing what stroke you want on it. The thing I really like about them, is that with a turn of the knob, if something isn't going into someone the way you want it to, all you need to do is turn your voltage up or down and your machine is immediately 'faster' or 'slower'. It's really easy to find that sweet spot where you like to work.
It feels really different than tattooing with a coil machine, though. Instead of letting the machine do the work, you have to 'push' the needles a little more with your hand.
nivek! good to see you in cyberspace again! really eh, lining on shitty spots easy eh? that is intriguing
I got a Stealth in June, and I liked it, but a few weeks ago I stepped up to the Stigma Hyper. Wow!!! I really, really love it. It allows me to tattoo in ways I didn't think I would be able to. Smoother grey shades than I ever thought I could do and super smooth colour blends which were beyond my grasp before I purchased this machine. I really notice a difference. Not to mention that it's light, quiet, faster and my clients say it hurts less (but that might be their imaginations).
I have a client that I've been doing a fairly large dragon on. It goes across her stomach and covers a scar. This woman isn't young and she has spent years and years at the tanning salon. Tattooing her was like tattooing linoleum or something. When I tried the Hyper on her, it was like a dream. I had no problems putting the ink in!
I haven't actually used it for lining yet, but I probably should give that a whirl.
So far I have found the Hyper to be worth every penny it costs. If the machine keeps working the way it has been, I can't see myself going back to coils for colour or black and grey.
I agree with Alie about staring with a Stealth. They seem to be about the best of the cheap ones, so it's a good toe-in-water thing. The consistent stroke of rotaries and easy speed adjustments are exactly the point. Rather than getting the trauma from a machine that hits, the rotary just moves in and out on the same track, with no other variables working to affect the stroke other than how much juice you give it. Try one for sure Jimmy, but get someone who knows to walk you through your first set-up or you'll likley wind up pitching it immediately out of frustration.
buy a real SWISS rotary if you are going the 'black box' route. i own one. they are perfect and precise like a maglite, and made to last for years without changing. the stealths all fall apart quickly nowadays, and they aren't any kind of heartfelt contribution to our industry. if the feeling of the machine doesn't suit you, you can certainly sell a real swiss rotary very fast on ebay...
The cheap stealths work amazingly well for me personally; I'm sure the real swiss ones are tits
Hey there Jimmi, I do mostly traditional stuff, and always use a swashdrive. I can line with anything but they actually line better with larger groups like 11s. Its very different and takes a bit to get used to but once you get the hang of it they are amazing. I can also whip shade and pack solid colour all with the same machine. The lining is slower but packing colour is faster so it all evens out. And the pain is reduced (I have experienced this first hand) and they are lighter and quieter. I havn't used any other rotary but will be giving the Rapiers a try in a week or so. The only downfall of the swashdrives are the price. They are way too expensive.
There's a part of me that really agrees with Specialtechnique about getting a Swiss instead of a stealth. On one hand, when you use a tool that is made well, and performs well, you will have the best experience with it. You will also be paying a good price for a precision machine. If you buy a cheap machine, though it may be more cost effective and less intimidating to mess around with, you may become frustrated more easily. While it's still possible to use a walkman motor and a guitar string to do a tattoo on someone (Last shop in a rural area I worked in, I saw both horrific and amazing 'homemade machine' tattoos), you don't necessarily want to use a butterknife to cut into a piece of steak.
I recently came back to tattooing after taking 8yrs off and found a lot of things had changed, the inks are better, I dont have to make my own needles (thankyou Spearman & Mithra), and the reinvention of the rotary. I struggled with machine choice as I sold all my equipment when I stopped and had to start from scratch. I just couldnt get the machines to run the way I remebered them running, then I bought the Swashdrive Gen 6 and boy was I happy, no tuning, better healing and no more heat! Yes they take a couple of tats to get used to but 12mths on and Ive got the Gen 7 and a Neo-Tat and could not be happier.
As for the price yes the Swashdrives are expensive but you get what you pay for and my clients deserve that!!