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Diablo Swiss Rotary Machine Review
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A couple weeks ago Friction offered me a Diablo rotary machine in return for writing an honest review here and on facebook and I accepted. I was super surprised to receive both versions of the Diablo and also the new adjustable Storm..I was leaving for an east coast tattooing trip so I would have a chance to try them out. Danny Matlock took the Diablo Kami (same basic machine with a Japanese motor)..he's going to have a review of that one up soon, and I'll do another for the Storm A 250.
I already use two regular Storms with Danny's mod and I love the hell out of them..as I've said before they would be more than enough to have a tattoo career with-and it's tricky to review another machine when that's your state of mind. And if you've used a variety of rotaries you're bound to see the merits of having a few types, so for the sake of this review I'm not going to mention other machines that the Diablo has similarities to, and judge it on its own merits. If I had only ever used coil machines and the Diablo Swiss was handed to me, this is what I'd write:
This thing is sexy. It's got the look of an all-business machine..there's nothing superfluous or random, nothing added to make it look modern or retro or flashy or anything, but somehow it does manage to look all those things. There's subtle design touches like the small fins that protrude from the back of the motor housing, or the mirror-image design of the "give" chamber and tube vise supports..if you fuzz your eyes you can certainly see the "Diablo" they're referring to. It's clean and snappy.
It has a red finish that reminds me of the way speedboats looked in the 70s..fast and no-nonsense. Every part of it has an immediately apparent function, and that's very appealing. It feels like you could drop it and it would be fine.
The Diablo weighs 3.5 oz. which seems like close to the perfect weight for me, and balances well with disposable tubes. When I set up the machine and hold it by the tube it just feels right..not top-heavy like with coils, more like a precision engraving tool.
The triangular metal knob on the tube vise is easy to clean (not too many nooks and crannies though I wish the front was also a smooth surface). The triangle makes it easy to grasp between your thumb and first two fingers. and it has a very solid feel with no plastic parts.
The needle bar tensioner works exactly as it appears to work, the screw itself is all metal and the tensioner arm is plastic..it has a small rubber wheel that starts to spin with the needle bar as you apply pressure via the screw. An elegant and *ahem* popular solution to what I consider to be a non-problem. I have never minded using rubber bands and luckily that's still an option on the Diablo. (More on this later..)
There is a RCA connection in the back, set exactly in the middle of the motor housing..an RCA cable is included if you need one.
There is a "give" system in the standard spring-in-chamber adjustable style. A hex nut connects a silver give knob..turn clockwise for less give (but not all the way or the piston can't move and the motor won't run..not sure if that does damage to the motor but it can't be a good thing). Turn it counter-clockwise for more and more give. All the way out and I'm pretty sure it won't leave a mark in skin, all the way in and it's an absolute beast.
The knob has three recessed grooves..I imagine these are to give it some "grip" but it's still pretty smooth. I'd prefer a knob with a few protruding ridges, especially when it's inside a machine bag and you're trying to turn it just exactly 1/4 turn with vaseline on your gloves. Or for that matter the same triangle that's on the tube vice. Luckily I don't tend to adjust it much once the machines are set up..if it's set up as a liner I back off about 1/2 a turn and leave it there. Coloring maybe a turn and a half. Grey shading maybe two turns. Beyond that it's technique, I think.."infinite adjustability" sounds better than it is in practice, but it is nice to have options.
The motor is a Maxon 12000 RPM beast. At 8 volts it absolutely hums, at 7 it cruises, and at 6 it whispers. I tend to use it at 8 for lining, 7.5 or so for thicker pigments, and 6.8-7.5 for thinner pigments and washes. Of course that's all dependent on the task at hand!
The Diablo has a 3.5 mm stroke, which again just feels right for most tasks. I don't mind a 4 mm stroke but in practice 3.5 is just dandy.
Which brings me to the fun part: how it feels when tattooing. In short it feels like an art tool. It does that "disappearing act" I love so much..when I'm tattooing I stop noticing the machine and I can just focus on making good tattoos. When I'm lining with it I used mostly bugpin 7 rounds and it let me make whisper-fine lines effortlessly. I used a regular 7 round it the lines were bold and crisp like a micron pen. It is a precision liner, without a doubt.
It is also a precision shader..I use mainly bugpin 15 magnums and the Diablo pushed them with ease..I can get good saturation color in a single pass and it still looks "painterly"..I have enough precision with the Diablo that I find myself drawing with it, even with a magnum. Again, it feels like an art tool. This is a Very Good Thing.
I use around 3-4 machines every session so it's hard to say if there's a difference in heal times vs other machines..though the difference between rotaries and coils is *amazing*. People have been overjoyed with how fast their new stuff is healing. More precision equals less pain and less trauma and it shows in the finished product.
Several clients also noticed the Diablo and mentioned how cool it looks..I had to agree! This may be a small consideration but I think it's important that clients notice and care about stuff like that. Especially in long term veterans that had ten plus years of coil abuse..they are so happy that the game has been upped!
If I had any complaints or concerns they would be few. I've used the Diablo with disposable tubes from Friction, Lucky Supply, Unimax, and Tatsoul and they all worked fine with the tensioner, though with Wrath tubes it's *very* close. Like, half a credit card between the top of the tube and the tensioner wheel. When that's the case it's easy enough to throw some rubber bands on and go, so it's no problem but it was kind of eyebrow-raising the first time. The adjuster knob could use a little more grip. It's a little louder than my other rotaries, but that's no doubt the 12000 RPM motor..it has a little vibration but with a soft grip disposable I don't notice it. That's about it.
The Diablo is a killer machine at a very good price. $400 can be made back in a single tattoo session and if you wanted it to be your only machine you could. It is super solidly built, runs like the wind, and it's easy on the eyes and hands.
Originality: 7/10 While it's a bold design there's nothing functionally new here..it's similar to quite a few (more expensive) machines and comparisons to the Dragonfly and Tattooed Pirate machines are inevitable. It is far from a clone, though.
Look: 9/10 Stylish and smooth
Feel: 9/10 Feels great tattooing, very much like a paintbrush and not at all like a jackhammer.
Sound: 8/10 Louder than my other rotaries but not annoying at all.
Value: 10/10 I'd say $400 is an absolute steal for a tool of this quality.
Durability: 9/10 Solid and well-manufactured..precision all the way through.
Longevity:________ I'll leave this blank for now but there's no reason to think it would wear out faster than any other machine..when it does I'll post its death date. Don't hold your breath.
