Diablo Hybrid Rotary Machine Review

[Bruce Gulick]

diablo_hybrid_red_700x700.jpg
It's been a little while since I got this machine from Friction, but since I'm not tattooing as often as I used to I wanted to really take the time to put it through the paces before I wrote about it here.

I have other rotaries that I love so much and use for everything that it's hard to set them aside for something new, but this machine is so fun to use I found myself reaching for it again and again-especially for color packing at first but then for black and grey work and even lining (with a seven or larger-it hits pretty hard!)

This machine runs at about 9.5-10.5v, and it's incredibly, well..REGULAR. In the best possible sense.

It always, always, always hits the same way..no adjustable give (barely any give at all, just a bit of flex in the spring). It started running perfectly right out of the box and it runs exactly the same way today. As you can tell from the photo, it's sleek and clean, and has a needle bar tensioner built right in. It has a 3.5mm stroke, so it's very versatile.

It's super quiet and there's not much vibration-I use it with disposable tubes and needles from Tat Soul and they fit very nicely. It comes standard with RCA and clip cord connections (I have only used the RCA)

The one slight oddness I found was that the armature bar is quite long and extends pretty far over the tube vise, so I always have to be careful slipping my needles over it so I don't bend the needle bar..I have a very early model of the machine so that might be changed/fixed now.

The Diablo Hybrid is the kind of machine I really wish was around when I started tattooing-it would have made it so much easier to focus on art and not dicking around with cobbled-together coil machines. One Diablo would have been better than five of my other machines.

Heal times seem comparable to other rotaries and clients seem to handle it pretty well too. At 3.5 oz it's slightly heavier than the Storms or Diablo Swiss, but the machine is very well balanced and doesn't feel heavy at all.

At $200 it's a great deal..one medium sized tattoo and it's paid for and you have a killer tool that will last for a long time. I guess the motor could wear out eventually but the rest of it is so solid I can't imagine any part failing.

If this was the only tattoo machine I owned I wouldn't complain-it's very fun to work with and easy on the eyes, ears, wrist and wallet.

Frikkin' rad.

[serial1313]

Have you tried their slide machine? They look interesting.

[Bruce Gulick]

Hoping to very soon.

[cagelavey]

I ran one of the diablos for a long time, (the 4.5m Japanese version). it was my go to liner. layed a line like no ones business! ive bought several high end machines (550.00+), and have recently purchase a couple lower priced machines and am just as impressed. im not knocking the high end machines because there is some really good ones out there, i just found that machines don't always have to be the most expensive to knock out amazing work. thanks for the review definitely going to give one of these a go at some point.

[peezie]

Not knockin this machine as I have never used it but just putting info out there that the reason they can sell cheaper is because the parts are made in china, not the motor. They are assembled in the USA though.

[peezie]

The reason I say not the motor is because I know sometimes they use different motors including maxon so im unsure with regards to the motor.

[vsprotoss]

the diablo slide machine is badass. been borrowing from my shopmate and i gotta admit its got a nice balance and feel. a little heavier than most rotaries and lighter than all coils and got a lot of torque. havent tried the hybrid but i hear good things about these machines especially for the price.

[cagelavey]

they got style, and functionality, without that high sticker price. I cant say anything bad about the diablo kami I had, ran carts like no ones business. the only thing I didn't like is the tear down of the machine. a little more hassle than most. other than that beast. cant wait to grab a hybrid, just wish they had a 4mm stroke.

[cagelavey]

there are a lot of machines that have Chinese parts, as long as the motor is of decent quality, and the aluminum is a high grade, I don't mind. they are put together really well, really solid mostly metal. a lot of builders get at least some of their parts from over seas, not all but you'd be surprised.