Centri Cobra Reviews

[Dreviltattoo]

Figured I would start a new thread.
It just arrived today. I wasn't working, but just had to go in and play with it!
So packaging was decent.
Color and machining quality is excellent.
I set it up with a tatsoul disposable cart grip, mediuim length push bar, and a ttech liner i keep around for testing purposes. You don't need any elastic for at all for carts. Mikes video said to use the eye grommet upside down, so that's what I did.
It def pushes the cart with ease. I started at 9v with the stroke adjusted to where they had set it to.
It was super quiet and had tons of give. The give reminds me of the LOD. It's real give, not slop created by play like other adjustable machines that I have used and didn't like.
The stroke adjusts super easy even while it's running.
I use all carts and mostly use a thunder or a flite. The centri has way more give than the flite with the softbar. It's very impressive as I had hoped.
So i messed around with the voltage and the stroke and it gets loud and kind of chattery up around 10 volts when there is no load on it. As soon as i put any pressure on the needle it goes back to quiet. This is my first Centr,i but I was told the older versions did the same thing.
I was a lil worried about the weight until I had it my hand. I've been using really light machines for yrs and the Centri is around 5oz. The way the machine is vertical really made it feel light and well balanced even with a disposable.
The light: hmmm well the light itself seems good. it's nice that it comes right off without any tools. I would recommend he makes a design change to the vice so it has an extruding part so the light can only come down to a certain point. Mike does have a video of how to use an elastic so it doesn't end up riding on your hand. Maybe a tight bearing or make it so it clicks to certain stay points instead of the magnets that hold it on which would make it a permanent feature. It can be used all the way up and stays magnetically, but I'm not sure if it casts a shadow if it's all the way up(the light also pivots when it's all the way up). Either way, it comes off if you don't like it.
The pivoting rca connector is a great idea. I also think that it's a lil to loose and could use a bearing or o-rings or plastic washers to tighten it up a lil bit. The RCA pivot piece has very slight play side to side and prob makes the machine louder than it needs to be.
All and all,I think this machine is well built, attractive, well balanced and is going to have the best give for blending out of all the rotary machine on the market, and will be a game changer and possibly a trend setter.
So these are just my initial thoughts on it right out of the box. I will tattoo with it tomorrow. At this point, I'm very excited about the give for doing colo work. I do realism so I prob won't have be the best at reviewing it for lining, but I will def post an in depth performance review once I have some tattoo time with it. I'm not used to using give and I have a bng session tomorrow, which i def don't typically like using give for. I'll use it anyway and see how it goes.
Anyone else get theirs and try it on the skin yet?
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[reigningink]

Good review. I just bit the bullet and ordered one for myself. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

[Dreviltattoo]

I now have about 8 hrs of bng and 3.5 hrs of color done with cobra. i used ttechs and tatsoul disposales with the short pushbar. Needle configs from 3RLT to 23m curved. it was really loud and ran strange until i used the elastic from the vice knob up over the armature grommet. This smoothed it right out and kept it at a nice volume. It did throw the pushbar off once, but it may have been how I put the elastic on.
There is plenty of give and I did do a lil color lining ( i do realism) with a 3 super long taper. For me, it seemed to do it all between 9-10volts. I think I ran it up at 10.5 for lining with a medium stroke.
I bag my machine so I haven't used the light at all. I't stuck on the side of my toolbox, and will prob remain there.
My biggest problem with the entire machine is the vice. The knob is so small that I can't get it to hold solid. I tried a hawk grip adapter as well and it was even worse. It would only hold for a second and if it got twisted at all it would just fall out, so i didn't even bother trying to use it to tattoo. I'm not sure if it's the knob being small or just a poorly designed clamp but it's super fucking annoying. I'm gonna try and see if I can find a bigger knob with the same thread to see if that helps at all.
Overall, so far so good except the vice and I'm still worried about it throwing the pushbar off. I used the nipple upside down like Mike said to in his video and then attached the small #9 ? elastic as he directed. I'll fuck with it some more and keep you guys posted.

[skinmech]

I hope this works out, and not a case of history repeating...

[Cyberitual]

Hey devil, you see the video in the other thread? Also you should still use a band on your tension for carts or it can be loud as your magnets are probably hitting with no tension on the system. As for the vice, the knob is to small or is your vice not closing enough?

[Dreviltattoo]

Hey devil, you see the video in the other thread? Also you should still use a band on your tension for carts or it can be loud as your magnets are probably hitting with no tension on the system. As for the vice, the knob is to small or is your vice not closing enough?

thanks for replying. I am using a band and that makes it run great. the prob is the vice. it just doesn't seem to tighten enough. i'm using tatsoul diposable cart grips. i tried a steel grip and it won't hold it either. could this be a clearance issue in the vice? i talked to someone else who is having a similar problem. it will hold the stem but not tight. i know the vice is spring loaded and i don't think that is an issue.

[Cyberitual]

I put three different tubes up against the vice as the vice was closed all way and i cant see the jaw on the vice even or get any tube in the hole when closed. So you should have more then enough vice to close down on your tube. PicsArt_1419275784608.jpg

[Ofeloner]

Man,, I'm still waiting on mine..I hope it shows up today!!.

[Ofeloner]

Got my fingers crossed.

[Dreviltattoo]

i think it's just because the surface is so smooth. i'm off today, but tomorrow i will try an rpg and a ttech tube. i may also try one wrap of masking tape on the stem of a tatsoul tube and on my hawk grip with the adapter. i only use carts. i wish i had tubes at home, but i only have the machine. i'll get it working with the hawk grip ideally. That would be perfect. thanks again Mike. It's def a nice machine.