ANother Neo Tat Newbie Question

[frankenstyle]

I'm brand new to this Rotary World. Going to purchase a Neotat machine or 2.
What stroke length is best for solid color? Best for Lining? Best for gray work?
Also still thinking about a Swashdrive G7.....Very confusing decisions!
Thanks to ll in advance.

[elitexhunting]

well , if were talking neotat im gonna say use the 3.5mm for color, thats what i use and i love it.

[Alie K]

I'd agree as far as the neotat goes. There are artists out there who ONLY use the long stroke machine for lining, shading and coloring. For my color, I like the long stroke. If I'm going to use a neotat to line with, depending on what configuration of needle I am using, I'll go with the long stroke or the medium stroke. I've done black and grey with the long stroke, and I've done it with the medium stroke. Both have looked great (in my opinion).

Your choice will also depend on the type of work you want to do. If you are planning on doing really soft portrait work, maybe the short or medium stroke will be a good bet. If you are doing thick - lined Traditional Americana, you might want to go with the long stroke.

For me, I like to have several sizes of needles out when I do certain tattoos. I might have an 11mag and a 9round if I'm coloring in a piece, as well as my liner. So, I'll have my 2 favorite long stroke machines out to do the coloring (my neotat and my blitz) as well as my blunderbuss to line with. Now, if I were ONLY going to have neotats to color with, I'd want 2 long stroke definitely. (I think they are versatile enough to use for shading if I want that).

Some folks on here also LOVE their Rapiers. That might be another one to try, or at least consider. I believe they have a long stroke.

Final thing to consider - if you really don't like what you bought, and are considering the resale factor, most people are REALLY familiar with the Neotats, and if (gasp) you had to put one up on ebay (or decided to trade someone on the forum for something else), most people consider it a no brainer.