Usually most of the reason that you use a rotary is because of the particular way it runs with no give, if you want a machine that has some give to it use a coil machine. The rotaries hit the skin with no give to be more effective and more efficient and while they are in the skin they are WORKING! And less dicking around. It's all based on feel and you can to a degree still feel what the needle is doing with a rotary. Where springs on a machine act more like a sensor for our hands telling our hands or fingers how much or what is being done when the needle is against the skin. You don't have that with a rotary but the way the vibration from tattooing with a rotary travels you can still get that feel. And it's a matter of just reading the skin while you are working. Idea is to get in and do as much work in as little time and as few passes over the skin as possible. joe capo and I talked about this at hell city last weekend and both agreed the same on all of the above