What Tattoo machine is best suited for permanent makeup?

Machine

Nov 1

⏱ 3 Min Read

Ever wonder which tattoo machine you should be using as a PMU artist? If you’ve been shopping around, you may have noticed that PMU machines do not resemble the mainstream media depiction of a tattoo machine. But with many machines on the market it's difficult to know which is the right one to purchase, and to complicate things, what is the best machine for someone else may not necessarily be the best one for you. We’re here to break it down for you.

What are the TWO MAIN TYPES OF TATTOO MACHINES?

The Coil Machine
The Rotary Machine

The Coil Tattoo Machine is a device that generates high power and energy to deliver a tattoo by creating an electromagnetic circuit for the movement of needle grouping. It is compatible with traditional needle-on-the-bar tattoo needles, which are held in place inside a tube and utilise a rubber band to adjust tension for the artist.

The Coil Tattoo Machines are very noisy, which could make it annoying for PMU masters to work with them on an everyday basis. This type of tattoo gun are the one most commonly found in traditional tattoo parlours responsible for the buzzing noise that you hear.

Also, the Coil Tattoo Machines require a big chunk of experience before starting to work with them, which makes the entry-level inaccessible to many. They also have more moving parts and require a higher maintenance level than rotary tattoo machines. Therefore, this machine is traditionally used for advanced artists needing the flexibility of speed and performance for all areas of body tattoo art.

The Rotary Tattoo Machine is a machine that utilises the power of an electric motor to move the needles. It was named due to the rotation of the drive shaft that causes the up and down motion of the needle. Rotary machines are smaller, lighter and less intimidating than coil machines. It is generally known that rotary machines are really quiet and said to be less damaging to the skin during operation.

The Rotary Tattoo Machine is much more affordable than a coil machine and offer a wide variety of needle choices as they are compatible disposable tattoo needle cartridges.

Rotary tattooing machines are the PMU masters choice for the following reasons:

A full comparison list between Coil and Rotary Tattoo Machines

ROTARY VIARIENTS

The Pen Style Rotary Tattoo Machine is a variant of a rotary machine. The motor and in some cases the battery is designed within the machine’s tube, and the machine has the appearance of a thick pen. Artist like the similarity of its pen shape blurring the lines between tattooing and drawing.

The Spektra Flux Mini is battery powered

The Xion S requires an external power supply such as the Critical Atom

The Digital Rotary machine was also designed for, and is a popular choice for permanent makeup. It consists of a smaller pen-style hand piece due to the fact the power supply and battery is located in an external digital panel. It has several pre-set and adjustable speed settings and usually a detailed digital readout. They can be quite expensive due to the digital components and often require manufacturer-specific needle cartridges.

The Allegro PMU Digital Device Is powered by Lithium located in an external digital smart touch display panel

The advantages of a digital machine

Stroke Length

Digital machines don't commonly reveal stroke length - and for good reason. These machines are specifically designed for PMU therefore are manufactured at the correct stroke length (2.0-3.0mm). The correct stroke length is crucial to avoid unnecessary trauma to the skin.

Less Trauma

Digital machines operate very differently to regular Rotary tattoo machines. The needles in Rotaries oscillate (vibrate sideways) in the housing. This tends to rip and tear the skin, whereas a digital cartridge needle moves up and down very precisely, producing nice, neat perforations in the skin for the pigment.

Less Risk

Rotaries tend to produce far more splatter results, both of wasted pigment and also body fluids (meaning more infection control challenges). With digital machines the needle retracts in the cartridge when the machine is off, so there is no risk of needle stick injury.

Speed

The digital machines such as The Allégro offers the convenience of both pre-sets and manual speed adjustment to assist you with different procedures. This may help you out when you are just learning as well as being able to refine your technique as you become more experienced.

Needle Type

Although your proprietary digital machine may not take universal needle cartridges, the selection of needles are limited to its purpose which can take out the confusion dealing with so many options.

Weight

There is a slight difference in size and weight for most rotary machines but the pen style are most likely going to be heavier and larger than a digital machine because of the additional housed components in the hand-piece. The digital machine often comes with a more lightweight hand piece such as The Allégro which weighs a mere 60g.

Battery Life

Most battery operated tattoo machines only last for 3-6 hours, so you will need a a spare battery on hand and a charger always nearby. If you opt for lithium powered digital machine such as The Allégro, the battery life will be increased 2-4 times with optimal charging lasting up to 12 hours.