Recommendations for cheap hobby tattoo gun?

October 2, 2008 1:44 PM

Can anyone recommend a cheap hobby tattoo machine? There's a bunch with varying prices online, but some anecdotal evidence never hurts. I was going to build my own until I found out how cheap some of them are, but only want to get one if it's worth it.
posted by imaswinger to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (2 answers total)

I can't recommend a specific tattoo gun, but I can recommend [if you plan on tattooing yourself or others and are not a tattoo artist] that you invest in pork bellies.

By which I mean - go to chinatown and buy some slabs of pork belly and practise your tattooing on a slab of what would otherwise be tasty bacon.

It's a shame to waste bacon, but sometimes sacrifices need to be made.

Not only will this help you to learn the art, but it provides a realistic[ish] medium on which to test the homebuilt you might decide to build one day.

It also gives you a time window for experimentation unless you have a walk-in refrigerator to work in.
posted by Acari at 3:18 PM on October 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

I can't reccomend brands etc. But I did for a period of time spend a whole lot of time around well heeled pro's in the business. I heard many discussions on cheap gear, and they universally agreed that all of the "Learn to Tattoo kits" style sets were too poorly made to be useful.

Find a real professional catalog with reputable gear and spend a few extra dollars to get the proper stuff.
posted by Ponderance at 7:03 PM on October 2, 2008