Home » Best Tattoo Machines & Guns For Beginners of 2023

Best Tattoo Machines & Guns For Beginners of 2023

When you’re just starting out as a tattoo artist, it’s important to get off on the right foot with some quality machines, but what is the best tattoo machine for a beginner? Well, like many things in the tattoo industry, that is a long-standing debate. However, we have here some great recommendations that will help you hit the ground running and start producing really great tattoos!

Best Tattoo Machines for Beginners

IMAGEPRODUCTSFEATURESPRICE
Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine• Versatile
• Affordable
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Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine• Low energy consumption
• Adjustable Tattoo Cartridge Grip
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1. Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine

Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine
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When it comes to rotary machines in the market, few brands could come close to the offering by Dragonhawk Store. Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is easily one of the best, and one can even argue it to be the best, offering that one could get their hands on. 

Why Dragonhawk’s extreme rotary machine is such a great product?

Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine product review

Made with the finest materials, the Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is ergonomically designed, making it the perfect equipment to be used by both professional tattoo artists and well as beginners in the field. This is something that makes it truly unique from its competitors in the market. There are only a few products that can cater to the needs of both professional as well as beginner tattoo artists, and Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is one of them.

Its lightweight design allows one to use this rotary tattoo machine for an extended period without any hassle. Furthermore, this is designed to fulfill a wide range of purposes, including color packing, light black and gray shading as well as heavy black filling. Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is equipment that does all, so why would not it be a popular choice for a tattoo artist, both professional as well as novices.

Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine customer review

It is a durable machine that will easily last for a long time, even with daily use.

The Downside of Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Machine

While Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is a great product for tattoo artists and is highly recommended, it does not mean that there are not a few downsides to investing in this machine. And one of the major downsides is the lack of necessary accessories with the Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine. Yes, one needs to separately buy essential accessories to use with the Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine.

Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine review

Pros

  • A cost-effective solution, fit to be used by both professional and amateur tattoo artists
  • An easy to use and durable product
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • One needs to buy essential components for the tattoo inking process separately.

Dragonhawk Extreme Rotary Tattoo Machine is indeed useful for beginners and what makes it an ideal choice for them is its cost-effectiveness and easy-to-use feature. You can use it and pay attention to the technical aspect of your tattoo art. The quality of the machine is indeed a plus which makes it a durable product.

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2. Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine

Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine
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Rattlesnake offers an excellent rotary tattoo machine for one to make use of. A solid rotary tattoo machine by Rattlesnake with adjustable cartridge grips for liner and shader which make it one of the top choices for tattoo professionals all over the globe.  Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine is a beautifully designed portable rotary machine with adjustable cartridge grips and should be a product that one must consider if they are looking for such equipment.

Why is this product so great?

Now Rattlesnake is a name that has faced some troubled times in the past, particularly in the line of tattoo products. But their rotary machine with adjustable cartridge grips has easily silenced any critics the brand might have in the past. This is simply an excellent machine that can be used by tattoo artists, professionals as well as novices who are just learning the trade. This machine has a 25mm full and comfortable aluminum adjustable tattoo cartridge grip that is not only easy to operate but to disassemble as well.

Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine product review

An ergonomically designed product, this machine is lightweight as well, allowing one to utilize this machine for an extended period without any hassle.  Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine also has lower energy consumption without impacting its output.

The downside of the Rattlesnake rotary tattoo machine

While the machine is easy to use and consumes significantly less power to operate, the build quality of the product is on the cheaper side. And while there have not been many complaints about the machine, with the overall reviews being overwhelmingly positive, there is some doubt about the durability of the Rattlesnake rotary tattoo machine.

Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine customer review

Pros

  • An inexpensive offering, compared to several of its competitors in the market
  • Easy to use, both for experienced tattoo artists as well as beginners
  • Lightweight product with low power consumption

Cons

  • Cheaper build quality
  • The durability of the machine is in some doubt.
Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine review

Nowadays, many tattoo machines are available in the marketplace. However, Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine makes a space in the list curated for beginners. If you are a beginner and want to buy a tattoo machine to enhance your tattooing skills, Rattlesnake Rotary Tattoo Machine is indeed the right choice to go with. It is not just lightweight but also affordable for beginners. You can use it to practice for a longer period because it consumes less energy and enhance your skills with ease.

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What Should You Consider In A Good Tattoo Machine For a Beginner?

First off, if you want to focus on your artistic skills as a tattoo artist out of the gate, and not on the technical aspects of how to tune several different coil tattoo machines to get a single tattoo done, then the best tattoo machine for a beginners such as yourself will be a rotary tattoo machine.

As I stated earlier, when using a rotary tattoo machine, you take out all of the issues surrounding tuning your tattoo machine to be a liner or a shader, needing multiple machines, so on and so forth. Instead, you can just focus on the tattoo since rotaries act as both a liner and a shader in one machine with no tuning needed! You just have to adjust the needle depth and swap out needle groupings! Because of this rotaries are often referred to as “Plug n Play”

Now, plug n play is a whole lot easier than setting up multiple tattoo machines. Which, let’s face it, for a beginner tattoo artist can be a pretty daunting task! So keep reading to find out what the best tattoo machine for a beginner is.

​Final Word

The best tattoo machine for a beginner is going to be different from everyone you ask. Some artists swear by coils, while some swear by rotaries. Everything you come across in the tattoo industry is just going to come down to personal preference.

When looking for a beginner machine, it’s best to go with a machine that you will feel comfortable with, and a simple machine with not a bunch of gadgets that will ultimately just leave you confused.

Also, don’t make a huge investment in your first machine. You don’t want to spend $400-$600 on a tattoo machine to not love how it feels in your hand or how it works. Before you spend a hefty sum of money on a machine, play around with several different styles: true rotaries, coils, rotaries with armature bars, cartridge grips, etc.

There are tons out there, so don’t get pigeonholed into one style. Test the ink on them all, and always be expanding your horizons as a tattoo artist.

About Author

Jonathan Corby "Jonny" is a guy who is passionate about Tattooing and successfully running a Tattoo Studio in NY. Through my journey as a Tattoo Artist I have made unforgettable memories. This irrational poetry and sense of freedom of art on skin has given a blissfull experience to my life. Each Tattoo has a story behind it; Lets share one!