4 Best Tattoo Machine Brands Listed By Experts

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The tattoo industry is flooded with various tattoo machine brands. This makes it challenging to choose the right one, especially if you’re just starting out. 

We know that as a tattoo artist who takes their art seriously, you want to use only the best of the best. This is a good call since these tattoo guns tend to be more durable, which means you will save money in the end. Unfortunately, there are many tattoo machine brands that claim to be excellent, but they fall short when put to the test. 

So, if you’re looking to start out or just want to add a tattoo machine to your collection, then this article is for you. We’ve compiled a list of the 4 best tattoo machine brands recommended by experts. 

4 Best Tattoo Machine Brands

1. Dragonhawk: Most Trusted

This tattoo machine company was started by two professional tattoo artists in 2001. Since then, it has grown to be one of the most trusted tattoo brands in the industry. It’s known for creating quality tattoo machines that are durable. What’s more, if you’re unhappy with your purchase or if something goes wrong, they offer superb customer support and a full money-back guarantee. 

Some of their products include the Brass Coils Tattoo Machine (Shader and Liner), Tattoo Coil Machine Kit, and the Mast Pen Rotary Tattoo Machine. 

Dragonhawk Brass Coils Tattoo Machine (Shader and Liner)

This is by far the best coil tattoo machine Dragonhawk has to offer. It has a brass frame, which makes it a durable tattoo machine. Although it may be a little on the heavy side, it is very easy to use and control. This makes it a good choice for beginners. The shader has 10-wrap coils and the liner has 8. Both will give you smooth results. 

If you hold this machine, it is clear that it is made with dedication and that is only one of the reasons why Dragonhawk made it to our list of best tattoo machine brands.


Dragonhawk Tattoo Coil Machine Kit

As a top tattoo brand, Dragonhawk has everyone covered. This tattoo kit is perfect if you’re a beginner but you’re unsure what you need to get started. However, since it is of professional quality, many established tattoo artists may consider buying it since it is great value for money. 

If you’re looking for a quality tattoo machine that won’t cost you an arm or a leg, then you’ll find it in this kit. Best yet, you get two great tattoo machines—a liner and a shader. These machines are made from superior components that work together to give you a well-balanced tattoo gun that you’ll love working with. 

The other bits and pieces included in this kit won’t let you down either. All in all, you’re getting a bunch of quality elements you can use to get started at an affordable price. 


Dragonhawk Mast Pen Rotary Tattoo Machine

If you thought Dragonhawk was limited to coil tattoo machines, you’ll be happy to read that they offer a great rotary tattoo pen machine. Tattoo pens are small and lightweight, which makes them very easy to handle. 

The Dragonhawk Mast Pen is made from space aluminum and only weighs 120 grams! If you’ve ever held a coil tattoo gun, you’ll know that this machine is significantly lighter. It also has a powerful Japanese motor that makes the machine ultra-reliable. Its advanced gear system means less noise and vibration. 

When it comes to compatibility, you can pair various kinds of cartridges and needles with the Mast Pen. 

Okay, now that you have an idea of what Dragonhawk has to offer. 

What makes it one of the best tattoo machine brands on the market?

  • Made by tattoo artists for tattoo artists. 
  • Trusted the world over. 
  • Affordable.
  • Caters to beginners and professionals. 

2. Cheyenne: Most Innovative 

This is truly one of the best tattoo machine gun brands on the market. Although there’s no denying that their tattoo machines are top-quality, Cheyenne stands out for their innovation—and it’s not limited to just tattoo machines, but needles and grips as well. 

The Cheyenne brand revolutionized the tattoo industry by introducing the first tattoo pen

The Hawk was the first tattoo machine designed to closely resemble a pen while retaining the power of a rotary machine. But their innovation doesn’t stop there. They’re also the first company to start manufacturing single-use cartridges. 

Other than that, Cheyenne has an impressive focus on the safety and hygiene of its products. 

Cheyenne Hawk Tattoo Pen

If you’re looking for outstanding control with 100% accuracy on even the smallest of tattoo designs, then you need the Hawk Tattoo Pen in your life. You can choose between a 21mm or 25mm grip, depending on what feels comfortable for you. That’s considerably smaller than the grips on traditional coil tattoo machines and even some rotary designs. 

Made in Germany, the Hawk is made from high-quality aluminum, which means only one thing: durability. 

If you have the budget to splurge on the Hawk, one thing is certain, you’ll be buying more than a tattoo pen, you’ll be buying the ultimate tattooing experience. 

Why choose Cheyenne as the best tattoo machine brand? 

  • It offers a lot of innovative products. 
  • Only excellent quality materials are used. 
  • They give you a 30-day money-back guarantee. 
  • They’re serious about safety and hygiene. 

3. Redscorpion: Best Coil Tattoo Machine Brand

Seeing a number of five-star reviews isn’t surprising when it comes to the Redscorpion tattoo machine brand. Although they added rotary tattoo machines to their stable, they’re better known for their coil tattoo machines. In fact, many professionals will push this brand as the manufacturer of the best coil tattoo machines on the market. 

What we appreciate most about this brand is that it offers full-time support to all customers. Having such a knowledgeable brand as a source of information when it comes to your tattoo machine is priceless.

Let’s look at Redscorpion’s top rotary and coil offerings. 

Redscorpion Rotary Tattoo Machine Gun

The premium aluminium alloy frame gives this rotary impressive stability. Add to that the powerful Japanese motor and you can add power and speed to the list of reasons why Redscorpion is one of the best tattoo machine brands available. 

If appearance is important to you, the Redscorpion Rotary Tattoo Machine Gun has a unique finish that is sure to attract your eye. 

When it comes to its operation, this tattoo gun comes with a power controlling option to help you maintain a consistent speed and protect your client’s skin from getting damaged.  


Redscorpion Cast Iron Liner Coil Tattoo Machine

When it comes to the coil tattoo machine game, Rescorpion knows what they’re doing. This cast iron liner has outstanding magnetic connectivity—no need to worry about short circuits. 

The words solid and smooth are what you want to hear used in the same sentence when you’re talking about a tattoo liner, and that’s exactly what you get with the Redscorpion liner. 

This tattoo machine company pays particular attention to the performance of their machines. It’s not often that you hear of a coil gun that can tattoo for eight hours straight without overheating—the Redscorpion can. What’s more, the machine is lightweight enough that you won’t have to stop your session too soon due to hand fatigue. 

So, you’re in the market to buy from the best tattoo machine brand? 

Here’s why Redscorpion is a good pick:

  • Manufacturer of the best coil tattoo machine on the market. 
  • Offers full-time support to their customers. 
  • Comes with a powerful motor. 
  • Affordable.

4. Solong: Best Tattoo Kit Option

This tattoo machine brand is most popular for its tattoo kits, but don’t let that fool you—they have you covered for all other tattoo essentials as well. To them, the customer is key and your satisfaction is what they’re after. In fact, it’s so important to them, they urge you to review their products so they can keep on improving. They also offer a six-month warranty to build trust with their customers.

When it comes to Solong’s tattoo machines, you’re looking at affordable guns that are top performers in the industry.

Let’s look at what they have to offer before you make your final decision.

Solong Rotary Tattoo Machine

This rotary gun is versatile in that it doubles as a liner and shader. It has a classic design that radiates a sense of quality. The high-quality engine not only reduces your electricity expense but do so in a quiet, vibration-less manner. In other words, you can tattoo for hours at end without slowly losing your mind from the noise coil machines are known for. 

The Solong rotary comes with an auto cooling feature to help maintain the machine’s temperature. This contributes to its performance and durability—no overheating that will cut your machine’s life in half! 

All in all, this lightweight rotary is easy to handle and can help you nail those more challenging tats. 


Solong Tattoo Pen

This is another premium quality pen made by one of the best tattoo machine brands. When you ask professionals what they think about the Solong Tattoo Pen, words like top-performing, error-free, comfortable grip, low-weight, and quiet will be used. 

It has a space aluminum alloy frame that adds to the stability of the tattoo pen, and we all know that a stable gun means solid lines. As with the Solong rotary above, it doesn’t heat up after prolonged use. 

We particularly like the fact that this brand doesn’t limit their tattoo machines to work with only Solong power supplies; you can plug it into any tattoo power supply. No unnecessary expense of acquiring a brand-specific power unit if you already have another one lying around. Who doesn’t like to same some money?

Why choose the Solong brand?

  • They have a customer-centric focus. 
  • They care about what say and ask for your feedback. 
  • You get a six-month warranty. 
  • They’re affordable without compromising quality. 

Final Thoughts 

Being brand conscious isn’t a bad thing when it comes to your tattoo machine. After all, you want to showcase your talents and doing it with a dodgy tattoo machine isn’t going to do you any justice. 

In this article, we shared with you four of the top tattoo machine brands in the industry. Which one you choose depends on what exactly you’re looking for and, of course, what you can afford. 

If you’re a beginner, going with Dragonhawk may be your best bet. They’re affordable yet offer high-quality machines. They also have some of the best tattoo kits to choose from; something that is invaluable if you’re just starting out and you’re unsure of everything you need. 

A tattoo machine brand like Cheyenne is a better fit for tattoo artists who’ve been at it for a while—they know what they like and what they want from a tattoo machine. The price point of these tattoo machines are high and beginners may be disappointed if they spend so much money and end up hating their investment. Although we think that is highly unlikely considering the design and quality associated with Cheyenne. 

Whatever you choose, you’re on the right path doing as much research as you can. Tattoo machines aren’t cheap, so making the appropriate decision right off the bat will save you a lot of money (and frustration). 

Good luck. Go forth and ink some killer designs! 

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