Rotary tattoo machine – KEG Variable (Gold)

A truly beautiful custom direct drive rotary tattoo machine by famous underground designer. Upon its release, this device instantly became a legend in tattoo artists’ community. The machine was designed by pros for pros – which means that it requires a great level of sensibility from its user in order to work with high-detailed tattoos.

Its frame is made of a top quality piece of Aluminum, making it much lighter than types made of single piece of Steel and weights just 140 grams making it perfect for working long hours.

It supports variable 1mm to 5mm stroke which makes it easy to use as Liner, Shader or Color Packer. The device got custom-made motor, exclusive for its series, running at 6-13 Volts with 8000 RPM and Direct Drive, making it a beast among other tattoo machine motors.

Invented by German inventor Manfred Kohrs in 1978, a direct drive rotary tattoo machine is an advanced tool used by many tattoo artists. Though it was less popular in the mainstream industry even a few years back, recently its demand is beyond expectation. The reason is the convenience and ease of use.

A direct drive rotary tattoo machine is powered by a motor which spins in a vertical motion. The needle bar is connected with the motor that moves the needle both up and downward. Rotaries are more consistent than the coil tattoo machine. That’s because it doesn’t require any tuning – a procedure where the artist needs to adjust the needle shape and depth and supply power voltage.

A rotary machine is less customizable and the professional artists often complain about it. It also requires adequate knowledge and skill. Rotaries are also autoclaved and have a high disinfectant level. In fact, the artists prefer to use the rotary tattoo machine for this reason.

A rotary machine is less popular than a traditional tattoo machine and much fewer customizations and options. This may be considered as an adverse feature by the pros. However, it’s indeed a great tool for beginners.

One of the best parts of a rotary tattoo machine is that it makes no sound at all. This is indeed a positive feature for the tattooing machine. The buzzing sound coming from the coil machine is quite loud and irritating to many artists and clients. In fact, since tattooing takes a significant amount of time, the noise from the tattooing machine is quite bothersome, especially to the clients who are not used to such long and monotonous sound.

As a coil machine vibrates while working, a direct drive rotary tattoo machine doesn’t move too much. These are quite smooth to hold and use since these don’t vibrate. Too much vibration often causes problems in the artists’ hands and wrists. Some artists complaint to have lost sensation and feel irritation in the wrists and hands. Though the complaint is more apt for the coil tattoo machine but not for the rotary ones.

The direct drive rotary tattoo machine are much lightweight as compared to a heavy coil tattoo machine. However, some find the weight of the coil machine offers greater control to the artists over the machine and allows them to work more precisely.

This is an important part of the rotary machine. You need great expertise and knowledge of using a rotary machine. Since it is lightweight, you need to be careful that it doesn’t slip away from your hand.

Speed is an important aspect once it comes to a rotary machine. Since it’s a lightweight one, you will have to be very careful while working. And remember, tattooing is a precise work of art. A little mistake may ruin the entire appearance and clients may get dissatisfied.

Especially in this competitive market where tattooing has become a craze among the young gen, you cannot expect to drive customers and revenue with negative reviews and poor ratings. Though there are some tattoo removers available in the market that you may use to erase the mistakes, you cannot undo the poor experience of the clients.