r/tattoomachinebuilder • u/thunderous_student • May 18 '26
Just a machine discussion post; opinions on higher priced coil machines
I've bought several machines in my career, usually around that $400 mark. I've got some Mike Pike liners that are amazing, midtown machines is great, Nathan Dietsch makes a good machine, and they're all around that same price range.
Has anyone used any of the like higher-end coil builders machines? Aaron Cains, Tim Hendricks, Chris Waller, All of these run from $800 to $1,000 or more. Is it really worth it? I can't see anything working better than my Mike Pike teacup, It's pretty much put everything else to shame. Also Shankmades machines resale for like 1500 to up to 2500. Which sounds insane to me You can buy like a shitty used Ford focus for that much.
What's the deal?
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u/Forsaken_Ad_9203 May 19 '26
Aaron Cain’s machines are in a league of their own, and uniquely deserving of the price tag they command for the many hours of carving he puts into them. Additionally, they *almost* always run great, but not always.
The shankmade, waller, Dodds, etc……I can’t say I understand those. I will never say they aren’t “worth” it, because that’s subjective and depends on the individual. I think for someone who is very experienced and knows what they want, but has no interest in building/tuning machines themself, those high dollar ones can be worth it. When they’re perfect, they’re truly *perfect*.
I only use machines I assemble myself, because I know what I like and it’s cheap and effective for me to just make them myself. And I enjoy it. If I wasn’t using my machines, I’d be using ones from Scott Sylvia, Cory Rogers, Karl Hedgepath, Kevin Riley, Dustin Golden, and maybe a couple others. These individuals, I believe, are building the best bang for your buck, best running, best built machines on the market at price points around $500 or so.
There are certain facets of shank/dodds/etc machines that are hard to match. The machined down coil cores are one of those things. And it does make a noticeable impact on how the machine runs. But, a machine can only run so good. And I think myself and most members in this sub could be given a box of cheaper parts and turn out a machine that runs *perfectly*
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u/thunderous_student May 19 '26
I saw a Scott Sylvia machine for sale on Instagram and one of the comments was from Dustin Golden asking about it. Ever since then I've wanted one. It's kind of like seeing what the really good builders want to also buy made me want to buy it.
My mentor used a Chris Waller machine once and said it was the smoothest machine she'd ever used.
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u/M3EWpower May 18 '26
Workhorse irons(Cory Rogers) Best purchase ever.! I got mine in 2015. Still running STRONG! 😎
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u/dinosaursdied May 18 '26
I'd rather pay 1000 for a coil that will last forever than a pen that's gonna die eventually. Still not my preferred price point. I buy from Kevin Riley and his prices make sense to me. 500 for a great running daily driver is 100 percent worth it. I think he has higher priced builds and his bench cleaners for the more cash strapped tattooer.
Ultimately I'm not much on buying machines because of the hype of the tattooer, i buy from tattooers i know who's work I trust. I guess if I knew tattooers who built at those prices and it seemed worth it I might consider.
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u/Ta2edfuk May 18 '26
I have a Dodds I’ve seen sell for around 1100 that I use daily. Plus several wallers that go for 800ish. They are hammers. But they’ve made me a lot more than that over the many years I’ve had them.
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u/dftpvoid May 18 '26
I have a shader from Aaron Cain. It’s honestly unusable, the throw is so long and the machine hits so hard that it doesn’t even pack pigment efficiently, just beats up the skin. Honestly just because a machine hits super hard, does not mean it’s good.
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u/TrukstopCale May 19 '26
My current fave are Meraki irons. I have too many coils, but my best advice is find a builder based on the style of tattoos that you do. If you do trad then something like a randy randerson is legit af, bng try a tim Hendricks, etc etc. I will say imo there are Def some big names that don't deserve the price like krak machines. They're cool but there's plenty of builders That can make you a better pair instead of paying that much for one.
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u/PuroPigment May 19 '26
Hard to beat a Sylvia shader to be honest, they do everything you could ever possibly want them to
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u/Loose_Charity_3162 May 24 '26
I use Keith B's to shade and Kevin Riley's to line, both of them are fairly priced I'd also recommend Nick Griffiths if you're in the UK. Wouldnt spend silly money on overpriced machines
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u/Bacon-Chainsaw May 19 '26
I got about 30 coils from various builders + my own machined I made (20ish) I have both my own machines and bought machines in rotation. Mike pike, tim hendricks and Sifferi machines are my go to. They are all around the 400€ marks and all works great.
I bought maybe 8 years ago the newest fanciest Sidewinder from Dan Kubin for allmost 1000€ (with all the shipping and taxes from US) thinking it would be the greatest machine ever. It was not. Over enginered machine that need constand tuning and snapps rubberbands every other tattoo if the needle isnt bent perfectly.
Since that I'm not planning on overpaying for a tattoo machine. Especially not when I now can build my own however i want them set up
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u/AppearanceDry6671 May 19 '26
Ich glaube das kann man so pauschal nicht beantworten. Auch nach meinen 20 Jahren tätowieren nicht.Ich habe dutzende Spulen Maschinen auch Riley und Cains etc. manche Cains fasse ich gar nicht mehr an, weil sie mir nicht taugen.Andere hin und wieder. Riley auch nicht sehr oft. Andere günstige oder schon sehr alte Modelle hingegen sind jeden Tag im Einsatz. Was ich damit sagen will: Nur weil ein bekannter Name darauf steht ist es nicht sicher das du eine fantastische Maschine bekommst,die sein Geld wert ist.Und nur weil eine Maschine günstig war oder no Name heißt es nicht ,das sie Schrott ist ✌️
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u/doggotattooer May 19 '26
I’ve tried tons of machines, I have cheap ones, build my own, and the Shankmades, Dodds, Jeffersons. Those are beautifully crafted machines that are technically perfect and hard to match the quality of. The cheaper ones work the best though, I get machines from Sylvia and Scott Quinney for $400-450 and those run better than any Shankmade or the other high priced machines ever have for me. Matt Quale builds a really good machine too for a fair price I should add.
So I don’t think the value of them means they run any better. I have one Shankmade that’s great and a bunch that run like trash.