Review on 🐉 Optimized Dragonhawk Rotary Tattoo Machine for Artists by Jody Tibbetts

First of all, I would like to tell you that I have been a professional tattoo artist for almost 15 years. During that time I've used a lot of machines - some good, some not so good, and some crappy. That being said, I bought this car on a whim, not necessarily for any reason. I didn't need it, I have many other Rotarys. I was curious how good a $50 lathe (with a handle) could be, and with Amazon Prime I decided to give it a try. I got the red one because it was cheaper and I don't care what color my pen washer is because I pack it anyway when I get tattooed. Let's get down to business: the first impression was good, the workmanship was pretty good with no noticeable flaws. The needles provided are rubbish, throw them away. I don't know why they don't send some of their SEA cartridges, they're actually decent. The connection is NOT RCA as described, it is a constant voltage connection. It ran fairly smoothly but sluggishly (like it's slowing down a bit, read below) out of the box, no weird noises or vibrations. One IMPORTANT thing for me is that the machine I received was NOT equipped with 3.5mm of travel. I measured it with a micrometer to within 2.8mm. (From the needle flush with the tip to full protrusion) That would make it useless to me except for shading and maybe color blending. You will have trouble pulling a good single pass line anywhere except the shaft which is less than 3mm thick. 3.5 - 4.2 perfect and versatile. Then I cut it open (which I'm sure they don't want because they put glue on the threads. How do you clean and oil it?). The lubricant used is very sticky. I don't know what they use, but it should cause more friction than lubrication. I used a mild solvent to get rid of this crap and replaced it with SuperLube Silicone Lube (highly recommend). This freed her, she became more alert and sang along, but was still suffering from a 2.8mm anemic stroke. I may be able to find a replacement 3.5mm or 4.0mm stock washer from a Chinese supplier, or maybe Dragonhawk will send me a stock washer that is actually 3.5mm and I can replace it. The time will show. I will update this review if anything changes. Final opinion? I wouldn't buy it again, at least not in the current state. If some updates have been made by the manufacturer I'd say it's great. But at the moment it doesn't work for me. Here are some specs: Grip ranges from: 23mm to 21.5mm and 26mm Body tapers from: 26mm to 28mm Length: 118mm Weight: 131.8 grams or 4.65 ounces