The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Tattoo Needles
There is no doubt that the quality of a tattoo tool has a very direct impact on the artist's work. With so many brands of tattoo cartridges available in the market and the mixed information about tattoo cartridges available online, you may not be able to clarify the criteria for choosing an tattoo cartridge for a while. So, how can you pick the most suitable tattoo needles? What makes a quality tattoo needles? That's the question this article is trying to answer!
Ink cartridges need to fulfill three requirements: quality, safety and effectiveness. We are looking for the perfect combination of quality, safety and effectiveness. Let's discuss each of these three points in turn.
What are tattoo needles made of?
Quality tattoo needles are usually made of stainless steel or other medical alloys that are corrosion-resistant and biocompatible, which reduces the risk of infection and ensures the durability of the tattoo needle. A good tattoo needle should undergo a delicate manufacturing process to ensure the sharpness and consistency of the tip. A sharp tip reduces resistance and pain during the tattooing process while improving the smoothness and definition of the line.
Are tattoo needle pre-sterilized?
For hygiene and safety reasons, good tattoo needles should be single-use and rigorously sterilized before use. This helps to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and protects the health of the tattoo artist. There is no doubt that only sterile needles should be used when tattooing and it is vital that you choose needles that are pre-sterilized and individually wrapped. Always ensure that tattoo needles are individually packaged and labeled with the lot number and expiration date. Be sure to keep this information for your records.
Are there different types of tattoo needles?
A good tattoo needle should be available in a variety of sizes and shapes in order to meet the needs of different tattoo designs. Filter them according to the specific needs of the tattoo design. For example, if you need to draw thin lines , you should choose a liner needle; if you need to fill in large areas of color or create a gradient effect, you should choose a magnum needles.
- Feature: Round arrangement of the needle tip, the number of needle tip is small, can accurately control the running speed of the tattoo machine and the thickness of the line.
- Applications:Mainly used for outlining tattoos, drawing fine lines, shading and details.
- Advice on choosing a size:Considering the tattooer's needs, skin color and body shape, for tattoo designs that require fine lines, such as letters, small patterns, etc., choose a thinner model such as 3RL or 5RL. for tattoo designs that require thicker lines, such as the outline of a large-scale pattern, choose a 7RL or thicker model.
- Feature: Round arrangement of the needle tip, but thicker than Round Liner, with a looser arrangement of the needle tip.
- Applications:Mainly used for the shading part of the tattoo, capable of producing a soft shading effect, also suitable for misting and expanding lines in small areas.
- Suggestions for choosing a size:For tattoo designs that require soft shading effects, such as gradient effects or shadow filling, choose a moderate model such as 5RS or 7RS. If deeper shading or a larger fogging area is required, choose a thicker model.
- Feature: a single row of linear arrangement of the needle tip, the needle tip arrangement is looser, suitable for large areas of color filling.
- Application: Mainly used for large area color filling and mixing. It can help you get a more even look more easily.
- Feature: The needle tip is arranged in a fan shape with a curved top, especially suitable for making changes in the light and dark intersection lines and fogging effects.
- Applications:Mainly used for tattoo designs that require fine light and dark changes and even fogging effects.
How to choose the right needle size?
Generally speaking, the narrower the tattoo needle, the finer the line of the tattoo.
Additionally, using a smaller tattoo needle will also help prevent ink from being dragged into the surrounding area and creating an unintended mess.
Narrower tattoo needles are best for depicting detailed lines and outlines, while wider needles are better suited for depicting shading and color fills.
Is the tattoo needle you choose compatible with your tattoo machine?
A good tattoo needle should work closely with your tattoo machine to ensure that it works consistently and smoothly during the tattooing process. You have to make sure that the cartridge you buy will work perfectly with your machine.
Does your tattoo needle cartridge prevent backflow?
When choosing a tattoo needle cartridge, it is advisable to look for a model that has a reliable reflow prevention feature to ensure a safe and hygienic tattooing process.
Preventing ink reflux is an important aspect of ensuring hygiene and tattoo quality. Many modern tattoo cartridges are designed with a mechanism to prevent ink reflux. Often a small rubberized membrane is incorporated for the purpose of preventing reflux. These are designed to ensure that the ink only flows forward during the tattooing process, thus preventing the ink from flowing back into the tattoo machine or ink bottle and reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
Why are PEPAX the best tattoo cartridges on the market?
PEPAX has been making tattoo equipment since 2008, and because of our love for tattoos, we have met many interesting and professional tattoo artists who are passionate about tattoos and continue to create a variety of meaningful tattoos. After communicating with leading artists in the industry, we wanted to continue to innovate and develop tattoo needles that create perfect lines and shading, and give the artist a comfortable and safe experience. We wanted to give energy to the artist, to the tattoo.
PEPAX cartridges are all manufactured to strict safety standards. Here are a few other aspects of our tattoo needle cartridge excellence:
- Sterile and individually sealed: each PEPAX tattoo needle is sterile and individually wrapped.
- Compatible with your machine: PEPAX tattoo needle cartridges are compatible with most standard rotary machines as well as cordless machines. You don't need to invest in a brand new machine to use our tattoo needles.
- Made of high quality materials: the needles are very sharp and made of the highest quality medical alloy.
- Excellent construction: PEPAX cartridges have a unique stabilization system with non-slip strips on the housing for better grip when changing tattoo needles.
- Anti-reflux: PEPAX cartridges use a special anti-reflux membrane to prevent ink from flowing back and affecting the performance of the machine. And it can minimize cross contamination.
PEPAX has been widely recognized and praised in the market, as Hollie said:
”I love Pepax carts! They are super sharp and the needles dont bounce around inside the shell at all, which is perfect for precision work. I make a lot of linework and single line tattoos, these carts hit in a way that makes pulling crispy lines effortless. I now use Pepax for all my needle configurations .”
Act fast, PEPAX is definitely your best choice, check out more PEPAX cartridges. Keep up to date with new product releases and events, follow us on Instagram or join the PEPAX Club.
