Tattoo Kits

Tattoo Kits

If you’re a tattoo artist just starting out on your own, looking at tattoo kits might be the best bang for your buck. These tattoo kits typically feature a professional, dual-coil tattoo machine, a variety of inks, needles, a power supply, and tattoo guides (complete with stencils).  Before buying the first tattoo kit you find online in your price range, there are some things you should think about.

Know Your Tattoo Kits and Products

When purchasing tattoo kits, every item within the tattoo kit should be of high quality—and of a brand that you know and trust. If you’re not sure, then ask your mentor or fellow artists if they’ve used the product before. This holds true for everything, from the ink to the machine to the needles. And don’t just assume that because one element of the kit is of a high quality, all are.

Some sellers of tattoo kits will try to throw one or two crappy products into their kit, along with a few bonafide decent ones in order to entice artists to buy them.  Now, you may decide that the offered discount is worth buying that kit anyway, but make sure that you’re making the decision knowing what you’re getting into.

Know How to Order Ink Refills

These tattoo kits often have small quantities of tattoo ink in them, and when you start to run out, you need to know how to order refills—and how much they cost. If you don’t mind switching brands of inks, then you can just shop around at that point, but it’s always better to know what you’re getting into.

If You Don’t Have a Sterilizer in Your Tattoo Kits . . .

Then you should make sure that your kit contains disposable needles and/or single-use tubes—and you’ll probably also need to order extra disposable needles at the same time.  Not all tattoo kits will have sterilizer in them!

Carefully check Out the Tattoo Machine

Some tat machines are more prone to corrosion than others, and if the springs are cheap, then you’ll have to constantly replace them.  In shopping for tattoo kits here are some things to look for:
1. The frame should be rust-proof, brass, stainless steel, copper, or aluminum.
2. The iron coil cores should be clad with zinc to help against corrosion.
3. The springs should not be chrome-clad, but made of tempered steel.

Make sure that your machine includes a clip cord and foot switch.  Without a clip cord and foot switch, you’ll have a hard time setting up the machine to your power supply.

Ask Around About Tattoo Kits

One of the best ways to ensure that you’re starting off on the right foot is to ask fellow artists what tattoo kits they purchased when they struck out on their own—particularly your mentor. Even if they don’t have advice about different tattoo kits, they’ll certainly have opinions about the brands of ink, machines, and needles that come with the tattoo kits.