Tattoo Needle Guide

On our website, there are traditional needles and cartridge needles. Also, it is easy to distinguish them. A traditional tattoo needle comes with a long bar. Some ones come with a blue dot, which means sterilized. Traditional tattoo needles are designed for coil tattoo gun and traditional rotary tattoo machines. A cartridge needle comes with a tattoo tip. In other words, a cartridge needle is something that combines tattoo needles and tattoo tip. Cartridge needles are designed for pen-style tattoo machines and cartridge tattoo machines.

Understand tattoo needles

1 Tattoo needle taper

1.1 Types of needle taper

A taper is the head part of a needle, calculating from where it gets sharpened to the tip. Tapers from 3 to 5mm are medium tapers. Shorter than 3mm are short taper, but no shorter than 1.5mm. A Long taper is a taper whose distance is 5 to 6 mm. Those with more than 6mm tapers, for example, 8mm, are called extra-long taper needles.

1.2 The difference between medium tapers and long tapers

The taper length influences how much ink is distributed from the needles. The longer the tapers are, the less ink comes out. Therefore, tattoo artists depend on this characteristic to choose appropriate types for different purposes. Medium taper needles allow a moderate amount of ink to come out, so tattooists often use them for thick lines or outside layers. More ink distribution means they can do the job more quickly. Moreover, more ink distributed also means less precision, which is suitable for medium or thick lines. On the other hand, long taper needles dispense a small amount of ink while working, appropriate for thin lines and details requiring extremely high precision and concentration. Therefore, tattoo artists need a long time for meticulous detail.

1.3 Medium taper pk long taper: which is better?

Since each kind of needle has its purpose, it is difficult to state which is better. As mentioned, medium taper needles draw thick lines or layers because they allow more ink to come out, while long taper needles are more suitable for detailed tattooing. Tattoo artists may use one of the two kinds for different tattoo parts, not choose one over the other.

1.4 Should I choose long or medium taper needles?

Long taper needles can be used for making portrait tattoos, realism tattoos, and sketch tattoos. Medium taper needles will be a good choice when it comes to making traditional tattoos.

2. Tattoo needle diameter and size

2.1 Diameter

Based on their diameter, needles can be divided into 4 popular kinds. #8 (0.25mm): used for details because it distributes slower ink flow. #10 (0.30mm): the most popular kind, suitable for any purpose. #12 (0.35mm): appropriate for thick lines, layers, and filling areas. #13 (0.40mm): suitable for filling and tattooing large designs

2.2 Tattoo Needle Types

According to needle grouping, tattoo needles can be divided into several kinds: RL - Round Liner The pins on round liner needles are soldered in a round pattern and are grouped tightly. Commonly Used for: Dot work. All lining work both bold and intricate. Script and lettering. Japanese. Traditional and neo-traditional. Geometric. Tribal. Samoan RS - Round Shader Round shaders are very similar to round liners except the pins are not placed as close together. They can also be used for colour filling and basic shading. Commonly Used for: Some line work. Script and lettering. Basic shading and colour filling. Japanese. Traditional and neo-traditional. Geometric. Tribal. Samoan. M1 - Weave Magnum The Magnum shader needles are straight in a row, and the needle spacing is not close to each other. Commonly Used for: Black and grey. All types of shading and colour packing. Colour realism. Japanese. Traditional and neo-traditional. Tribal. Samoan. RM - Round Magnum/curved magnum The Curved Magnum needle ( round magnums) is quite similar to the Magnum one, except that the arrangement of the needles forms a central arch. Commonly Used for: Black and grey. All types of shading and colour packing. Colour realism. Japanese. Traditional and neo-traditional. Tribal. Samoan. FL - Flat When it comes to the flat needle, the welded pins are linear across the needle bar. Commonly Used for: Some line work. Small shading and colour packing. Black and grey. Colour realism. Japanese. Traditional and neo-traditional. Tribal. Samoan. Geometric.

Something you need to know before using

1. Each needle is single-packed and single-use, and can not be re-usable.
2. Do not use it on human skin once the plastic package is damaged.
3. Please check the valid date on the package before using it. Contact the distributor for a replacement if they expired.
4. Minors are not allowed to use any tattoo equipment without guardian permission.
5. Please use professional tattoo ink (radiant colour ink) to tattoo on human skin.

How to judge whether a needle is good or bad?

There are several key points that indicate whether the needle qualified or not.

1. Tattoo needles will penetrate into the skin, so they must be sterilized.
2. The needle bar and needle tip must be hard. If not, needles will not penetrate into the skin smoothly.
3. The needle tip must be sharp. If not, it will cause more skin damage.
4. The tattoo needle soldering point should be clean and glossy.
5. For the same tattoo pen, a qualified tattoo needle can deliver tattoo ink quickly, so it will avoid skin damage.

Final Thoughts

Q1. What brand of tattoo needle should I buy for my pen? A1. It is recommended to use the same brand of needles as your pen. However, the wormhole tattoo pen can be compatible with most cartridge needles on market. Q2. Why does my tattoo needle keep breaking? A2. The material is bad or it is not soldered in a proper way. Q3. How deep into the skin does a tattoo needle go? A3. Tattoo ink should be delivered into the dermis layer, which is 2 to 2.5mm. By the way, it needs lots of practice to get the feeling of how deep is too deep. Q4. What gauge are the most commonly used tattoo needles? A4. #10gauge (0.30mm) and #12gauge (0.35mm) are commonly used. The smaller the gauge is, the more suitable it is for making detailed tattoos. Q5. Are tattoo needles reused? A5. No, each needle is singly used on human skin. If you are using them on fake skin, then they can be reused. Q6. How do tattoo needles hold ink? A6. Surface tension holds the ink in the tip and on the needle cluster. A small diameter needle delivers less ink than a larger diameter one. In my previous blog, there are many posts about tattoo needle knowledge. Go there and learn more.