Wireless Battery Powered Tattoo Machines
Lisa’s product review:
***** 5 stars
A battery powered, wireless tattoo machine???
You heard me right. I just purchased a completely clipcord free, battery operated tattoo machine.
This is a HUGE breakthrough for the tattoo industry.
For years I heard people complain about how annoying clipcords can be.
-They can cause drag on the skin surface.
-They get impossibly contaminated.
-They get wrapped around your work chair.
-Clipcords can cause accidental needle stick if you didn’t realize your cord was caught on a surface and moved too quickly.
I talked to wireless machine inventor Brett Colton, who comes from Australia. He said the FreeWire tattoo machine has been over 7 years in the making. He lives in Florida and the machines are manufactured there. He explained the way it runs electronically but being somewhat technically challenged I can only tell you it runs and performs great!
Lots of friends have asked me to tell them what I think about it.
Here’s my review:
Cost: They are quite a bit more expensive than traditional, clip cord dependant models. Roughly, two times as expensive.
Weight: Most traditional machines average 6-8 oz. in weight. The Freewire model I am using weighs approx 10 oz. This is definitely an increase that you will feel. I actually prefer heavy machines because I feel that over an extended period of time the extra weight helps me continue to sink the needle in. I have strong hands and was quite comfortable tattooing for 3 hours with it. No problem. However, if you have weight issues due to hand problems you may want to wait until their next model arrives. The next model will be significantly lighter weighing in at about 7.2 oz. Brett promises.
Appearance: It features an attractive, ornate aluminum frame. The digital read out is built in nicely on the rear of the frame.
The footswitch is a gem style pedal with an additional flat piece below that emits LED lights to let you know your pedal is on. Everything comes packed in a flashy black suitcase with a battery charger and 3 batteries to rotate. The batteries last approx. 1 ˝ hours and with the 3 batteries that are included and the 2 battery charger it is easy to keep at least 2 charged at all times. They re-charge in about 45 minutes.
Functionality: Very impressive. This is where I give it a 5 star rating (highest). This machine, even though it is first generation, is clearly not in it’s early stages of development. It has the typical 2 coils and tunes just like a traditional coil machine.
I was concerned about being able to make adjustments since I really need to be able to do that to be satisfied (the downfall of the rotary to me). This machine has every adjustment you would want and more. Not only can you do the typical spring adjustments but you can also amp up the power on the digital panel……there is tons of room for speed/stroke adjustments.
I used a 3 liner for delicate lining and an 11 mag for 3 hours of serious shading and I was completely impressed!
