The good the bad and the evil

[ink_drop]

Whats up guys, just wondering how you tell a good machine from bad chinese weak shit out there? There are a bunch of machines on fleabay and I can tell that most are shit but there also looks like there is a few nice ones.. Is there a certain brand or style or something you look for inpaticular? And also whats the price range for a nice one? Is it the rule of "you get what you pay for"?
Thanks....

Ink...

[Inkspressit]

theys gettin clever, there's actually some what look like solid framed machines commin outa china....the guts is prolly shite but it can be replaced, personally i'd steer clear on anything off fleabay that aint named or from a reputable source.

[Warlock]

You gotta be really careful on ebay cuz there's so much chinese made crap out there. Some of the dead givaways tho are the a-bars and springs, the hard plastic covered coils (some chinese coils are now shrink wrapped too to help disguise them better) and the binding post setups. oh... did I mention lots of chrome?...

They take very few pics of the machines or the pics are blurred when they try to pass them off as good stuff, and some will even say "we sell to pros only" to make people think the machine is something worth having.

Good machines on the other hand are usually signed numbered and dated by the builder (these guys will definitely take a pic of that), will have coils that are hand wound or made by a reputable source, the springs will be rolled with no sharp bends and all the contact hardware won't look mass produced. these guys will usually take several pics of their machines from several angles so you can see just what you're bidding on.

[papadurivage]

I have a solid machine for sale on Ebay.. check it out.. Its Brand new..
http://cgi.ebay.com/National-Precision-Swing-Gate-Tattoo-Machine_W0QQitemZ300193874846QQihZ020QQcategoryZ33 917QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[lastmansta]

Yo send FORGIVEN a PM and you can't go wrong.

[Inkspressit]

You gotta be really careful on ebay cuz there's so much chinese made crap out there. Some of the dead givaways tho are the a-bars and springs, the hard plastic covered coils (some chinese coils are now shrink wrapped too to help disguise them better) and the binding post setups. oh... did I mention lots of chrome?...


Not so on the chrome, as I said theys getting smart.... if in doubt see if others are seling the same machine or if they are selling a number of the same unit...(again unless they are a known reputable producer)

Yep Papa, that unit yer selling is a real good base unit, Nats Jonesy frames are a solid unit.
I own 2 nats in my collection one orig, one i just had to tinker wit...lol

[ink_drop]

Thanks guys, im just browsing for right now.. I got with Andy and he's gonna get some to me for now but ya never know, if I end up seeing a good deal on ebay then i can jump on it now..

[Warlock]

Not so on the chrome, as I said theys getting smart.... if in doubt see if others are seling the same machine or if they are selling a number of the same unit...(again unless they are a known reputable producer)


Ok... there are some good chromed machines but most of us can tell the difference on that part... If I saw one of your machines that was chromed to the max for sale I'd buy it but not those stampped steel frames that anyone can tell is chinese quality... and that chrome jonesy I cant say anything bad about either...

[B.Mullins]

Like these guy's said most of the chinese shit is very obvius but like inkspressit said they are definitely getting good about making them look like good machines.Perfect example,look up a seller on ebay named jiqinglina they have machines listed that look like good custom setups the only giveaway right now is the item is in china,but once us sellers get ahold of them you would probably never know,hell they have a over the top machine that caught my eye while browsing then i slicked on it and sure enough in china.

[Inkspressit]

Like these guy's said most of the chinese shit is very obvius but like inkspressit said they are definitely getting good about making them look like good machines.Perfect example,look up a seller on ebay named jiqinglina they have machines listed that look like good custom setups the only giveaway right now is the item is in china,but once us sellers get ahold of them you would probably never know,hell they have a over the top machine that caught my eye while browsing then i slicked on it and sure enough in china.

Bingo Papa!!!! warlock thats what i was refering to, they are moving form chroming and actually putting out units that "look" like custom etc, some actually look pretty sharp but......look for stainless screws, etc and multiple items the same etc.
Papa, check out a bit further.... US sellers have em bro... and an AU supplier has em on fleabay...check the ones with the clear shrink wrap....some dodgy winds going on with a few.
Old story...Your frame (decently set) is the base for your machine, the guts etc is what makes it good or shite.

[Warlock]

Yup... I've seen a lot of that as well... Chinese crap machine makers are getting more clever as well. Yeah.. the old familiar cheesy chinese chromed stamped steel machines are still out there but there is a growing number of them that look more and more like good handmade machines. Look at the a-bars and the spring setups, that o ring that's always set up the same way and the stainless allen screw hardware... Now when they start using steel hardware and blue steel springs and a-bars that arent chromed it'll be even more difficult to tell the difference. Handmade on ebay just simply means assembled by hand in china unless you KNOW the source... And for those who claim they sell to pros only.. fuck them, I never bid on their shit before and won't bid on them now.. my money was just as green then as it is now... just more of it and not for those sellers.
Any opinion on those Argentine guys who do actually build their machines by hand one at a time? there are a lot of them popping up on ebay nowadays...

[Inkspressit]

Any opinion on those Argentine guys who do actually build their machines by hand one at a time? there are a lot of them popping up on ebay nowadays...

Yep, they will never see 1c from me... they are design thieves!

[Warlock]

Yep, they will never see 1c from me... they are design thieves!

Cool... That's my opinoin as well...

[framey]

wish i could pump out that many machines in a day

[Inkspressit]

wish i could pump out that many machines in a day

well ifin ya get up at midnight and go ta bed at 11:59pm every day ya might start to get there in a few years... ;)

[framey]

think i'll pass im happy dishing my shit at my rate lmao

[Bubba]

Two machines for $50 is a giveaway. Shipped from china is real good givaway. Stamped or bent frames is another good giveaway. Cheap machine with expensive shipping. If they look cheap they are. Ask them a question about materials or duty cycle, something only a builder or tattooer would know. Look at feedback. There are very good deals on ebay. I buy alot of machines there, BUT there are some machines that are misrepresented and you roll with it. Its the best place to see alot of machines quickly and price compare. But buyer beware, if it seems to good to be true, usually it is.

[Inkspressit]

think i'll pass im happy dishing my shit at my rate lmao

ahhhhhh theres my problem, I got no shit and no rate, i gotta get me more shit with some rate? or a lot of rate to get more shit? oh shit ive lost the plot, or was that the rate in which i lost the plot talkin shit??

only person I know who dishes shit is my cook on a bad day ;)

[voodoo]

Well, Life is like a shit sandwich. The more bread ya eat,The less shit ya gotta take!

[ink_drop]

Well, Life is like a shit sandwich. The more bread ya eat,The less shit ya gotta take!

Very true...
&
I dont think ill be doing business with fleabay, I just got in 3 machines from Andy...
One word.....

Excellent...

Ink...

[Dodgee]

Came across a seller on Ebay some time back that claimed to be a local supplier. Despite never having heard of them before, I bought a machine - J-Style I think or Pauly or V... whatever- with old school wrapped coils, nicely turned brass binding posts and a hot oil blackened finish. By Oz standards the price was reasonable - about US$80.00 I think. I don't remember what the postage was. The supplier turned out to be Hong Kong based, and it took almost a month before I got my hands on the piece. Surprisingly, this machine looked real sweet and after a bit of tweaking - spings in particular, setup was pretty crook - it does pack in the colour. I just wouldn't do any big tribal back pieces with it cause the coils do start to cook after a bit. Haven't bothered changing them out yet. Still, for the price and considering what we have to shell out for a half decent machine over here, its not too shabby.
P.s. I won't be buying anything from those sneaky little buggers again though!
Cheers!

[ceedubya13]

I think the biggest thing with the cheap machines are the coils and caps.I have a couple of Chinese mass produced machines and for the most part aren't too bad.But the springs and a-bars are questionable.The frames seem solid and light,but I agree that by the time you get a rebuild kit or individual components,you still have a few dollars in them.What to do when your broke?Oh,BTW,I'm new here:-)Been lurking for awhile-hope to learn alittle while I'm here.

[Warlock]

Yeah... cheap is cheap but sometimes you can get inexpensive without being cheap... Just keep your eyes out when you're in the market...

Sometimes ya can get lucky on ebay and find an inexpensive machine that's Not cheap. I got a very wicked shader off ebay for $40 + $5 shipping for 2 reasons... 1. the guy selling it didn't know what he had (The artist that owned this previously had a family member sell it for him) and (2) he had it listed in the wrong area so nobody else but me bid on it and I won it with the starting bid.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/Daves_Shader_underside.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/Daves_Shader_2.jpg

Good, Bad, or evil... I'd say this one is just plain Evil...

[Dodgee]

How sweet it is, when you score a gem off ebay for peanuts, eh!
Sometimes ignorance can be a blessing...;)