What Are Cartridge Tattoo Needles?

All these types of needles can be used in your tattoo machine to achieve different effects. Learning the difference between tattoo needles and practicing with each of them will help you create various styles of artwork.

Let's start with the basic characteristics of each needle.

Oval Needles

Oval needles consist of several pins arranged in an oval shape around a soldered center. They can be tightly or loosely configured to achieve different results. There are two categories of oval needles, each serving different purposes:

Liners: Tight oval liners are densely packed next to each other, making them useful for detailed technical work and lines.

Slightly looser oval liners are useful for working with thicker lines, often seen in Japanese-style or old school tattoos.

Shaders: Oval shaders are even more spaced apart. They are ideal for filling in colors and primarily for shading.

It is crucial to understand the labels on the products. This way, you can properly identify the most suitable oval needle you need.

For example, it might be challenging at first to understand a needle marked with 1205RS. Oval needles are marked with RS for shaders and RL for liners. A needle marked with 1205RS would indicate a round shader number five.

The number 12 describes the size of the needle, specifically the diameter of 0.35 millimeters, which is one of the largest on the market. The number five in 1205RS indicates that there are five pins in the oval configuration. If there are fewer, they will create a thinner line, and more will create a thicker line.

Oval needles use a tube of the same size for the needles. For example, a round liner number five (5RLT) will require an oval tube number five.

Let's move on to the second type of needles.

Flat Needles

Flat needles are soldered together in a straight line towards the needle base. These needles are ideal for lines due to their ability to hold more ink and deliver clear, dark lines on the skin in a single stroke.

They are also available in different styles for lines and shading. Large formations of flat needles can be useful for color filling and thick lines with a single pass of the tattoo machine.

Flat needles are designated with FL for flat liners and FS for flat shaders. Just like oval needles, flat needles use a tube of the same size as the quantity of the needle. For example, a flat liner number seven (7FL) will use a tube 7F.

Magnum Needles

Magnum needles are most popular for shading. This style of needle grouping retains the most ink, making it easy to carry large amounts of ink into the skin.

A single pass can distribute more ink onto the skin, covering large areas quickly. This allows you to apply color faster and cause less trauma to the skin. Covering more skin with fewer passes also makes the tattooing process less painful for the client.

There are three different variants of magnum needles, each providing different results for each tattoo:

Weaved: These needles are soldered like flat magnums but have a second row of alternating pins on top. Weaved magnums are packed more loosely, leaving a little space between the needles. This space holds more ink and allows more skin coverage with a single pass.

Weaved magnum needles are always offered in groups of odd numbers and are labeled with M1. For example, 9M1 would be a configuration with nine weaved magnum needles.

Stacked: This style of magnum needles has the same shape and grouping as weaved magnums, except that the needles are attached much closer to each other.

This needle is ideal for more complex shading and adding color to smaller areas. Similar to the weaved version, they are produced in a group with odd numbers but are labeled with M2 instead. For example, 9M2 would be a configuration with nine stacked magnum needles.

Oval or curved: Oval magnum needles are also called curved magnum needles. The tips are arranged in an arch so that the needle tips reach further into the center.

They are designed with the concept of better conforming to the skin's contours, creating a consistent line, and better ink dispersion. This configuration causes less damage to the skin and can be used to create softer shading. Oval magnums are labeled with the number of needles followed by RM. Therefore, 9RM would be a needle with nine oval magnums.

Bugpin Needles

The term "bugpin" refers to the size of individual needle tips rather than the entire needle. Bugpin needles are made in the same configuration as magnum or oval needles, but with much finer tips in the group.

They are small and densely packed, allowing them to hold a lot of ink. The ink is released slowly, giving more control for creating intricate details. Bugpin needles are ideal for creating smooth gradients, portraits, and photorealistic tattoos.

Bugpin needles are usually between 0.20 millimeters to 0.25 millimeters compared to the standard needle size of 0.30 millimeters to 0.35 millimeters.

When using bugpin needles, you'll need to reduce the size of the tube by one or two sizes. So, if you're using a group of seven needles, you may need a tube size five or six.

What is a Cartridge?

Needle cartridges are available in all the same styles as regular needles. They cost more than standard needles but offer exceptional versatility.

With traditional needle and tube setups, you'd need to prepare multiple tattoo machines to switch between needle configurations. With tattoo needle cartridges, you can simply change the cartridges on one machine.

Cartridge needles are for single-use, so once you're done tattooing, you can dispose of them. With cartridges, you can skip the tedious process of cleaning and switch your setups quickly and easily. Cleaning when changing cartridges is minimal.

Tattoo machines are configured with tubes, tips, grips, and needles. It will take time and practice to determine the best configuration for you.