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i tested and used maaaany many many machines but i never had such a fucking awesome coil machine in my hand like a aaron cain, theyre fucking great!

i also had fk irons, i didnt really like them, dont know why, just my opinion....

nothings better than aaron cain

Aaron Cain machines rock! The custom ones that you can get directly from Aaron Cain "only" off of Ebay is going to cost you a pretty penny, although worth every penny it depends if you wanna spend that much money or not, if not, then go with a FK Iron, still great tattoo machines. If you go that route I would recommend the steel versus aluminum.

thanks guys!..i really appreciate the info. I was leaning towards the aaron cains but my concern was the difference between production models(from luckys and workhorse) and custom machines(if there is any)...but i think I will go with the fk's for now and ill give the steel ones a day in court ive heard they have less vibration as opposed to the aluminum ones....

fks are clean perfect geometry!!aaron cain is over rated..nice machines..but no better than anything else out there!!just like anything all about the hype..

aaron cain is more soft machine,the FK more powerfull ,thats why some people dont like it.
guy aitchison,nick baxter,juan salgado every one of them use FK
the 1" coil make the more powerfull machines close to the rotary

I have an fk iron, and I have no complaints, good solid machine, and pretty light. never had the opportunity to use an Aaron cain, I may pick one up and give it a go. stigmas are hard to come by, im currently using a hyper 2 and was lucky to get one off mikes site when he had them, eikon is getting a shippment of stigmas in soon, I have the stigma fly reserved for the next shipment comming out this month. give them a call and they should give you an estimate when the next shipment is comming in, however when they do you will need to call them at a specific time of day they tell you, the orderes will be placed as they are called in until their gone. I did this and managed to get a fly. good luck hope this helps.

stephen stacey.

man I have not tried the aaron cains but anything has to be better then FK, worst investment I've made, they get super hot after a few minutes of use, you would think that a machine that cost 500 would at least work right. Theres many other machines out there that work alot nicer, if you like rotaries then the hyper is always a good option. Juan Puente, Iko, Tim Hendricks, Seth Ciferri and Martinis are all better options, but then again thats just my opinion

i dont use fk irons,but see juan salgado,and nick baxter work for at least 6hours and the machines dont get hot.
hyper is a good machineif you like to play with blending,for packing color,forget about give you many troubles
but as you said is a matter of choice

This post is not to rave about my machines but instead to help this guy with the heat problem. FK Irons machines like any other machine do not get hot under normal usage. If your machine gets hot, then you have a tuning problem.

Usually this issue is associated when someone increase or decrease the stroke without compensating with rear spring tension.

If any of you ever have a problem with my machine I am only a phone call or email away. Machines are guaranteed for life.
So if you have to complain, complain to me. I know my machines better than any other person in the planet :)

The AL13 Line has been upgraded this year with even more powerful coils, less vibration and bigger yokes which it fine tunes the machine from previous version.

and BTW Cain Machines are great I have two "one of" damascus.

I've had several FK machines, I jumped on the bandwagon early on. I'd definately suggest the steel over the aluminum, though like Gaston said they are supposed to be better now, but I have no experience with the newer ones. That being said, I'm using mainly Aaron Cain's machines now. They just seem to run better for the way I tattoo. They seem a little more versatile, which I like, as well. I seem to work a little faster with them as opposed to the FKs. From what I hear the production machines run just as well as his one-offs, the one offs are just given dollar wraps and special treatment to the frames/bindings, carving, etc . . . That being said, this is just what works for me, and I think you really just need to try them out and see what suits you best.

Have not tried Aaron Cain or FK Irons yet, that being said....... poop

even more powerfull coils?what do you mean with this............you gonna left the half coil?

OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Poison-Ivy-Tattoo-Machine-GUN-SHADING-AND-TRIBAL-/110674147580?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Tattoos_BodyArt_SM&hash=item19c4b178fc



this is madness the link above shows a knock off of a FK Iron being sold way cheaper. That also being said I wonder if its worth it, they look just alike they even have the little iron yoke on the bottom of the coils that I have seen on the NEXT GEN's.

Do the makers of FK Irons tattoo for a living? Guy Aitchison only bought a liner. It even says so on the FK website. Aaron Cain has been well respected in the industry as an artist/machine builder for years. I worked with a guy that got two Aaron Cain machines 8 years ago and still runs the same. Hasn't even changed his springs! That blew me away. I bet if you put a knock off machine that's runs good in the hands of Nick Baxter the results of his art would be the same....AMAZING! Most of Nikko Hurtados portfolio is done with an Aaron Caine machine. He told me himself. Now I will support products built buy the best artist that actually use there own stuff, Mike D's arm rest is the shit by the way. I have Aaron Caine machines, Neuma hybrids, and Danny Fowler machines , was a little pist the fowlers disappointed me big time so I got another Aaron Caine. Neuma will put some age on your face waiting for them to be delivered, but consistent. I was able to buy the Aaron Caine machines and still have money to go fly fishing!! Price, consistency, respected art, all around bad ass machine is the way the industry should focus on. Really, do you ever see Aaron Caine pushing who uses his machines. Cause if he did he would blow FK sales out of the water, then be swamped for a year...lol. This is just a strong opinion of mine. Got love for everyone! :0)

youre rigth fk maybe never make a tattoo,only a few people in the world can put ink in the skin like aaron cain.
the only thing that i take my hat to fk is that he try to enovate with the one half coil.
a friend of mine have a aaron cain but i dont like it,good for blending but not for packing color

Brian?

LOL What the hell Brian is back! That for sure is Brian trolling around. Hey Brian get back in to your flask a sap!!!!

First of all let me say I'm the Jason who posted this thread..not the Jason/Brian....that being said I decided to go rotary and bought a complete set of neotats, and I must say I love them the transition from coils to rotary was a little weird but now Im hooked they are smooth,precise and I don't have to mess with them...just plug and go...but I do appreciate all the feedback I got on this post...Im a machine junkie so I know in the future ill end up trying both of these builders machine...thanks guys!!

I just recently purchased one of Gaston's amazingly smooth and powerful FK AL13 Galaxy series and after a few tattoos with great healing results, it started to heat up before beginning a long session and run rough much like the guy commented earlier. Even after adjusting the stroke and compensating rear spring tension I finally figured out that if you bend your needle bar to far at the top middle instead of just above the solder point, the machine struggles to push the bar back down cause of the irregular bend. After straightening the top a little it performs like a dream while still being centered and riding the bottom of the tube smoothly..hope this helps. I can see why greats like Aitchison and Baxter use them.

FK Irons are the most highly developed coil machines to date. Everything has been carefully developed, the connection, the weight and balance all have been researched to make the most solid up contemporary machines. Check them out and message the owner for any questions, he is friendly and able to answer questions and explain why his machines are the best. But personally i'm a cheyenne hawk addict.