Recommend this tattoo gun been tattooing for 10 hrs and this lil thing bangs out the tatts nice I get good work out of it I recommend itI really enjoyed these on “a pound of flesh” they worked great, I don’t like to put to much strain on my higher end machines & usually like to keep them locked up so these are great for when your bored and just wanna try out some techniques on practice skin’s.IG:@GunnelstattoosI've been tattooing for 2 years and this machine has worked like a pro machine so far! It is awesome as a shader/packer and it's ok as a liner. I use it for all 3 and after one year and a half with this machine constantly running everyday I can assure it is a good machine to have around.***August 2019 Update***So,basically 1 year with my 2nd dragonhawk machine and still running! A couple things I noticed after the first review: This machine has a hard time running cartridges (U can of course) but need to go around 9.5-10v or take out the cart start the machine with the voltage you want and then put cart in so for my opinion this machine works better with hoop bar needles. is it a good machine worth the price? Totally. I really think this machine does exactly what a Bishop v6 3.5 stroke would do. if you get an expensive machine dosen't mean you automatically improve tattooing. The main difference will be the motor and no,expensive motors dosen't mean good solid tattoos in my opinion expensive motors makes me think longevity. For example the last photos attached (Neotrad tiger and cover up Owl) did 100% those tattoos only ussing this dragonhawk machine. If you run this machine for 4+ hours it starts to get hot and it is not as consistent as it should be I only have this issue with big or detailed pieces. So if you're thinking on doing 1-2.5 hour tattoos this machine is awesome! For detailed work,big pieces I highly suggest a better motor machine a better motor would assure you consistency through the whole 5-6 hour piece and won't get hot. Last point Good motors dosen't mean break your bank for the just launched dildo machine. Currently I'll try the Bronc pen has a Swiss motor and have seen a lot of good reviews from it also costs $180. All of this is based on my opinion and self taught knowledge I never had like an apprenticeship so all of what I know is by practicing and reading. Hope this will be useful for someone :)This is my first review for any tattoo equipment here on Amazon. I was looking for a rotary that wasn't small and seemed like a toy like some of the firefly clones are. There was not a lot of information about this machine on the web except from people selling it. I took a chance. I am really glad I did. It came in a nice box. Inside the box there was a baggy with an extra spring and an allen wrench. On top of that, there was a little bottle of super lube. Ok, so the presentation seemed legit. I hoped the machine could live up to that. I clipped my cord on and started a 5v. Ran super quiet and smooth as silk. I turned the Eikon power supply up to 10v and it was still quiet and running smooth. Well the proof is in the pudding as they say, so I loaded it up with a liner. Brought out my liner ink and went over some older line work on my leg. I gotta say, this thing laid ink at 8v better than some coils I have used. I am impressed. What about packing color or shading. Well I hooked it up with a medium sized mag and it packed color like a champ. No trauma to the skin and efficient too. Now for the critical test of shading. Could it create smooth transitions and keep the trauma to a bear minimum? Well the answer is hell yeah!In conclusion, this machine is a nice machine for lining, shading and packing in the color. The tube grip worked well, the needle bar clip holds the needles right where they need to be. If you are looking for a rotary, this is a great choice.So far... after about 20 hours of work. This machine is turning out to be a stable solid machine. I have been running it on 6.2 volts and I feel this is where it runs the best. These rotaries were origanlly designed to be color packers and running it slower seems like the trick. So for those of you who have written reviews about it...try turning it down. Now if you run fast line and have a fast hand speed then this would not be the perfect machine for you. Could you make it work by slowing down your hand speed. Yes.... but... for coloring packing it ok, Not a good choice for grey shading . If your starting out... and are not comfortable with a coil, as far as speed and tuning. Then this is a good choice. Run it with the adjustable cartridge grip and some good cartridges and your progress should move forward. It is not a RCA. So. Good clip cord and power supply, keep the voltages down and all should be good. Has good weight in the hand if your accustomed to a heavier coil.THE SPRINGS SEEM TO LET GO AFTER ABOUT 30 HOURS OF USE. THIS IS HAPPENED TO BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND THE REPLACEMENT SPRING. Unless you keep it the voltage down the spring will fail. Not good choice for grey shading.I love it its lightweight and you have to be within 3 or 4 feet before you can hear itI used neo tat vivace machines with the magic motors for a long time. Just recently sold them since I had moved on to an inkjecta and sol nova pen. This dragonhawk machine looks just like the neo tat vivace machines. Motors are even interchangeable. This one is almost 2 ounces heavier though. It’s actually too heavy for me for longer sessions. But for small tattoos this thing lays down lines in a hurry just like my neo tats did. I don’t understand why people don’t like lining with these. I only use black claw hella tight liners so that may help. But these line great. 3.5mm stroke with no give. It’s perfect for lining. If it were lighter I’d use it more often. But if you want to try a linear drive rotary this is just as good as the neo tat and Bishop machines.It's super quiet, love the low noise! I do get a weird pulse/surge sound while it's running. Not sure if it's the motor or the power supply unit. But huge improvement from standard tattoo rigs.Its a good machine. It does it's work well. But there are some reason for which i've returned this machine and bought its upgraded version (Dragonhawk Extreme Direct Drive V2).*Its a good machine for those who have already used a coil machine because this machine is around 175g which is quite heavy for me as I've started my learning directly from a direct drive Rotary machine.*Therefore it's a very good machine for those who have already used coil and just switching themselves into rotary. (according to my opinion?)* Secondly if your hand is big you will some how find difficulty to move you wrist properly while tattooing according to my experience.*Third and the most bad thing i felt is that it VIBRATES which is not goot at all. The machine should be less vibrating also in the case of increase in voltage. But it's bit vibrating from 7-8V and above which can not be tolerated.*For some users it might not be a big issue because it's also depends upon your hand, your strength and also upon your grip.*An heavy SS grip of 25-30mm can reduce this issue.Warning: Try not to open the machine unless very important because i think after opening the machine motor it may loose it's stability. It doesn't effects it's motor but may effects it's perfect mechanism. Which was estd when it's manufacture.*Overall it's not a very bad but also not a very good machine. But if you're a begginer + a self lerner + budget problem you can go for it.But for more versatility and smooth work low weight machine, go for Direct Drive Version2. It's a far good and versatile machine.It does not have enough power to start up with my cartridge grip needles. It works fine with old school single needle setups. But it doesn't have enough juice to get the motor going with a cartridge setup. I press the pedal and it stalls , then i give the machine a tap to get it going and it's fine. But there is no way I'm hitting my machine every time I start and stop it. Note: ** I have the similar Hommii tattoo machine and love it. The Hommii does has enough power to start up with my cartriges.For a rotary machine, it is actually pretty loud. Comparing it to my other Dragonhawk rotary, this one sounds very much like a coil machine and not a rotary. That being said, the unit is a nice size and comfortable in the hand and it makes perfect lines. It doesn't wobble. I just wish it was quieter.Showed up sooner than I was even anticipation so that was exciting. Everything was packaged neatly and came with everything it claimed (multiple extra springs, a tool, lubricant). Feels like a sturdy machine, a nice balanced weight, not too heavy but not ultra light. Runs like it's supposed to straight out of the box. I will have to use it for a while to write anything else about it but very satisfied for the time being.I purchased this green extreme Dragonhawk because the color looked good. I have the black one and both are great power horses. Dragonhawk rotaries have not been disappointing. Will definitely be coming back for more items.