Every tattoo artists has their own technique and style.. so which needle works best for you?
We've broke down every needle configuration we sell, along with the different needle gauge and taper options to help you - the artists - decide which combination works best.
LINERS
Round Liners – SKU example: CNUS03L
Round Liners are configured in a circular form and are perfect for clean lines and outlining designs – also the top choice for dotwork and stippling. The configuration size will determine the thickness of the line you’ll produce. We use 0.35mm (#12 gauge) needles for our regular Round Liners.
Tight Liners - SKU example: CNUS03LT
Our Tight Liners replicate the configuration layout of our Round Liners, except we use 0.30mm needles rather than our standard 0.35mm round liners and solder them closer together to help create finer lines.
Power Liners - SKU example: CNUS09LP
Our Round Liners have a needle diameter of 0.35mm, and our Power Liners have a 0.40mm needle diameter. Power liners make a thicker line than our regular round liners.
Hollow Liners - SKU example: CNUS10LH
Feature a hollow center allowing in the flow more efficiently through a channel. Primarily used to produce clean lines with consistent colour saturation, it reduces the need for multiple passes over the same area. Require less ink dips due to the hollow centre acting as a larger ink reservoir compared to regular round liners. Our Hollow Liner configurations are all even numbers – these shape up to make much better circular configurations compared to odd numbers.
Nano Liner - SKU example: CNUS03L.18
We’re proud to have the finest needle configuration on the market. Our 3 Nano Liner reps a 0.18mm needle diameter (#4 gauge) and has been labelled as the best needle for fineline & PMU work, with a flexible nature that leaves minimal skin trauma.
SHADERS
Round Shaders – SKU example: CNUS09S
Round Shader configurations are similarly laid out to our Round Liners, but not as tightly grouped. The more spread-out grouping makes them much more suited for shading and filling.
Fine Shaders – SKU example: CNUS03FS
Fine Shaders are Round Shaders designed for shading finer tattoos. The small configurations and 0.25mm needle diameter (#8 gauge) allow for softer shading application in smaller areas.
Stipple Shaders – SKU example: CNUS04SS
We designed our Stipple Shaders to help dotworkers become more efficient in their craft! Built with numbers of 3 Round Liners spread evenly to create a stipple effect, but much quicker than using a single needle!
MAGNUM SHADERS
Magnum Shaders – SKU example: CNUS11M
Designed for packing in colour and shading. Can be used to reach smaller corners and areas or to create hard edges.
Curved Magnums - SKU example: CNUS15MC
Also known as soft-edge magnums - A much smoother approach to blending and shading. Perfect for covering larger areas of skin without creating a harsh edge like the straight magnum shaders do. Due to the curved configuration, there will be less trauma to the skin when filling and shading.
NEEDLE SIZE & GAUGE
0.25mm Needle Diameter - #8 Gauge
Other than our Nano Liner – this is the smallest needle gauge that we offer. Referred to as Bugpin Needles. Used for a slower flow of ink and more intricate/detailed work. The small needles allow the configurations to be soldered closer together, meaning we can size down the size of the tip compared to the needle:
9 Bugpin Liner Needle would fit into a 5-7 Round Tip
13 Bugpin Magnum would fit into a 9 Flat Tip.
0.30mm Needle Diameter - #10 Gauge
Allows for a tighter configuration and a more controlled ink flow as our standard 0.35mm needle diameter. Currently we are only occupying 0.30mm needles in our Tight Liners. Also referred to as ‘Double Zeros’.
0.35mm Needle Diameter - #12 Gauge
The most popular needle diameter globally – popularly referred to as Standard Gauge. Used in all our ‘Traditional’ needle ranges! The quickest ink flow out of the 3 means these are most common in traditional work too.
NEEDLE TAPERS
The taper is the end of the needle that tapers down from the needle shaft to the point. The shorter the taper, the larger the dot left by the needle if taken to the same depths.
Long Taper is our most popular and can be found across our whole range. These result in a thinner liner, easier to blend and allow artists to be much more precise when they need to be.
Medium Taper will result in a thicker line compared to Long Taper – more commonly used for colour packing but can be used in all configurations upon artist’s preference.
