Hit versus Momentum

When speaking of how hard a
machine runs we are generally
speaking about the hit of the
machine. When we are talking
about how fast or slow a
machine runs we are referring
to the momentum of the machine.
The hit and momentum
of a tattoo machine are not always directly related. This means
that you could essentially have a slow running soft hitting machine,
or you could have a slow running hard hitting machine. It
can be really difficult to differentiate between the two quantifications
of these attributes, and it often gives a lot of new artists’
problems. Some tattoo artists will rely solely on the sound and
the feel of the machine. Others will try to gauge these things by
looking at the “ghost” of the a-bar nipple. An even newer trend is
to measure all the aspects of the machine by using quantifying
digital power supplies. These power supplies will provide a lot
of statistical information about the way the machine is running.
Digital readout power supplies are not as accurate as an oscilloscope,
but some companies that sell these machines claim
the chipsets that make up the computing components are very
reliable (to the point that some artists swear by their usage).