Needles for Tattoos - Needles for Tattoos

Types of Tattoo Needles: Liners, Shaders, and Magnums

Round liners feature needles arranged in a tight circular pattern for precise linework. The tight grouping delivers controlled ink flow for sharp, consistent lines that hold their edge from start to finish.

Round shaders use a looser circular grouping than liners. This configuration is ideal for shading, color packing, and filling larger areas with smooth gradients without the hard edges of liner work.

Magnum needles arrange needles in two parallel rows in a stacked configuration. They come in curved (soft edge) or straight edge variations for efficient coverage of large areas with fewer passes.

Curved magnums move smoothly around body contours without catching edges. Straight-edge magnums create clean geometric fills and are the go-to choice for geometric designs where precision edges matter.

What Needle is Best for Tattooing? Choosing by Technique

Fine line work and intricate details require tight round liners in smaller diameters. Bug pin needles at 0.25mm create crisp, precise lines with minimal skin trauma, essential when detail work is measured in millimeters.

Bold traditional linework uses standard round liners in 0.30mm or 0.35mm diameters with long tapers. The larger diameter creates consistent bold lines while the long taper ensures smooth skin penetration without fighting the surface.

Smooth shading and color blending work best with curved magnums in medium to large groupings. They cover more surface area per pass while conforming to body curves, making gradient work faster and more consistent.

Color packing and saturation require round shaders or magnums with appropriate grouping sizes. Larger groupings speed up coverage on big fills; smaller groupings give you controlled detail work where saturation needs precision.

Cartridge Needles vs. Traditional Needles: What's the Difference?

Cartridge needles are self-contained, single-use systems that integrate the membrane, housing tip, and needle grouping into one disposable unit. You eliminate the need to buy separate tubes, grommets, and rubber bands when using cartridges. 

Modern cartridges with full bladder membranes prevent ink backflow into pen machines and meet health department requirements. The sealed system provides proper needle recoil for consistent performance while protecting your equipment from contamination.

Traditional needle-and-tube setups require separate purchases of needles, tubes, grommets, and rubber bands. You spend time assembling each setup and sterilizing tubes between clients, time that cartridge systems eliminate entirely.

Cartridge systems offer superior convenience and consistency. No assembly required, guaranteed sterility straight from the package, and quick configuration changes during sessions without machine adjustments or depth recalibration.

Understanding Needle Diameter and Taper Length

Needle diameter is measured in millimeters: 0.25mm, 0.30mm, and 0.35mm. Smaller diameters create finer lines and enable tighter groupings for intricate work where every millimeter of detail counts.

Long taper needles feature gradually sharpened points that glide into skin more easily with less trauma. They're standard for most tattooing applications and especially important for liners where smooth, consistent penetration prevents line blowouts.

Medium and short tapers have blunter points that require more pressure to penetrate skin. They can be useful for specific techniques like stippling or when working with scar tissue, but they're specialized tools rather than daily drivers.

The 0.25mm bug pin diameter enables the tightest possible groupings and most detailed work. The 0.35mm standard diameter creates bolder lines and is more forgiving for newer artists still dialing in their hand pressure.

Premium Tattoo Needle Brands and Supplies

Eikon Cartridges are our own line — 50+ configurations across 6 groupings, 3 diameters, and 2 taper lengths, with a stabilisation system in every liner. Eikon has manufactured needles for over 30 years, starting with loose needles, then bar needles (Black Box and Hydra Needles), and in 2024, we launched our cartridge line.

Kwadron Cartridges bring 50+ configurations with their own needle stabilisation system and medical-grade plastic tips that reduce friction between needle and tip, keeping needles sharper longer. Available across three diameters and two taper lengths, Kwadron gives artists who want maximum configuration options the breadth to match any style.

Cheyenne Safety Cartridges offer a patented safety membrane design from Germany, with the choice between Standard and Premium lines — Premium features a longer taper grind, tighter soldering, and their shortest soldering length for the crispest lines. Eikon also carries Cheyenne machines, giving artists a matched ecosystem.

TEX Cartridges are designed by James Tex, a world-renowned tattoo artist and Ink Master contestant, and come in the 37 configurations he uses most. 316H steel, precision-honed tips, and biodegradable blister packs. A Canadian brand (Deadly North) and the most affordable third-party cartridge in the store.

Lotus Needles — Eikon is the official and exclusive Canadian distributor. Developed by working tattooers (Ryan Ussher and TomTom), Lotus delivers bar needle feel in a cartridge. Currently liners are only with medium taper focus across all lines.

Eikon also carries Hydra pre-made bar needles and Griffin Tubes for artists who work with traditional setups. Buy More Save More on Eikon cartridges: 10% off when you pick up 5 or more boxes, mix and match across configurations.

Needle Compatibility: Finding Cartridges for Your Tattoo Pen

Most modern tattoo pens use a universal cartridge system. Professional cartridge needles are compatible with popular machines from brands like Cheyenne, FK Irons, and Bishop without requiring proprietary supplies.

The sealed bladder membrane in quality cartridges protects your pen machine from ink contamination while ensuring compliance with health regulations. This protection is essential because ink backflow voids most machine warranties immediately. Cartridge compatibility extends to both rotary pen machines and traditional coil machines with cartridge grips. This flexibility means your needle inventory works across your entire equipment collection as you expand your setup.

For PMU (permanent makeup) applications, specialized PMU cartridge needles are available in configurations optimized for cosmetic tattooing techniques. These include modified groupings for microblading strokes, lip blush, and other PMU work that requires different ink flow characteristics than body tattooing.

Complete Your Tattoo Setup

Looking for specific configurations? Browse our Tattoo Liner Needles collection for the full liner range, or the complete tattoo needles collection for a configuration-by-configuration comparison across every brand we carry.

Eikon carries professional tattoo machines alongside our needle selection, including Bishop and Cheyenne rotary machines that pair with every cartridge and bar needle setup we sell. For the full needle and cartridge hub across every configuration and brand, see our tattoo machine needle and cartridge range.

Stock your shop with the full range: inks, barrier film, gloves, transfer paper, and aftercare products alongside needles and cartridges.