A quick point about your view on black and gray. I genuinely believe that its less to do with the machine or the needle but rather the technique. Snappier machines lend themselves to artists who graze and use a pendulum motion to fan in grays while slower punchier machines are favored by people who pack their grays like color. I own the flux and find that I have to graze off the tips of the needles more to achieve smooth grays as opposed to machine with give where I can sink a little more. Just my .02 very thorough review, love your stuff
i bought a flux yesterday it is absolutely fantastic, before I used a cnc q5 and it's like night and day it's so wild so big a difference there is one must before just get to know my flux. thanks for your good advice
@@jasmyne6197 yes a lot it is a fantastic machine but they have a problem with their app there are errors in their update which goes in and degrades the battery life and they have worked up to solve that problem for over 3 months so had to send my machine for repration eventually it could only hold battery for 1-2 hours. but their app is only used to update the software in the machine and nothing else at the flux so if you just let everyone update the machine you get one of the best machines on the market and is definitely money each but you have to deal with you even if you like a thick grip or thin for it is the only difference between the flux in 4.0 and the exo in 4.0 it is grip it is the same machine
Thanks. I don’t really do fine line single needle minimalists work, but I think it should be fine if you run it at the right speed. In all fairness with enough practice you can use any machine it just becomes more a case of, does it make my work flow more efficient and the flux is a yes. Tbh the whole wireless side of things has sped my workflow.
If I can give any advice. I’d say start with low voltage and gradually increase until you find the speed that suits your hand speed. Sometimes people will run the rotaries the same as their coils and get frustrated when they aren’t getting the same results.
@@ThatTattooShow definitely hearing you on that and I will do what you said! All I am hoping for is to have single pass black lines as you do with for example Dan Kubins.
@@GabxGiroux hey man. So if I’m gonna be honest this machine has become my everyday machine for everything except…lines… nothing beats so far the precision and speed of a Dan Kubin for me. (Trust me I tried over 60 different models). Lining with the flux is possible and is actually pretty good for a rotary, but…it’s a bit slow for me. I like my lines blacker than black in a single pass in a sort of fast motion, so if you are like that I can tell you nothing beats a Kubin, yet..
The machines are the same in regards to performance as the only difference is the grip size and the stroke length options. 2.5 and 4.0 covers you for pretty much everything.
It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you are looking for one machine to be the answer to all aspects of tattooing then that never will happen. You could do most stuff with a 3.2 but then you would be limited in regards to larger needle groupings for lining. Hence the 2.5 and a 4.0 would cover all bases.
Mine is quite loud. A lot louder than the Xion. Do you think that it's normal? I'm not getting any answers from Fkirons so i hope you can help me out a bit. Thank you
I’d have to check. Have you emailed fkirons or just tried asking them on social media? Also what carts are you using. From what I remember my flux isn’t loud. What i would suggest is email their customer service with a video showing how loud your machine is.
The exo has the exact same drive system as the flux. The stroke lengths are different and there’s a fatter grip and an rca module. I use the exo 2.5mm for black and grey work. Both are equally as as good I just suppose it comes down to what you want out of a machine, grip size, rca module etc
Well you could buy the 2.5 exo for black and grey and the 4.0 exo as they have the same drive system as the flux. Unless you prefer the grip on the flux then go for the flux.
My bng is probably 30% better with this machine. Done everything from single needle to 27mag work so every cart available to me. And its effortless at 8.5v. More confidence in my equipment too now. Also atm 200 dollars off too
Im waiting for the disposable grip with the membrane, unfortunately they don't offer any information on when it's coming out. Asked several times but it doesn't seem to be a priority at the moment unfortunately 😓
They have provided a video. But I know a lot of research and development goes into this stuff. Even with the grips. I know they are super busy behind the scenes right now but we will see if we can get Gaston back on the show for some updates if that can be arranged.
@@ThatTattooShow Yeah seen the video, got me extremely excited, I've sent i similar design to a another machine maker in 2016 and asked them to make the product, got dismissed and was told it was unnecessary and overkill" 😅 I think FK will create a new industry standard for grips which everyone else will end up making a copy of, it would be great if you could get them to explain more on your show. 🤙👌👍
@@ThatTattooShow yeah I'm pretty sure it's weird it feels like one solid piece of metal..I was wondering if it had some kind of lock mode it went to and had to unlock it some other way with the traveling mode on or off or what not.🤷♂️
Hello, i have a technical question, i have the flux wireless, when i got them i charged both of battery to full, and try them out a bit for like 20-30 mins, then it went in the box for a few weeks, now that i want to use my machine, i connect the battery to the machine, but it seems that both of them has run out, do these batteries still "run" when not using? cuz now i have to recharge both of them while i haven't use them more than hour..
That’s something you would have to direct to fk-irons support . I haven’t had that sort of an issue with my machine I will check but they may want to ask questions etc about it.
@@ThatTattooShow thanks for the answer, maybe because i just turned it "off" by just pressing the power button 1 time and not holding the button till it turns red which activate the travel mode( i think it means deactivate your battery so, but it will still saves the battery life? i sent msg to FK irons, hope to get answer soon. i will keep this post updated.
But is prob better than the hawk, heals faster and the trauma can be way lower than typical shorter strokes. Don’t know why, though. Strange thing, that is.
Hi buddy do you find the flux battery goes flat really quickly if you leave it in the draw for a few days ? Mine seems to loose charge really quickly,even the spare battery goes flat without using it , I have other battery machines that hold charge for months , do you think I should send it back ?
Hey, so I’ve looked into it. Some lithium ion battery’s can discarded when not in use. But I am aware that something happened in the last firmware update that caused the battery to drain faster. They are working on a fix .
@@ThatTattooShow thank you so much for the reply, I thought it was the so called update that made them go funny ,but I’m glad to know there working on a fix ,I was worried that I’d got a dud batch , hopefully they won’t be long, do you think they will advertise the fix once they have sussed it ? Thanks again for your time much appreciated and keep up the good work 👍
That extra membrane on the disposqble is gonna be awesome i love kwadron liners but i think they all have membranes now i think cheyenne owns that company now but regardless even though i dont really use give im curios about how its gonna effect the flux i thinks its a really good machine already
Still is future proof... You can still upgrade firmware... You can swap out a different battery while keeping the motor body…So it’s upgradable in different ways.
@@ThatTattooShow i just ask because i ordered a Cheyenne sol Nova unlimited and kwadron needles, and they seem not to fit right. They jump right out the fixation too easy. Thinking about to send the Cheyenne back.
That’s a problem with the needles not the machine. Maybe use needles that fit the machines better? If they won’t fit the Cheyenne there’s chance you could have the issue with other cartridge machines.
I’ve done some bng tattoos, i it does the job but had to adjust my cheyenne Hawk hand to this. Had to soften hand to compensate the strength of it. ... maybe try a higher voltage. Last settings was 7v
Hoy about battery life? How much time do you guys can work with the battery. I work between 7v and 9v and the machine give me 6 and a half hours then die. I have a problem with my flux also, the Bluetooth never go off so i think the battery drain faster, and the modes of the machine stop working also. So i write to fk irons and the y told me is a problem with the firmware and i have to send them the machine, someone have tris problem too?
We have made videos on battery life. If you check in our play list. Personally myself in using it around 7.5 volts and getting around 8-9 hours of tattooing. It’s enough for me to get a full day session off one charge. Some people have had issues and Fkirons are aware of it, they are working on a firmware update.
@@ThatTattooShow They told me, send the machine to them BUT i'm from Colombia so is very expensive and also complicated, so i decided to sell the machine haha if somewhone is interested. Do you think that if the battery (the powerbolt) is changed for a new one, the problem will be corrected?
I have the flux and I like it. I do not like that for more than a year FK Irons has been saying that the app will be out soon. They tout the accolades of products that do not make it to market for 1-2 years! I give a nod to Cheyenne for producing the product and then saying, "Here it is". I have had the Hover, Flux, and Lightning Bolt packs since release and still waiting on the app/updates that never arrives! Good luck on getting those grips within the next 2 years!
@@ThatTattooShow it does take time and that is why they should not say in the next few weeks, or months and tout it as a feature when you will not meet the deadline. It is listed as feature for these products on their website but to-date it does not exist. If it is listed as a feature it damn well should come with the product. Otherwise, it is only a lie.
The feature exists and is working from what I’ve seen in videos and chatting to Gaston. I think and I really need to double check but it think the delay is due to the App Store and the app technically being classed as a medical device. Not 100% but I’ll find out.
@@ThatTattooShow funny, it is not on my flux, hover, or lightning bolt. Unicorns, sasquatch, and the loch ness monster hypothetically exist too. If you sell a product claiming that it has a feature and it does not, it does not exist.
Ahhh yeah my bad yes it was. Got my machines mixed up there. The spear has adjustable stroke and give but the stylus just adjustable stroke. So no I’ve not tried that one yet.
Perhaps if you looked into things you would see that FK Irons are bringing out an RCA plug for the flux. Which is a great idea because if the power supply part fails you can just remove it and put the RCA plug or a new power supply. Something you can’t to on some of the competitors. 👍
Shouldn’t matter really. We make enough money as tattoo artists not to scrimp over the price of good quality equipment. We constantly as an industry say things like good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good, then go and buy cheap crap or copies from China. But people will still go and charge top prices for tattoos and use cheap equipment. For the record there is a massive difference in the longevity and quality of the machines and power supplies etc made by brands such as Fkirons, Cheyenne, Inkjecta, neuma, critical who make their products in their own factories in their respective countries and the cheap copies made by dave in China.
@@ThatTattooShow Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its bad machine or u should go with chinese or any other, im just saying it should have been included for its price.
It wasn’t made when the machine was released so it couldn’t have been included. But I’m sure if it was they would have made it part of an optional bundle.
Couldn’t agree more. I love my Flux. It’s absolutely the best machine I’ve owned to date, full stop. Cheers bro
Flux is a amazing. My favourite machine at the moment.
What voltatages do you run for lining and shading on your flux
A quick point about your view on black and gray. I genuinely believe that its less to do with the machine or the needle but rather the technique. Snappier machines lend themselves to artists who graze and use a pendulum motion to fan in grays while slower punchier machines are favored by people who pack their grays like color. I own the flux and find that I have to graze off the tips of the needles more to achieve smooth grays as opposed to machine with give where I can sink a little more. Just my .02 very thorough review, love your stuff
Interesting thought there. Depending on what I tattoo I tend to use both technique.
i bought a flux yesterday it is absolutely fantastic, before I used a cnc q5 and it's like night and day it's so wild so big a difference there is one must before just get to know my flux. thanks for your good advice
Great to hear!
Are you still liking it?
@@jasmyne6197 yes a lot it is a fantastic machine but they have a problem with their app there are errors in their update which goes in and degrades the battery life and they have worked up to solve that problem for over 3
months so had to send my machine for repration eventually it could only hold battery for 1-2 hours. but their app is only used to update the software in the machine and nothing else at the flux so if you just let everyone update the machine you get one of the best machines on the market and is definitely money each but you have to deal with you even if you like a thick grip or thin for it is the only difference between the flux in 4.0 and the exo in 4.0 it is grip it is the same machine
@@Morgenink thank you so much, Rue!!!
@@jasmyne6197 you are welcome. we have to help each other
Nice video again mate.
Diolch mêt.
What voltatages do you run for lining and shading on the flux
Which is better flux or bishop packer?
I will definitely buy this machine
Amazing Vid as usual! ! ! ! !
What do you think about fine line/ single needle, minimalist work with the flux ?
Thanks. I don’t really do fine line single needle minimalists work, but I think it should be fine if you run it at the right speed. In all fairness with enough practice you can use any machine it just becomes more a case of, does it make my work flow more efficient and the flux is a yes. Tbh the whole wireless side of things has sped my workflow.
Coming from coils this is the first ma hind I’ve bought of this kind. Both excited and afraid to try it out.
If I can give any advice. I’d say start with low voltage and gradually increase until you find the speed that suits your hand speed. Sometimes people will run the rotaries the same as their coils and get frustrated when they aren’t getting the same results.
@@ThatTattooShow definitely hearing you on that and I will do what you said! All I am hoping for is to have single pass black lines as you do with for example Dan Kubins.
@@hugocunha7542 Any updates on switching over from Kubin's ? Thinking about making the switch hoping it drives bold lines as easy as coils/kubins..
@@GabxGiroux hey man. So if I’m gonna be honest this machine has become my everyday machine for everything except…lines… nothing beats so far the precision and speed of a Dan Kubin for me. (Trust me I tried over 60 different models). Lining with the flux is possible and is actually pretty good for a rotary, but…it’s a bit slow for me. I like my lines blacker than black in a single pass in a sort of fast motion, so if you are like that I can tell you nothing beats a Kubin, yet..
@@hugocunha7542 I’m the same, unfortunately!
Wish I had a grand to throw down on one of them, they look great
Which needles are best for the spektra flux for smooth shading? Which brand of needles do you highly recommend?
Cheyenne are my preferred needle. But there are other brands out there.
What stroke to you recommend? HOw do you compare it to the EXO? Thanks for you advice.
The machines are the same in regards to performance as the only difference is the grip size and the stroke length options.
2.5 and 4.0 covers you for pretty much everything.
@@ThatTattooShow and the 3.2 stroke, will it cover pretty much everything as well. Anticipated thanks for your prompt reply...
It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you are looking for one machine to be the answer to all aspects of tattooing then that never will happen.
You could do most stuff with a 3.2 but then you would be limited in regards to larger needle groupings for lining.
Hence the 2.5 and a 4.0 would cover all bases.
@@ThatTattooShow thank you so much.
Mine is quite loud. A lot louder than the Xion. Do you think that it's normal? I'm not getting any answers from Fkirons so i hope you can help me out a bit. Thank you
I’d have to check. Have you emailed fkirons or just tried asking them on social media? Also what carts are you using. From what I remember my flux isn’t loud. What i would suggest is email their customer service with a video showing how loud your machine is.
Have you tried the exo? I’m debating exo or flux mainly geometric stuff so I’m guess the 4mm stroke but I’ve heard the exo is literally the flux 🤯
The exo has the exact same drive system as the flux. The stroke lengths are different and there’s a fatter grip and an rca module. I use the exo 2.5mm for black and grey work. Both are equally as as good I just suppose it comes down to what you want out of a machine, grip size, rca module etc
@@ThatTattooShow thank you for the reply so basically its probably best to buy the exo 2.5 for bulk n grey and the flux for packing and lining 👌
Well you could buy the 2.5 exo for black and grey and the 4.0 exo as they have the same drive system as the flux. Unless you prefer the grip on the flux then go for the flux.
My bng is probably 30% better with this machine. Done everything from single needle to 27mag work so every cart available to me. And its effortless at 8.5v. More confidence in my equipment too now. Also atm 200 dollars off too
Thanks for sharing
What about for blackouts would you say it’ll rock a143rm
No idea sorry, as I don’t use 143rm.
@@ThatTattooShow ended up with 49rm
Im waiting for the disposable grip with the membrane, unfortunately they don't offer any information on when it's coming out. Asked several times but it doesn't seem to be a priority at the moment unfortunately 😓
They have provided a video. But I know a lot of research and development goes into this stuff. Even with the grips. I know they are super busy behind the scenes right now but we will see if we can get Gaston back on the show for some updates if that can be arranged.
@@ThatTattooShow Yeah seen the video, got me extremely excited, I've sent i similar design to a another machine maker in 2016 and asked them to make the product, got dismissed and was told it was unnecessary and overkill" 😅 I think FK will create a new industry standard for grips which everyone else will end up making a copy of, it would be great if you could get them to explain more on your show. 🤙👌👍
Mine doesn't let me adjust the needle length..feels like one solid piece doesn't twist to adjust..any feedback or what it could be??
Are you turning it the right way?
@@ThatTattooShow yeah I'm pretty sure it's weird it feels like one solid piece of metal..I was wondering if it had some kind of lock mode it went to and had to unlock it some other way with the traveling mode on or off or what not.🤷♂️
It’s not mine was hard to push or turn just apply more pressure
Hello, i have a technical question, i have the flux wireless, when i got them i charged both of battery to full, and try them out a bit for like 20-30 mins, then it went in the box for a few weeks, now that i want to use my machine, i connect the battery to the machine, but it seems that both of them has run out, do these batteries still "run" when not using? cuz now i have to recharge both of them while i haven't use them more than hour..
That’s something you would have to direct to fk-irons support . I haven’t had that sort of an issue with my machine I will check but they may want to ask questions etc about it.
@@ThatTattooShow thanks for the answer, maybe because i just turned it "off" by just pressing the power button 1 time and not holding the button till it turns red which activate the travel mode( i think it means deactivate your battery so, but it will still saves the battery life? i sent msg to FK irons, hope to get answer soon. i will keep this post updated.
No worries, I’ll drop them a message but you might be right there.
did you get response @kong
just ordered mine and looking for as much info as i can
But is prob better than the hawk, heals faster and the trauma can be way lower than typical shorter strokes. Don’t know why, though. Strange thing, that is.
Because longer strokes have less cycles per min meaning less punctures
Hi buddy do you find the flux battery goes flat really quickly if you leave it in the draw for a few days ? Mine seems to loose charge really quickly,even the spare battery goes flat without using it , I have other battery machines that hold charge for months , do you think I should send it back ?
Hey, so I’ve looked into it. Some lithium ion battery’s can discarded when not in use. But I am aware that something happened in the last firmware update that caused the battery to drain faster. They are working on a fix .
@@ThatTattooShow thank you so much for the reply, I thought it was the so called update that made them go funny ,but I’m glad to know there working on a fix ,I was worried that I’d got a dud batch , hopefully they won’t be long, do you think they will advertise the fix once they have sussed it ? Thanks again for your time much appreciated and keep up the good work 👍
soon as I know anything I’ll be posting the info
@@ThatTattooShow Awesome 👏
That extra membrane on the disposqble is gonna be awesome i love kwadron liners but i think they all have membranes now i think cheyenne owns that company now but regardless even though i dont really use give im curios about how its gonna effect the flux i thinks its a really good machine already
Yeah that membrane on the grips is going to be awesome. I’ll have to check on that about the kwadron needles.
Future Proof...Already upgraded. ;D
Still is future proof... You can still upgrade firmware... You can swap out a different battery while keeping the motor body…So it’s upgradable in different ways.
can i use kwadron needles with this machine?
If you want too. I’d steer away from using anything that doesn’t have the membrane. But needle choice is a personal one.
@@ThatTattooShow i just ask because i ordered a Cheyenne sol Nova unlimited and kwadron needles, and they seem not to fit right. They jump right out the fixation too easy. Thinking about to send the Cheyenne back.
That’s a problem with the needles not the machine. Maybe use needles that fit the machines better?
If they won’t fit the Cheyenne there’s chance you could have the issue with other cartridge machines.
I’ve done some bng tattoos, i it does the job but had to adjust my cheyenne Hawk hand to this. Had to soften hand to compensate the strength of it. ... maybe try a higher voltage. Last settings was 7v
Hoy about battery life? How much time do you guys can work with the battery. I work between 7v and 9v and the machine give me 6 and a half hours then die. I have a problem with my flux also, the Bluetooth never go off so i think the battery drain faster, and the modes of the machine stop working also. So i write to fk irons and the y told me is a problem with the firmware and i have to send them the machine, someone have tris problem too?
We have made videos on battery life. If you check in our play list. Personally myself in using it around 7.5 volts and getting around 8-9 hours of tattooing. It’s enough for me to get a full day session off one charge.
Some people have had issues and Fkirons are aware of it, they are working on a firmware update.
@@ThatTattooShow They told me, send the machine to them BUT i'm from Colombia so is very expensive and also complicated, so i decided to sell the machine haha if somewhone is interested. Do you think that if the battery (the powerbolt) is changed for a new one, the problem will be corrected?
If the problem is with the power bolt and you change it then it should resolve the issue.
Is this better than the flux?
It is the flux
tell us about the exo
There’s a video about it already. But more are coming
Bishop wands are better 😊
They are good yes. But it’s all down to preference.
I have the flux and I like it. I do not like that for more than a year FK Irons has been saying that the app will be out soon. They tout the accolades of products that do not make it to market for 1-2 years! I give a nod to Cheyenne for producing the product and then saying, "Here it is". I have had the Hover, Flux, and Lightning Bolt packs since release and still waiting on the app/updates that never arrives! Good luck on getting those grips within the next 2 years!
Things take time, a lot of research and development goes into products. Some companies release things quickly and you can tell.
@@ThatTattooShow it does take time and that is why they should not say in the next few weeks, or months and tout it as a feature when you will not meet the deadline. It is listed as feature for these products on their website but to-date it does not exist. If it is listed as a feature it damn well should come with the product. Otherwise, it is only a lie.
The feature exists and is working from what I’ve seen in videos and chatting to Gaston. I think and I really need to double check but it think the delay is due to the App Store and the app technically being classed as a medical device. Not 100% but I’ll find out.
@@ThatTattooShow funny, it is not on my flux, hover, or lightning bolt. Unicorns, sasquatch, and the loch ness monster hypothetically exist too. If you sell a product claiming that it has a feature and it does not, it does not exist.
Well we can argue the Loch Ness monsters existence all day lol.
Wich one for all rounder, Im doing with micro with 1RL, tribals with lot of black packing and letters?
Any news on these disposable grips you mentioned?
They posted about them recently on Instagram. But I don’t know when they are going to be released.
You ever try the stigma stylist ,adjustable stroke
Yes, it was one of the first machines chris reviewed in his other channel.
@@ThatTattooShow wasn't that the spears
Ahhh yeah my bad yes it was. Got my machines mixed up there. The spear has adjustable stroke and give but the stylus just adjustable stroke. So no I’ve not tried that one yet.
Number one reason why its not a beast is cuz you cant use it without battery that costs 270$. Xion at least can be used with RCA.
Perhaps if you looked into things you would see that FK Irons are bringing out an RCA plug for the flux. Which is a great idea because if the power supply part fails you can just remove it and put the RCA plug or a new power supply. Something you can’t to on some of the competitors. 👍
@@ThatTattooShow And how much is that plug gonna cost?
Shouldn’t matter really. We make enough money as tattoo artists not to scrimp over the price of good quality equipment. We constantly as an industry say things like good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good, then go and buy cheap crap or copies from China. But people will still go and charge top prices for tattoos and use cheap equipment. For the record there is a massive difference in the longevity and quality of the machines and power supplies etc made by brands such as Fkirons, Cheyenne, Inkjecta, neuma, critical who make their products in their own factories in their respective countries and the cheap copies made by dave in China.
@@ThatTattooShow Dont get me wrong, Im not saying its bad machine or u should go with chinese or any other, im just saying it should have been included for its price.
It wasn’t made when the machine was released so it couldn’t have been included. But I’m sure if it was they would have made it part of an optional bundle.
Can it push an 18RL?
I don’t use 18rl so I couldn’t tell you.
Just spoke to Paul and he has used it with an 18rl, lined it running at 9volts.
@@ThatTattooShow thanks my dude
Its 1300 Euro u...smart @ss 😀😆😄🤣😅😃
Of course should be a Beast 🤣😅😃
All I see is your face 😂😂😂
All good till you need to use 4 volts
I take it you never use machines like the flite v2 that starts at 9volts?
How do you charge it tho. Do you need to turn it off to charge it thx
You plug the usb type-c cable into the battery.
It can be run while charging if you have a long enough cable.
@@ThatTattooShow not great advice there. FK themselves say not to run it while charging
is a Beast , but not the best
you have any recommendations?