Hildbrant Tattoo Supply
Hildbrant
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This review is for: Hildbrant Tattoo Supply
This is what we th.ink.
First off I'd like to mention that myself, and th.ink are in no way sponsored, endorsed, or in other way swayed by any tattoo supply company. Most of my reviews are for Hildbrant products as they are the supply company I use the most. These reviews are in no way biased. They are simply personal experience opinions as well as factual information obtained by the website. This machine was purchased at www.tattoomachineequipment.com.
Hildbrant tattoo supply has been a supply company since 2006. They have gone from making equipment to a full blown tattoo supply company! It was created by two brothers, David and Mark Hildbrant. David apprenticed under Malcolm Eltry of 64th Street Tattoos, but Mark was a goldsmith without any background in tattooing. Mark had a shop in his garage, and David would often borrow his tools to tinker, and modify his tattoo machines. Mark's metallurgy knowledge helped David with his modification of his tattoo machines, and made them run exceptionally well. They went from a garage shop to partnering up with a friend—Newton Li—and began the Hildbrant name! Today more than 10,000 artists use the Hildbrant name.
Like most people with the last name Hildebrandt, David and Mark’s surname was also spelled in this fashion. However, when their grandparents immigrated, immigrations accidentally spelled their surname as Hildbrandt, and that is how it stayed. Also, another fun fact: The woman on their coils is an Canadian adult film star Betty Spanks.
I have personally been using Hildbrant for going on three years now. I have never had a problem with their products, and have recently started to use their machines. I have very impressed. Their products are of great quality, and are at an amazing price! I have tried other companies, and their prices are either too high, shipping is too high, or their customer service just wasn't up to snuff! Hildbrant has always treated me well, and has always taken care of my every need when ordering from them. Even to making custom orders, or modifying some things within my order such as gloves as I am allergic to latex, and their refill pack comes stock with latex gloves.
The customer service of this company is above par. Anytime I need to ask a question, or request a special order, or even just ask if a payment has gone through yet their operations manager Richard is always there to answer my questions in a thorough, and timely manner. I have even simply chatted for a bit after all of my issues were completed! Not to mention, these guys are hilarious on the phone!
Their shipping is also top notch. Nothing is ever broken, damaged, ripped, open, on fire, melted, frozen, or corroded. They ship everything in a very well taped box that contains a plethora of packing peanuts. My last package contained more packing peanuts than products! That's when you know they are really taking care of your order. I have even had them modify some of their shipping methods to help me out. When I made one of my first orders my stencil paper was rolled up as I only ordered 10 sheets. Every order prior I simply email Nancy and she lays them flat in a manilla envelope. I think the longest I've waited for a shipment was four days. Granted they are based in Richmond, British Columbia, and I am in Canada. Their machines are also shipped in these really awesome gold boxes with their slogan, “Stronger than Ninjas and Pirates.” Nothing gets better than that!
They are also very supportive of their artists.
They post blog posts on their website about various artists using their products, and have even featured a friend of mine Robert Dufresne, and his studio Screaming Aces. He uses exclusively Hildbrant machines, and they were kind enough to feature him in a blog post! I have also received ample encouragement from Newton, David, and Richard on a few occasions. It is these small acts that really push the stress away, run off the low self-esteem, and keep me rocking out some rad ink!
These guys are my favourite supply company for all the reasons in this review and more! I'm sure there are other supply companies that will bend over backwards for you as well, but when I found Hildbrant, and Richard broke his back bending backwards for me I was hooked. It's like the old phase: If it isn't broken then don't fix it. I have checked out other supply companies, but they are don't compare in my eyes. You can't beat their customer service, quality products, and great shipping!
Hildbrant Tattoo Supply gets a 5 out of 5 star rating from Nik Ink! You should definitely check them out, and try their machines. You wont regret it!
