Had two great tattoo experiences in Buffalo, NY over the summer. I already wrote the other place's review, now on to the guys at DMHT...sorry about taking too long!First, let's get to the nuts and bol... Read More
Had two great tattoo experiences in Buffalo, NY over the summer. I already wrote the other place's review, now on to the guys at DMHT...sorry about taking too long!First, let's get to the nuts and bolts. I was in town in Buffalo from my home base in Chicago helping a friend for an extended period and wanted to use the opportunity to get tattoos as breaks from the work. I read and heard a lot of good things about DMHT so I made an appointment.Rob was awesome in all aspects. First, he fielded my detailed email and reviewed the designs that I sent and even responded by email to me! That's not very common in my experience. Some can take months to respond, if they ever do. Some just ignore your communications and force you to rehash everything that you already communicated. Rob offered to do a design that I have wanted for years but that my local guy never really wanted to tackle, always saying there was "too much detail". Rob did not baulk at this. He listened to me about not redesigning the core of the design (original "art" done by a friend), and made some personal choices where I said that liberty could be taken.This is important behavior. Tattoo artists are just that, artists, and Rob really and truly IS...no...seriously...he was actually trained as an artist. They are creative and they have opinions about what will look good and opinions about how they would like to spend their time. They are also technically skilled in, well, a technical skill. They have to work on a lot of crap that we design (or that our "artist" friends design). They don't always like doing that. However, whether they like it or not artistically, they will usually attempt to execute your design; but they are also OBLIGED to tell you when a design won't work for technical reasons. For example, we are all probably guilty of turning in designs that have detail at a level that could only be executed if the tattoo was the size of a car hood. They are also responsible to tell you when the design's detail is such that it won't last...remember, tattoos are permanent and you don't want your (or your friend's) master work to turn into an unrecognizable blog of black/color over the years as your skin changes, sags, stretches. So, if an artist is willing to execute your design as is, be happy and pat yourself on the back for not being impractical. If an artist pushes back and (hopefully) offers to redesign your master work, be thankful and appreciative. Rob did just this for my design. He found the base design acceptable and worth his time, he offered opinion and input, he executed it in all its detail in a flawless fashion, and I am super, super happy with the outcome! Rob is an artist, a skilled technician, an an overall really great guy.So, there it is. DMHT is a great experience, delivered at a fair price, and will make you happy with the lifetime commitment that is your tattoo. But now on to the superfluous stuff.In addition to Rob, I met Kyle during my visit. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with both. They are really thoughtful, intelligent guys who are superb conversationalists. Having somebody chat with you during your tattoo always lightens the experience, plus, it is a chance to meet and learn about new people. The artist cannot always banter as the technical execution sometimes requires undivided attention (my guy in Chicagoland often tells me to "shut up" when he is working a particularly detailed design...it's OK...I talk too much). So, having Kyle there and not busy at the time and able to talk was a great distraction for my motor mouth.I enjoyed the conversations that we had so much that I hung out for about 20-30 minutes after the work was done just to learn more about the guys, despite having a lot of work that I should have instead been doing. I like them. Rob is an incorrigible dork with lots of awesome B movie nostalgia around the shop...a man after my own heart. Kyle is thoughtful, serious fellow with a lot of good thoughts that are worth hearing. And he is a stone cold expert in what video games you should be trying (or that you should get your loved one, who you enjoy watching play, to play) and what anime to check out. Kyle, Bee & Puppycat was an awesome recommendation and something that I shared with my girlfriend, who also really enjoyed it. Now we just have to figure out where to watch the rest of the episodes since VRV only appears to have the first five!Thanks guys! I came to Buffalo hoping to find a shop where I could get work done when I come to town. I found two. Dead Man's Hand is worth your time, both for the art and for the personalities! Read Less