Ink & Dagger Tattoo

DAGGERED…,
But no ink.
Two months ago I placed a deposit down, $ 200 for a tattoo, which I drew, but gave the artist (to not be named for publicity) … I did give him explicit details of what I was looking for, but because he didn’t notate it. I, being the customer, was wrong. And this is the level of customer service we get today.
$ 200 depo was In essence whipped away because life happens and I missed my start time by two hours. I was informed that even if I wanted to get anything tattooed today, I’d have to pay in full for what I wanted and the $ 200 no matter how long the work would take … would not be put against the time … because I was late.
Now mind you, had I been at ink and dagger @ noon … if I wanted to change what I wanted (which was just three little roses, in which he, the artist, suggested NOT doing, because they would be «to small». That would have been doable. But because I was late … The depo was void and it was either his design, which wasn’t even what we discussed. And Admittedly, I’m not a tattoo artist, but I do know a few and I’ve never heard anyone say they couldn’t do it, but rather, you lose detail, or it has to be simple … which is what I asked for; «three simple roses».
I’m appalled at the sense that this artist will walk away $ 200 unearned dollars, for art that wasn’t even close to what I wanted. Then to be told that missing my start time forfeits my depo. for art, even if I had been on time… I would not have approved.
I get that most people go to shops and just rando pick shit off the wall, or tell the artist just to do «whatever», but as an established artist and man who doesn’t put ink on his body without reason … I think I know better than a kid who sat on my design for two months and photoshopped a concept in hopes of be like «HELL YEAH» … Sorry Ink and Dagger. I’m not the one.
I got chummped by your «house rules», but believe that I will let as many ears know. Do your research and don’t fall for the pretty packaging on the outside, because the goods are no better than the product one gets off of late nite television infomercials.
NOW, where’s my home tattoo kit. Got (2) for $ 19.99
#noTRIPPhere #bunko #BBB #DAGGERED #inkanddagger #tattoo

I went here recently to get my very first tattoo. I had done a lot of research on places in and around Atlanta, and I knew the work I wanted would require very straight lines and a lot of patience. I found Tripps Kaha’i’s portfolio and knew he was the artist. I setup a consultation to talk to him, brought in a reference and he was so engaging and made the process so easy. Overall just a very, very genuinely nice guy. After that, I setup my appointment.
Day of, I was nervous. It’s my first tattoo and I didn’t know what do except, but Tripps was so patient. He explained everything to me in great detail and even filled up the three hours just talking and continuing to walk me through the process. His work is amazing! He is truly, truly talented, and he worked to make the piece special and knew what I wanted and did it. His line work is flawless and I get so many compliments on how clean and sharp it looks. He takes the time to make sure it’s right and it really showcases his talent.
In the future, I know who to go to and I’ll definitely go back. My best friend has since made an appointment with Tripps based on my experience while she was there. I definitely recommend him to anyone. I will be going back to him for my next tattoo in the future. Check out his instagram and portfolio and you’ll see why! :)
The front desk and all of the employees are so welcoming and friendly. They put you at ease the moment you come through the door and everyone is friendly.

Unfortunately, my first and only experience was quite disappointing. I called and spoke with the «receptionist» in March/​April. I was told to email the parlor with the tattoo I wanted to cover, along with the one I wanted Savannah to do. As soon as I did that, I received an email basically stating that they received it. I called shortly after to verify when I could schedule an appt, I was told she was booked til June and I would receive a call at the end of June to arrange a date. Mind you I called in March/​April to set an appt for June so it didn’t make since that they would call at the end of June to schedule one. I was reluctant but accepted because her work is amazing and I was excited about the encounter. I follow her on instagram as well and noticed she was taking walk ins which usually doesn’t happen if the artist is booked right? !, I attempted to contact her via IG to make sure I went the best route to set an appt. .she didn’t respond. I didn’t take it personal since alot of businesses don’t reply thru social media. Needless to say I never received a call nor email to confirm or deny my appt. I waited four months, I had a feeling the «receptionist» was feeding me BS… what a waste. I was super ecstatic about having her beautiful art

The artist here is really talented! I’ve never been more pleased with a tattoo than with the one I got here. I’d definitely recommend going and seeing for yourself!!!

I went in with my boyfriend so he could schedule his consultation appointment and had my own drawn out design to see if they would accept me as a walk in to get script on my thigh, and they did!
Tripps was the artist I had in mind, because he had some awesome script posted on instagram, and he was the one to tattoo me. He was super sweet, and payed attention to all my picky details. He exceeded all expectations I had in mind, and this was my first tattoo so I was pretty nervous.
The shop is stunning, something you won’t find anywhere else in Atlanta, same goes for the talent in this place. I am definitely going to be back for more pieces by different artists here.
This is hands down the best in Atlanta.
My boyfriend is getting his second tattoo here in July, can’t wait to be back.

My son wanted his first tattoo for his 19^th birthday and after a lot of researching, we settled on Ink & Dagger. We choose to go with Clinton Lee based on his online portfolio. His work looked exceptional. On the consult day I was impressed with the cleanliness and professionalism of the shop. From the guy at the front desk to the artists — we had nothing but positive experiences. So much so that I decided I wanted to get my sophomore tattoo from Clinton as well. The following week, both me and my son were tattooed and I was so pleased with the results. We are already thinking ahead to our next pieces! Clinton is a gifted artist, and as I looked around at the other artists working that day, truly, any one of them would produce a quality piece of work!

Love this place! Clinton did my tattoo and I couldn’t be happier with the end result! Everyone at the shop was super friendly and extremely professional. I will definitely be back!

Brandon is the man! Took care of me with my first tatoo. Very friendly staff. Cool and clean shop. Great experience.

Brandon David is amazing. I was kinda nervous and didn’t know what to expect since it was going to be my first tattoo.
Instead of just rushing me in, Brandon looked at my design and offered suggestions on how to make it look better as a tattoo. He seemed genuinely interested in giving me something that we could both be proud of.
He was super chill and easy to talk to. Very approachable and laid-​back guy.
With the addition of his suggestions my tattoo turned out incredible. Crisp line work and colors turned out exactly like I wanted. The shading he recommended added so much contrast and made it better than I had even planned.
As a graphic designer I really appreciate the time Brandon took to make sure I was gonna end up with great artwork on my skin.
I am definitely gonna be hitting him up when it’s time for me to get my bigger shoulder piece. Strongly recommend to anyone whether it’s your first one or not!

Really fantastic parlor with even more fantastic artists and people. I came in later on a Sunday evening (last night) to check out the shop for a bigger piece I want to get and was happily greeted by Will. I really just wanted to check out the books and see if I could get some general info, but Will was so thorough and knowledgable, I decided I had to get inked right then and there. There was a little line, but the fact they were going to tattoo me, when they were suppose to be closing, was incredibly kind. Brandon David tattooed me and was so nice and accommodating. We chatted throughout my session and I just really felt completely comfortable at this parlor. He took plenty of time to get the stencil perfectly placed on my forearm and inked the straightest lines anyone could ever ask for. During the appointment, the artists asked each other for feedback and owner, Russ, walked around to check out all the artwork going down (yes, I was totally star struck, having read a couple magazine articles about him early). All in all, great shop. Clean, friendly and most importantly, incredibly talented artists. I have visited and chatted with a few shops around Atlanta, trying to find the best one and Ink and Dagger is 100% it.

Awesome shop, everyone here are professionals, nice, helpful, & friendly.
My consult with Clint went smooth and we went over ideas and placement of my custom piece from him.
I had to reschedule my appointment with him because of personal reasons and he was very understanding and was quick to get back to me about a new appointment date.
The day of the tattoo, it was pretty awesome. I had chats with pretty much everyone that worked there that day and everyone is really easy-​going and nice.
The tattoo went smoothly, Clint was a gentleman & scholar. He checked up on me every so often and we took a few breaks for me to stretch my legs out.
The one thing I love about Ink & Dagger Tattoo compared to all the other shops I’ve been to… They have a lot of different drinks and candies to get your blood sugar up just in case you’re worn out. I want to say it was about 6 – 7 hours of solid tattooing in one shot. Clint did an amazing traditional piece on the back of my calf…
I’m getting so many compliments from it already about the detail put into it. I really appreciated the way Clint went above and beyond on making sure all the lines, colors, details were perfect. He wouldn’t let me leave until he made sure my tattoo was the best it could be. Nothing left unfinished!
I will definitely be going back for more work!

russ is amazing. nough said!

The first time I went there, the artist did an average job with my tattoo. Customer service was lacking – it was a «get in, get out» type of environment.
The second time I went there, I set up an appointment with an artist – only to be told two months later that the appointment was cancelled and the artist did not want to take on the project anymore. I got an email the day before recommending a different artist for the tattoo. The only consolation was the store manager being very empathetic and apologetic.
Definitely will not go again, and I do not recommend the place to anyone.

The tattoers, excluding Russ, suck. If you want a 20-​something-​year-​old hipster-​type with the attitude of a neurosurgeon to treat you like a second-​class citizen because you don’t want an avocado or equally cliché hipster tattoo then these are the losers for you! Newsflash– working alongside a gifted tattoo artist does NOT make you great, nor does it give you the right to be a dick to paying customers who want tattoos that you don’t personally like. I can’t wait to go spend my giant, effing paycheck somewhere else!

Just completed my first of many tattoo’s with my new friends at Ink and Dagger and honestly I’m having a hard time putting into words how completely satisfied I am with every aspect of the experience. From my initial contact via email until the second I walked out the door Russ and his staff bent over backwards to ensure I was being taken care of in every way. This included making recommendations on where to stay and eat during my time in Decatur, to including me in the lunch order at the shop when we took a break.
I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to be tattooed by Russ, and while I don’t think there’s anything I can say that hasn’t already been said about the unbelievable high quality of his technical skills and artistic vision, I would really like to share with anyone who has not had the pleasure of working with Russ that he will take the time to sit down with you to explore your ideas, and in the most gracious manner possible help you turn them into a piece of art that you’ll proud of for the rest of you life.
If your interested in getting a tattoo in clean shop with unbelievable atmosphere by some of the finest artiest you will find anywhere, please regardless of where you live do yourself a favor and consider Ink and Dagger for your next tattoo. You absolutely will not be disappointed.

I helped out a lot here when I had a job closer to this side of town and I still miss the guys and the atmosphere. My work done here has been great and still looks fantastic, and I will be getting more in the future. Russ has also done work on my brother-​in-​law which totally makes me geek out every time I see it :3
The guys are in it for the right reasons and have never done anything but make me feel comfortable.

Just a little update.
Two more tattoos later, Ink & Dagger is still the only place to go for any sort of tattoo work in my book. Or you can try and see the artists at various tattoo conventions if you don’t live in the area. I got a small tattoo done by Kurt on Man Day, which was a really fun event. Kurt was nice, and I really like a lot of stuff from his portfolio. I got a third much larger meaningful tattoo done by Russ at the Boston Tattoo Convention as that’s where I live. I hope to get additional work done around that tattoo sometime sometime when I’m in Atlanta, and eventually fill in the other arm a little more too.
Everything I’ve seen come out of Ink & Dagger is top notch, be it a small tattoo or a sleeve. It’s nothing but high quality art. My slightly conservative Southern mom even likes my tattoos and loves the artwork, but then ended the compliment with, «Can’t you just get Russ to paint you a picture?»
The quest for the new year? TATTOO MOM 2011.

Who else has MAN DAY?!
Russ Abbott – the man, the myth, the legend, has just continued to amaze me. His swag, his shoppe’s style, the vibe from the place is just so so positive and uplifting.
I went to Ink and Dagger on a rainy summer’s afternoon to check the place out and get a feel. After spending days on end researching artistes, I fell in love with Russ Abbott’s work. I had pictures in mind, and he was cool enough to let me pull them up on the computer there. Very cool of him!
I was really disheartened though, when he said that he didn’t have time to work on me. I didn’t even care if I had to wait months, but I was just shut down like POW! He directed me to Kurt, who was also an excellent artiste whose work I also loved, so I didn’t feel like I got second string. However; I just wonder what’s the point of featuring this famous artiste if newbies can’t be inked by the person that they want?
I totally understand being busy and all, but I want Mr. Abbott in all of his glory, if I want Mr. Abbott, feel me? In any case, neither of them did my work bc Man Day was first available, so Mr. Ron (DeCosta) Henry Wells will forever be etched in my heart as the bearded beauty that took my virginity. I love you Ron, and thank you for making my Man Day one to remember.
Still kinda salty about feeling like I was not worthy to be Inked by Russ, but I guess he has to do what works for him. Albeit disappointing, he was VERY helpful, very nice, and was so so kind enough to give me the big intro to a great artiste that I look forward to working with very soon. Kurt, you got next!

Instead of updating my review for a third time, I figured I’d just start fresh. Why not?
I’ve been to Ink & Dagger probably half a dozen times since January. I’ve been tattooed by the master himself, Russ Abbott, his (formerly) newest resident Kurt Fagerland, and a guest artist from Wisconsin. All of my experiences have been fabulous. The staff is laid back and easy to talk to. There have been times where I’ve gone in to ask a simple question and spent the next hour just chatting with whoever’s around. I’ve recommended several friends and they’ve found the same positive experience. The whole crew is amazing and I love them all to pieces. That’s high praise as I tend to be a raging misanthropist. ;)
The work itself is flawless. I get so many compliments on my work that has come from them. It often starts with something along the lines of «I don’t usually like tattoos, but…». I think it’s high praise if you can get someone who doesn’t normally find it appealing to speak up.
They are on the pricey side, but it’s totally worth it. I feel like I get my money’s worth every time I leave the shop. With some shops, it can feel like you got taken for a ride, but not here. The talent and skill of each artist is worth the price (and more) they charge. Remember, kiddies, good tattoos ain’t cheap!

Very professional and talented. Fixed a bad tattoo I got spontaneously, and when some ink fell out the touched it up. So nice. So patient. Would definitely go back for my next