The Definitive Guide To The Best LED Nail Lamps for Fast, Beautiful Nails
If you are using LED gels or nail polish but haven’t heard of LED nail drying lamps, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Don’t wait for minutes or hours for your nails to dry – LED lamps can achieve flawless dry nails in few seconds. Excited? Read on to discover my list of the best LED nail lamps.
More...
Top 5 Best LED Nail Lamps Reviews On The Market 2017 - Comparison Chart
Rank | Image | Product Name | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | 97 /100 | ||
2 |  | 96 /100 | ||
3 |  | Royal Nails Professional UV Light Gel and Acrylic Nail Dryer | 95 /100 | |
4 |  | 98 /100 | ||
5 |  | 92 /100 |
*Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
Benefits of Using Nail Lamps
Before jumping into the list of the top LED nail dryers, let’s take a closer look into why it’s worth investing in one.
- The first and most obvious benefit of using an LED dryer is to save time. While natural drying can take several minutes, powerful nail lamps can get the job done in as less as 15 to 30 seconds. This can come in handy when you need to get ready in a jiffy and don’t have time to wait around till your nail paint is dry.
- Better Finish is another reason to invest in an LED nail dryer. Natural drying can lead to smudging, irregular thickness and an overall imperfect look. However, the finish achieved through an LED nail dryer is much more professional looking and even.
- Buying an LED nail dryer is a simple one-time investment. That’s right. The LED bulbs that help dry the nails usually have ultra-long lives (think several thousand hours). This means you don’t have to keep re-investing in LED bulbs.
- Though some LED nail lamps may be a little bulky, most of them are small enough to be easily carried around. This makes this beauty accessory portable and lets you have the perfect nails no matter where you are in the world.
Factors to Consider Before Buying an LED Nail Lamp
How to decide if an LED nail lamp is truly suitable for you? Discussed below are few parameters to consider. Read carefully before making your choice.
1. Wattage
Here, we are talking about the wattage of the LED bulbs present in the lamp. While low-end lamps may feature 6 watt LED bulbs, most medium and high-end products will feature at least 32 to 64 Watts of LED lighting.
The wattage is directly related the speed of drying. The higher the wattage, the faster the drying will be.
2. Size
Via Amazon.com
If portability is a big concern for you, then you must look at buying a lamp that is small and hence, easy to carry. Yes, smaller lamps may not be as powerful or have as many LED bulbs as the bigger ones, but good quality ones can still get the job done quite efficiently. So, if you travel often, you may be better off looking for a small but efficient nail dryer.
3. Size of Finger / Toe Opening
Via Amazon.com
It may be better to go for an LED lamp that can fit all your 5 fingers or toes in at once. Otherwise, you may have to leave the thumb out which will not only waste your time, but also cause a difference in the evenness of curing or drying across the five fingers or toes.
There are also few products that are designed to be big enough to accommodate fingers of both hands, all at once. However, such dryers may be too bulky to carry around.
4. Pre-set Timer
Via Amazon.com
It can be very irritating and inconvenient to time the exact number of seconds every time you want to dry your nails. Therefore, it may make sense to go for a product that offers pre-set timing options.
While some LED lamps offer only one pre-set timer setting, there are also products that offer multiple time settings. This may come in handy when using different brands or types of nail gels.
5. Power Cord
This is another factor you will have to look out for if you travel abroad often. The reason is simple. Not all countries follow the same input voltage system. While few countries have an input voltage rating of 110 volts, quite a few others follow an input voltage rating of 240 volts.
Therefore, to ensure that your nail dryer works seamlessly anywhere in the world, it may be better to buy one that comes with an input voltage rating of 110 to 240 volts.
6. Accessories
Via Amazon.com
Accessories can help add great value to any purchase, and nail dryers are no different. Some products come with accessories such as protective gloves or nail files which can help you take better care of your nails. However, very few nail dryers come with any kind of accessory.
7. Aesthetics
Via Amazon.com
There is no doubt that looks do matter. Unfortunately, most nail dryers are ordinary looking and come in plain solid colors. You may have a tough time finding a nail dryer that is truly stylish in the way it looks.
But lucky for you, the products listed below offer not only great performance, but are also quite pleasing to look at.
The Top 5 Best LED Nail Lamps On The Market 2017
1. MelodySusie Portable LED Nail Lamp
Via Amazon.com
Manufactured by renowned brand MelodySuise, this LED nail lamp is quite popular. It is powered by a 6W LED lamp and the package also includes a user manual and power cord.
Pros
- When it comes to aesthetics, the MelodySuise portable LED nail lamp may be one of the most attractive nail lamps out there.
- It may be a great choice for you if you travel often, thanks to its portability. This nail lamp is small in size and can be carried along wherever you go. The charging cord is also thin and easy to carry.
- This may be a good choice for first time users since the lamp comes with a user manual.
- This lamp comes with a 45 second timer which eliminates manual timing and makes the whole drying process more convenient.
- It is the most affordable nail lamp in this list which makes it a great choice for people on a tight budget, or any first time buyer.
- Its input voltage ranges from 110V to 240V, which makes it ideal for use in any country world over.
Cons
- The unit may not be deep enough to fit all 5 fingers depending on the width of your palm and the length of your fingers.
2. USpicy MACARON 36W Nail Dryer UV Lamp
Via Amazon.com
The USpicy Macaron 36W Nail Dryer UV Lamp is an attractive looking option that also does its job quite well. It is powered by PL UVA bulbs for efficient curing.
Pros
- The use of PL UVA bulbs makes the curing process quick, safe and odorless. This may make it a great option for first time buyers and beginners.
- This nail dryer comes with intelligent 120 and 180 second timers to make the job easier and hassle-free.
- This is the only product on the list that comes with accessories. The USpicy Macaron Nail Dryer comes with UV gloves for added safety, and a nail file. This makes it a complete nail care kit.
- This dryer woks with all types of UV gels, irrespective of brands and quality. This may make it a great option for those who switch nail gel brands frequently. It also works with normal nail polish.
- This nail dryer is quite reasonably priced and thus may be suitable for skeptical first time buyers as well as those on a budget.
Cons
- This product may not be able to accommodate all five fingers or toes for drying at the same time. This increases the total curing time.
3. Royal Nails Professional UV Light Gel and Acrylic Nail Dryer
Via Amazon.com
This nail dryer from Royal uses six 9 watt bulbs to deliver powerful 54 watt drying.
Pros
- 54 watts of drying power makes this nail dryer a good choice for fast and efficient drying. The fact that this power is delivered by six bulbs instead of one distributes the power evenly across the nails for a smooth finish.
- Unlike few other products available in the market, this nail dryer works well with all UV gel products. So, this dryer may be a good option for you if you use different brands of UV gels or like to keep switching brands.
- Very few nail dryers in the market are designed to be big enough to fit both hands or both feet at the same time. This product from Royal Nails is one of them.
- This nail dryer also comes with multiple pre-set timer options including 90, 120, 180, 240 and 300 seconds.
- Apart from the 6 bulbs, this nail dryer also houses a small fan to speed up the drying process.
Cons
- If you are looking to buy a dryer that is compact and easy to carry around wherever you go, this may not be the best option due to its relatively larger size.
4. Gelish 18G Professional LED Light
Via Amazon.com
This is a powerful drying lamp that comes with two built-in LEDs. It has a sturdy built and an attractive look.
Pros
- This LED nail lamp comes with two 18 watt LEDs that together produce 36W of lighting which enables high speed drying of nails. It may thus be a good option for those who don’t like to wait long to dry their nails.
- The LEDs are not replaceable but do offer a long life. Each of the two 18 watt LEDs that feature in this LED nail lamp are rated to last about 50,000 hours.
- This LED Lamp from Gelish is acetone resistant.
- The Gelish 18G Professional LED light offers a good level of convenience with its LED timer display. Not all LED featured on this list lamps have this feature.
- This LED lamp may be a good option for you if you are looking to buy a lamp with a preset timer with countdown.
- Most people will be able to fit all 5 fingers into the lamp at once.
Cons
- The Gelish LED 18G LED light may not fit everyone’s budget. This powerful LED lamp is one of the more expensive products on this list.
5. Anself Pro 64W LED Gel Nail Dryer Curing Lamp
Via Amazon.com
The Anself Pro 64W LED Gel Nail Dryer is a good quality, powerful LED nail lamp that also looks attractive.
Pros
- This LED lamp uses multi-dimensional reflective interior design for curing that is quick and even.
- The opening of this lamp is big enough for almost all people to easily fit their five fingers or toes at once.
- The pre-set timer that this lamp comes with allows for multiple time settings including 15, 30, 45 and 60 seconds. This means, you can use the same lamp with different settings depending on the gel being applied on the nails.
- A large and easy-to-read LED display is also present on the lamp to countdown the time and choose the time settings.
- Since this lamp has an input voltage rating for 110 – 240 volts, it can be used in any country across the world. This may be useful if you travel often.
- It comes in two attractive colors – black and white. Very few LED lamps come in multiple colors.
- It may be a good choice for first-time buyers as it also comes with an easy-to-follow user manual.
Cons
- Though not the most expensive product on the list, it is not very affordable either.
Conclusion
All five products listed above are good in their own way. However, not every product may suit your needs. Therefore, it is important that you read the choosing and buying tips shared just above the Top 5 list, in case you skipped it, to be able to choose the best product for yourself.
If I had to pick the best nail dryer from the above Top 5 list, I would go with the MelodySuise Portable Nail Dryer as it is affordable, attractive looking and gets the job done well. It may not be the most powerful machine, but that shouldn’t matter if you are willing to wait an extra few seconds for the perfect nails.
I hope this guide helps you choose the right LED nail dryer. If you have any queries or suggestions to share, please use the comments section below.
