There are so many nail lamps online to choose from that it is completely overwhelming. Wattage, voltage, cure time… it can be very confusing to know what matters and what things you should look for when deciding which brand and type of lamp to go with. This guide simplifies everything and will hopefully answer all of your questions!
Factors to Consider to Choose The Best Nail Lamp For You!
1. What’s Your Budget?
Figure out how much money you are able and willing to spend on a nail lamp because $20 and $150 will get you very different lamps. $150 might seem expensive but if you consider how much you spend on one manicure with tip ($35-$45), a nail lamp is only the cost of several manicures and will last you decades. Most women get manicures twice a month so they are spending at least $840 a year on manicures – a nail lamp is easily affordable once you see how much you are already spending at the salon. And remember, this does not include the savings for pedicures as well! Check out how much money you can save by using the calculator below.
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2. What Nail Polish Brands Do You Use?
The main factor you should consider when buying a nail lamp is whether or not it will work with polishes you like, and it can be confusing. UV lamps cure all LED & UV polishes. LED lamps state that they only cure LED polishes. If you love CND Shellac like I do, they indicate that you have to get a UV lamp because shellac is a UV polish and “doesn’t cure” under a LED lamp. However, readers have reported that CND does, in fact, cure perfectly fine with an LED lamp. Conundrum, right? The majority of polishes are LED so they will work with both lamp types. Click here to see a chart of which polish brands work with which type of nail lamp UV or LED.The manufacturers of gel polishes design nail lamps to emit the precise UV wavelengths to activate specific ingredients in their gel polish formula – so if you use one brand heavily then it might be worth it to buy the lamp from the same brand, or a lamp with the same wattage.
3. Cure Time
LED cures much more quickly than UV. It typically takes 30 seconds to cure a layer of polish under LED and takes 90 seconds to cure a layer under UV. So the bottom line is that LED manicures can take under 2 minutes of curing while UV manicures can take 5+ minutes. If you’re impatient then LED is the lamp for you.
4. Bulb Life Span
LED lamps come with bulbs that are never replaced and last 50,000 hours. Bulbs in UV lamps can vary by manufacturer but generally last around 100 hours, then can be replaced for around $30. 100 hours doesn’t seem like much, but remember that each manicure only takes 5 minutes of curing so if you do your nails once per week then the UV bulbs would last you 23 years before needing to be changed. Ultimately, either type of lamp is a great investment as it will last you decades (If you buy from a reliable and high quality brand).
5. Size
Be on the look out for size because some lamps only fit 4 fingers so you have to cure your thumb separately which is a pain and just awkward unless you are a contortionist. The majority of cheaper lamps (under $40) fit 4 fingers and do not work for pedicures. Other lamps usually just fit one hand and have a removable bottom part to let you do pedicures one foot at a time. The best lamps let you cure both hands at the same time and both feet at the same time (this is my preference as it saves a LOT of time).
6. Warranty
1 year warranty seems to be standard if you buy the lamp new and directly from the manufacturer (most don’t sell directly to consumers on their websites so you have to buy the lamps on Amazon from the manufacturer. Just check the seller’s name and search for the lamp being sold by the manufacturer and not some random person on amazon). I’ve seen some that are 90 days. Not all brands offer this support. It is nice to have in case you are in the small percent of people who have issues with the lamp breaking down or being dysfunctional.
7. Extra Features
Many brands have special timer features to make it easy to custom program a setting or have all the preset timers you’d ever need. Timing it yourself is a pain so it’s really nice to have a lamp with that feature. Other lamps have motion sensors that start the lamp automatically when you slide your hands under. Another added bonus is a lamp that also has a fan included, for those times you just want a regular lacquer polish, say on your tootsies.
Nail Lamp Comparisons
The following tables were created to help you compare the different types of popular nail dryer lamps. Note that prices often fluctuate online depending on special sales etc. so please know in advance that the prices may be different than posted in the tables (but they shouldn’t be off by very much).
UV Lamp for Nails Comparison
Great all round lamps for all types of gel and shellac polish!
| UV Lamp | Watts | Price | Size | Timers | Notes | Rating (Out of 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
54 WATT ROYAL NAILS PROFESSIONAL UV LIGHT GEL AND ACRILIC NAIL DRYER  
| 54W | $165.00 | Two Hand Two Feet | 5 setting Timer: 90sec, 120sec, 180sec, 240sec, 300sec | Fan for faster drying | 4.5 |
CND UV Lamp   | 36W | $144.95 | One Hand One Foot | 4 Preset Timers Customizable | Ergonomic Design, Fan | 4.5 |
LKE White Phototherapy Nail Dryer 
| 36W | $63.99 | One Hand One Foot | 3 Preset Timers: 60s, 90s, 120s | Removable floor | 5 |
Salon Edge 
| 36W | $25.95 | One Hand One Foot | 3 Preset Timers: 90sec, 120sec, 180sec | Auto shut off, Removable bottom, Compact for travel | 4.5 |
Thermal Spa 
| 45W | $53.75 | Two Hands Two Feet | 3 Preset Timers: Always on, 2mins, 3mins | Removable, easy-to-clean bottom | 4.2 |
MelodySusie® High Quality Black 36W UV Nail Dryer UV Lamp Light 
| 36W | $26.99 | One Hand One Foot | Auto timer control: 120s, 180s, up to infinite | Removable, easy-to-clean bottom | 4.1 |
LED Lamp for Nails Comparison
Many readers of this blog are opting for the LED lamps and I have posted some of the most popular. Check them out for yourself.
| LED Lamp | Wattage | Price | Size | Timers | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harmony Gelish Salon Essentials 18G
| 36W | $186.90 | Both Hands Both Feet | 3 Preset timers: 5, 20, 30 secs | Motion Activated, Patented eyeShield™ to limit light exposure | 4.8 |
Harmony Gelish 5-45
| 18W | $114.99 | One Hand One Foot | 1 Preset Timer: 45 secs | Light weight | 4.4 |
OPI Studio LED Light  
| 32W | $129.99 | One Hand One Foot | 4 Preset Timers: 15, 30, 45, & 60 secs | Motion Activated | 4.3 |
VOGUE PROFESSIONAL ® 18 Watts LED 
| 18W | $59.50 | One Hand One Foot | Digital Countdown 3-step Timer: 30-90 seconds | 1 year limited parts and labor warranty | 4.7 |
SensatioNail  
| 7W | $24.99 | Four Fingers at a time | 1 Preset Timer: 60 secs with a 30 second beep | Light weight | 4.6 |
Thermal Spa 
| 10W | $89.93 | One Hand One Foot | 3 Preset Timers: 10s, 30s, 60s | Bottom reflective base | 4.5 |
MelodySusie® New Collection High Quality 48W LED Lamp 
| 48W | $109.99 | One Hand One Foot | 3 Preset timers: 5s, 20s, 30s | Automatic sensor, Removable magnetic bottom tray | 4.8 |
MelodySusie® High Quality Portable 24W LED Lamp 
| 24W | $49.99 | One Hand One Foot | 3 Preset Timers: 15s, 30s, 60s | Lightweight, portable | 4.6 |
UV & LED 2 in 1 Lamp for Nails Comparison
If you are torn between getting a UV lamp or an LED lamp ~ here are some 2-in-1 combination lamps to consider. Great bang for your buck!
| 2 in 1 Lamp | Wattage | Price | Size | Timers | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lumcrissy Professional Diamond Shaped CCFL & LED UV Nail Lamp  | 36W | $39.98 | One hand, One foot | Three adjustable timers | Compact and lightweight | 3.8 |
Lumcrissy Professional Automatic Sensor Quikly Dry Diamond Shaped CCFL & LED UV Nail Lamp  | 48W | $56.99 | One hand, One foot | 3 preset timers: 10s, 20s, 30s | Automatic sensor | 4.2 |
Lightimetunnel™ Led Nail Polish Dryer 
| 36W | $86.99 | One hand, One foot | 10s, 20s, 30s with countdown of the timer mode | 1 yr warranty | 5 |
MelodySusie® Pro60W Smart Lamp 
| 60W | $134.99 | One hand, One foot | 4 Preset timers: 15s, 30s, 45s, 60s | All in one - disinfection & drying | 4.7 |
LKE 48W Nail Polish Gel Art Tools Professional CCFL LED UV Lamp 
| 48W | $57.88 | One hand, One foot | 3 preset timers: 10s 20s 30s | Automatic sensor | 4.7 |
FAQ
Does a higher wattage mean it’s a better nail lamp?
No. Higher wattage does not mean it’s a better lamp. Wattage simply indicates how much electricity the bulbs use. In general, you don’t need to consider the wattage amount when comparing lamps. However, when a lamp has a really low wattage (less than 10W) you might want to double check which polishes it works on because sometimes a low wattage UV lamp won’t cure LED polishes.
What are the differences between LED & UV Lamps?
Checkout my post here to learn all about the differences: The Truth About LED vs UV Nail Lamps
Resource Links
The Chemist Corner:The differences between soak-off-gel polish and gel polish
The Science of Gels: How UV and LED lamps cure gel polish
Photo by Svadilfari 
Thank you for this….ALL of this! I’ve become a “budgetnista” as of 1/1/16 and one of the ways I’ve decided to save is by doing my own nails. Spending $30 every two weeks adds up, and I need to use that money to put toward other things. I have been using “lightless” gel to do my nails, but I’m ready to graduate to buildable gels and need a lamp. While doing my UV/LED lamp research I became totally confused and frustrated because I’m not a professional, and I don’t want to waste money purchasing the wrong item (Amazon has a gabillion lamps, I was so overwhelmed!). I did a couple of Google searches and struck gold when I found this article(s). You’re a godsend, I cant thank you enough!
Thank you Karen! I agree that the whole process of selecting a nail lamp can be overwhelming ~ researching all the brands was crazy! Hopefully I have gleaned all of the most reputable brands as it is evident that there appears to be a good number of knock-offs. Keep coming back to Practical Polish. I am gearing up to include new posts on fun, helpful DIY tools to help make your home nail experience even better! Let me know if there is something you would like for me to include. Thanks again!
I didn’t realize that a UV bulb would last for 23 years if you do your nails once a week. I can definitely see how that would be a good investment! I’ve been thinking of getting a gel nail kit for my niece for the holidays, and i bet she would love to have a uv nail lamp as well. Thanks for the post!