Uv gel lamps come in quite a few different shapes, sizes, and prices and they all have different features.  When you are first looking at what type of lamp to get you may think “well i saw one uv gel lamp on ebay for $12 is that good enough?”  or you may think that the $350 dollar lamp is the way to go.  Here i am going to attempt to give you a good idea of what the different features of these lamps mean and what you should look for when assessing what type of lamp you are going to get to use with your uv gel.

The basic Features of a UV Gel Lamp

So you have been doing nails and nail art for a while now and your looking into working with uv gel huh?  Well I am sure you know a bit about uv gel nails by now, and at least how to apply them (if not search around the site) and you are trying to figure out what kind of lamp you need.  Really what you need depends on the type of clients you have or want to attract.  You can get a basic 6 watt uv lamp for one hand with no other features and as long as you and your clients are patient, that may be all you need, but the stronger the uv output the faster your uv gel is going to dry. If you have clients that don’t want gel nails but like polish or other types of nails, then having a heater or a fan dryer may be necessary.  you can also get uv gel lamps with timers and special reflector systems to give you better distribution of the light which leads to more even drying times.  Here is a bullet list of some features to look for.

• Digital Drying Timer
• Cool Air Nail Fan
• Spa Style Heater
• Bulb strength Ranging From 6 watts – 75 watts
• One Hand or Foot and  2 Hand or Feet Room
• Single Bulbs or Multiple Bulbs
• Easy to Use (design and comfort) or Easy Bulb Replacement
• Even Distribution of Light

Replacing your UV Gel Lamp’s Bulb

One thing that is very important to look for when purchasing your uv gel lamp is how easily will you be able to replace the bulbs.  If it looks like it is going to take a mechanical engineer to get your lamp apart just to replace the bulb, you want to make sure top ask the manufacturer how much maintenance costs, and if they do replacements for you, or if they can demonstrate for you, because maybe it isn’t as hard as it seems.  You always look at how much your uv gel is right?  Well you should also look at the cost of the uv gel lamp’s replacement bulbs, and how long they are supposed to last on average.  For all you nail techs that work from home or own your own salon, this is one of those Total cost of ownership things you probably glossed over in your nail technician courses ( don’t worry i hate accounting too ).  Some lamps come with standard bulbs that you can pick up anywhere while some manufacturers have decided that they only want you to use their bulbs which they sell at a premium, so just be aware and see how much the bulbs cost when you purchase your lamp.