The Guide to Buying An Electric Nail Drill

2 comments by Tiffani Douglas

If you’ve been doing nails for any length of time you know that it takes a lot of time and effort to get nails just right when filing manually. But using an electric nail file or drill can make your life easier and cut your service time down to a minimum.

A drill is a great investment for professional nail technicians, and even if you have no experience using it, with a little practice and patience, you can be a pro in no time.

A Drill Is A Multipurpose Tool

What’s great about electric nail files is they aren’t just for filing and shaping artificial nails. With the right accessories, a drill can serve many purposes, including smoothing calluses on the feet or hands, buffing the nails, cleaning under the free edge, shaping natural nails, cleaning up stubborn cuticles, fills, product removal and more.

This multipurpose tool is very effective in a variety of service uses and it is a must for professional nail techs where being efficient is vital to business. Knowing what to look for when purchasing a drill is an important factor in finding the one that best suits you and your service offerings.

Read on to discover what you should consider when shopping for an electric nail file.

Power

When purchasing an electric nail file or e-file to use professionally choose one that has the power to do what you need it to do. Power is measured in volts and an e-file that is 15 or 20 volts will not be suitable for professional needs. To remove a product, like acrylic, you will need a drill with an output of a minimum of 30 volts. Anything less will not remove the product thoroughly.

Speed

Though you’ll rarely use maximum speed, you should still opt for a drill with a speed of at least 25,000 RPM (revolutions per minute). For natural nail care, a 15,000 RPM drill will suffice, but for acrylic or other artificial applications or removals, 25,000 RPM is best. Since most drills will allow you to adjust the speed, it is recommended that you purchase one that you can use for both natural and acrylic nails.

Forward and Reverse Settings Having a forward and reverse mode on your drill allows you to work seamlessly in different directions without sacrificing your client’s comfort. These settings prevent clients from having to hold their hands in awkward positions while you are filing their nails.

Compatible With Standard 3/32 Drill Bits

Most drills are compatible with a standard shank diameter of 2.35mm or 3/32-inch bit size, and it is very important when selecting a drill to ensure that it is compatible with that standard drill bit size. You will likely work with many different types of drill bits over time and having a drill that accommodates the standard size files will make it easier to find or replace new drill bits in the future.

Low vibration

Noise, vibration, and heat levels, are factors that not only affect the health of you and your client, but they also affect the accuracy of your work. Since you will often use your drill several hours a day, you need a drill that will not vibrate much, as the vibration can produce higher levels of heat and noise. High vibrating drills can cause damage to your client’s nails and also to your wrist and arm.

Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), often mistaken for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), can be the result of using high vibrating drills. Usually, professional model e-files have built-in anti-vibration settings that minimize heat, noise, and vibration, but check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

Warranty

Things can go wrong sometimes and you want to cover your asset by ensuring that your drill comes with a warranty. Make sure that you have at least a 6-month unlimited warranty from the date of purchase with the option to extend the warranty to one year. If you encounter any problems during that time, you won’t have to shell out loads of money to get your drill fixed or buy a new one if something should go awry.

Good To Haves

Though there are things that are must-haves when you are considering buying an electric nail file here are some options that are “nice to haves”.

  • Cordless
  • Lightweight handpiece
  • Low noise
  • Low heat
  • Handpiece cradle
  • Freebies (extra drill bits, sanding bands, etc.)

Hands-free operation

Though it’s not a necessity, this option deserves its own section. Many high-end drills allow for hands-free operation that is equipped with a foot pedal for controlling both speed and direction. Having this feature can be a huge time saver because it allows for continuous transition between various filing phases.

No matter what type of drill you choose, make sure that it is right for you and the services that you offer.


2 comments


  • LY TRAN

    IT’S VERY,VERY NICE INFO buying guide👏👏. I APPRECIATE that👍 & THANKS SOOOO MUCH😉


  • Edgar Aguilar

    I need to buy just the stick , or do I have to buy the whole products


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