How to choose a lamp for manicure?

What is and what does a hybrid manicure with gel polish mean?

A hybrid nail lamp combines 2 types of radiation:

1. CCFL+ LED;
2. LED+UV.

Due to the combined effect, the polymerization time is reduced. Lamp power varies from 6 W to 54 W. 6 W is suitable for home use and will allow you to dry regular manicure or gel polish. Salons use dryers of 24 watts and higher - procedures are carried out quickly.

The advantages of LED+CCFL devices are durability, low energy consumption with high power. We also note the environmental friendliness, harmlessness and high service life of gas-based flasks (cold cathode plus LED).

ON A NOTE! Hybrid devices allow you to dry any coating - shellac or gel extensions.

The disadvantage of such a lamp is its rather high cost and the fact that if it fails, you need to buy a new device, and not just replace the lamp. But they rarely fail, and their service life is 5–7 years.

Ice + UV nail lamp - two in one: ultraviolet and LED technologies. Due to this combination, even high-power flasks heat up less and do not damage the nail plate. In most models, you can turn on UV and LED lamps separately, but the power of the device can be different. The service life of such devices is about 50,000 hours.

Disadvantages of UV lamps

So, if you want to have a UV lamp for drying nails, then you should understand that the absence of unpleasant sensations is due to the fact that the operating speed of the device is not too high. The gel polish in this device dries from one to three minutes, which is not very fast compared to other types of lamps - you will see this later.

Users also report that these lamps get very hot and therefore have a short lifespan of only three thousand hours. This may seem like an impressive amount of time, but when compared with other types, these lamps are far inferior to their competitors in terms of this indicator.

If the number of hours does not mean anything to you, then you can contact those users who reported the approximate operating time of the device. Depending on how often you use it, you will have to change the lamp every six months if you rarely use it. If you use it constantly, then you will have to change the lamps much more often - approximately every two months.

For this reason, users are starting to ask questions about how to make a hybrid nail lamp if they have both UV and LED lamps, but it is not recommended to do such things if you are not an expert in this field - the result may be sad .

Rating of 2 in 1 extension dryers

What are the differences between hybrid lamps?

The hybrid nail lamp combines two technologies - cold cathode lamps - CCFL (Cold Cathod Fluorescent Lamp) and LED lamps (Light ennitted diode). This makes it possible to enjoy all the benefits of these modern technologies at the same time. Therefore, such devices continue to gain increasing popularity.

Under ultraviolet rays, all types of photopolymers harden in 1-2 minutes. But simple UV lamps have some disadvantages. They are not very durable, their effectiveness decreases over time, and they have to be replaced frequently. In addition, they consume more energy compared to LEDs.

LED lamps are more powerful in light intensity than UV lamps; under them, polymerization occurs four times faster. At the same time, they are very economical, consume little electricity, and last much longer. But, unfortunately, LED lamps have a narrow range of light waves; some gel polishes under them do not polymerize well or do not harden at all.

The light range of CCFL lamps is much wider than that of conventional ultraviolet lamps. They are the most effective; under their rays all gel polishes on the market harden. Unlike UV lamps, they are smaller in size and produce almost no heat. In terms of durability, CCFL luminaires far exceed UV and are close to LED. They are also widely used in the production of monitors and televisions. In hybrid nail lamps, luminous elements of both types are installed.

More details about each of the presented models

The most popular of the mini dryers. The small hybrid lamp SUN-MINI is a 9-watt LED-UV device.

• It has folding legs and fits in the palm of your hand; you can take this dryer with you on a trip or use it as an additional dryer.
• There is a timer for 30 and 60 seconds, which is activated by pressing one button. Quick press – 30 seconds, delayed – 60 seconds.
• A very convenient and inexpensive device.
• Powered by USB or regular network.
• Its cost is 400 rubles.

The best model in the mid-price segment. Touch LED-UV lamp SUNone SUNUV1 - differs in that the power in it can be adjusted with a switch of 24 W or 48 W.

• Has a removable bottom and timer.
• Compact and stylish.
• Timer for 5, 30, 60 and 90 seconds.
• Made in China.
• The cost of this model is 1500 rubles.
• Available in white and pink.
• Does not have a display.

The best cold cathode tube. The hybrid device for polymerization PROFESSIONAL NAIL 48 W combines two elements CCFL (cold cathode) and LED (light emitting diode).

• The device's power of 48 watts allows you to polymerize gels 4 times faster than in a conventional UV lamp.
• A device with a timer for 10, 30 and 60 seconds.
• Has a motion sensor and a removable bottom.
• Service life up to 50,000 hours - approximately 7 years of continuous operation.
• The cost of the model is 2500 rubles.

Optimal price-quality ratio. LED+UV Lamp SUN 6 48W costs 2 thousand rubles with a built-in convenient touch display and is designed for drying coatings with gel: shellac, biogel, gel extensions.

• Contains two power modes - 48 W will allow you to quickly polymerize any coating, and 24 W will make the procedure more gentle.
• There is a motion sensor and a timer for 30 and 60 seconds.
• There is a retractable magnetic bottom for pedicures.
• Gel polish polymerizes in 5–30 seconds, ice gel in 30–60 seconds.
• Holding the power button switches power modes, information about which you will see on the touch screen.
• The lamp is round with an ergonomic shape, dimensions 25 by 25 by 20 cm and quite light - 700 grams. In this case, each hand can be treated entirely.

The most stylish device. One of the most popular DIMOND hybrid lamps based on CCFL+LED technology.

• The high rating is due to its stylish design and 36-watt power.
• The model is equipped with a removable magnetic bottom, which can be easily removed at any time.
• Built-in timer for 10, 30 and 60 seconds. The dimensions polymerize the coating on the entire arm or leg at once. The device is not heavy in weight - 700 grams, but costs an average of 4,500 rubles.

Features of hybrid nail lamps

This lamp is called a hybrid lamp, as it combines two types of devices - a CCFL and an LED lamp. A hybrid device is made in the shape of a small polyhedron. One of the lamps is a CCFL lamp with a cold cathode. The remaining 12 LED bulbs. They all light up at the same time.

Simultaneous tanning allows for rapid polymerization of the material, both acrylic and any gel polish. The lamp is also great for simply drying nails. The service life of such devices is quite high - up to 6 years. Therefore, you can safely purchase it both for home use and for working with a large flow of clients in the salon.

Hybrid lamp

This drying device is equipped with a timer for 30, 20 and 10 seconds. This allows for the highest quality polymerization of nails. The total power of the device is 36 watts, which is enough for its good functioning. The spiral bulb draws 12 Watts, the remaining 24 Watts are distributed between the diodes.

The inside of the device is metal, but the body can be made of any material. Most often it is plastic. The walls inside the hybrid are mirrored, which also affects the quality of nail drying. The radiation is reflected onto the mirrors and distributed evenly over the entire internal surface of the device. Thus, the materials dry evenly on all sides, no need to twist by hand.

A very important fact for manicurists is that this lamp is suitable for drying:

• Plain varnish;
• UV gel polish;
• LED gel polish;
• Biogel.

Polymerization takes place in literally 30 seconds. For regular gel polish it will take a little longer - 1 minute. It is worth noting that the power supply in this nail device is built-in, so it is quite compact and does not take up much space.

How to choose the best combination dryer for manicure?

To choose the optimal hybrid nail lamp, you should first understand the purpose of use. For example, a folding, powerful, but expensive device is suitable for craftsmen working on the road. A large specimen, in which two hands can be placed for drying, is suitable for salons that save their time and the time of their clients.

Let's take a closer look at what parameters you need to pay attention to:

• Power. The power of hybrid lamps for shellac and gel nail extensions varies from 9 W to 54. The speed of the procedure, as well as the number of nails that can be polymerized in one go, depends on the power. You should not chase high powers, if the flow of clients is small, you can stop at the middle option, because as this parameter increases, the price of the device also increases.
• Dimensions. Typically, nail lamps, including hybrid ones, do not take up much space on the table, but there are both very compact models that can be put in a purse and larger models designed for drying both hands at the same time. Presence of a timer. A convenient feature that allows you to not keep track of the time separately. Models are equipped with timers from 5 seconds to two minutes.
• Retractable bottom. The presence of a retractable bottom in the device allows you to polymerize the gel on your feet and carry out pedicure procedures with ease.

How long to dry?

With a large flow of clients, drying time plays an important role, because even applying gel polish requires at least 3-4 red drying times for all nails, let alone extensions. And if at home you can afford to take 2 hours, then for a studio master every minute counts. Depending on the power, the drying time of gel polish varies:

• 9 watts – polymerization in 1 minute;
• 18 watts - 20–30 seconds;
• 36 watts - 10–20 seconds;
• 54 watts - 5-10 seconds.

Ice gel polymerization time:

• 9 watts – polymerization in 1.5 minutes;
• 18 watts - 30–40 seconds;
• 36 watts - 20 seconds;
• 54 watts - 10-15 seconds.

Useful articles on the topic:

1. Read how to use gel polish lamps correctly and safely here.
2. What to do and how to treat an allergy to a UV lamp.

Hybrid LED+CCFL lamp - the right choice

The LED+ CCFL lamp has gas-based lamps in its design. The absence of a filament protects the nail plate from overheating, and the high intensity of radiation speeds up drying. This device has many advantages over existing devices and is guaranteed to provide the best manicure.

The main technical characteristics of a lamp based on a cold cathode are:

• high power. LED technology and cold cathode, in general tandem, give excellent results. The process of building up and drying the coating is much faster, which significantly increases the productivity of the manicurist;
• significant efficiency. LED technology has the ability to consume less electricity;
• high durability. Durable materials and reliable technologies make such devices reliably functional for many hours;
• absolute harmlessness. The range, wavelengths of radiation, are harmless to the human body;
• high functionality. It has a set of functions to create the most optimal working conditions. Overvoltage fuse keeps faults to a minimum. LED+ CCFL Diamond has a built-in power supply that protects against the harmful effects of power surges;
• versatility. Suitable for drying all surfaces.

The range of lamps for drying gel polishes, as well as for nail extensions, is quite wide. Hybrid lamps for two hands are in significant demand. This significantly reduces the time required to perform a manicure, making it the optimal choice for every professional. At the same time, all devices have simple functionality and a variety of designs that will satisfy the needs of any consumer.

Reviews of Diamond series hybrid lamps from professional craftsmen and private buyers are only positive. At an affordable price, it has high technical characteristics.