123RF (Artem Oleshko)
When looking at nail drill machines, there’s an overwhelming array of features and power levels–which is great for suiting your nail drill to your needs but a hassle when you’re trying to find the right nail drill for you. At the end of the article, we’ve included a cheat sheet of the most common features to help you choose the best electric nail drill for you whether you need it for salon or home use.
We recommended that you always have a nail dust collector when using a nail drill for easy clean-up and to prevent you from breathing in nail dust.
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1. EDITOR’S CHOICE: MelodySusie Scarlet Nail Drill
Pros:- Up to 30,000 RPM
- Affordable
- Drills and bits are stored in dock
- Foot pedal control
Cons:- Not everyone loves a foot pedal
- Not cordless
- Nothing to trap dust
The Scarlet Nail Drill from MelodieSusie is a compact, corded nail drill that packs a punch for its size. I received a media sample of this drill from Melody Susie last year with no promise I’d review it at all, and it’s still my at-home drill of choice.
It has enough power at 30,000 RPMs to work with acrylic with a knob that goes down to under 3,000 RPMs so you can safely work with natural nails. It’s controlled with a foot pedal so you can have both your hands-free for your nail art–perfect for you’re doing your own nails.
I like that it has slots to hold your drill bits right on the dock and a slot to hold the drill itself which makes it easy to stick this machine in the corner of my manicure table and still have plenty of work area.
Scarlet comes with six drill bits and six disposable sanding bands.
Find more MelodySusie Scarlet 30,000RPM Nail Drill information and reviews here.
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2. Best Looking: Gelish Go File
Pros:- Portable
- Up to 35,000 RPMs
- Battery lasts up to 10 hours
- Can use while the pack is charging
Cons:- Doesn't include bits
- Not cordless
- Smaller display
- No foot pedal
With a speed of up to 35,000 RPMs and reversible rotation, it has enough power to do salon-level nail work but is small enough to toss in your bag.
For those who are loyal to the Gelish brand and their high-quality polish, there’s the Gelish Go File, a portable electric nail drill with enough power to handle traditional acrylic, dip nails, and builder gel.
While not cordless, you don’t need to be by an outlet to use this drill because it comes with its own rechargeable battery pack. The power bank has up to a 10-hour battery life and if you get low the drill can be used while the power bank is plugged in and charging.
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3. Best Portable: Belle Rechargeable 35,000RPM Nail Drill
Pros:- 2,000 to 35,000 RPMs
- Powerbank powered
- Quiet brushless motor
- Easy to store
Cons:- Can run out of battery mid-manicure
- Can't reverse rotation
- Drill body is narrow
The Belle Portable 35,000 RPM Nail Drill is perfect for people who want the power of a corded model without plugging into an outlet. It’s not cordless but the cord attaches to a portable power bank which is small enough to stick in your pocket or purse.
This is convenient for doing your nails away from an outlet either on the couch, kitchen table, or doing your friend’s nails at their place. With a full charge, this power bank can fun your Belle Nail Drill for over eight hours of use.
The speed is controlled by a knob on the top with a digital read out on the front. It’s strong enough to handle acrylic and can go slow enough to be safe on natural nails.
Find more Belle Rechargeable 35,000RPM Nail Drill information and reviews here.
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4. Most Eye-Catching: Delanie 35,000RPM Home Drill
Pros:- Great for home users
- Choice of colors
- Corded power
Cons:- Too small for salons
- No foot pedal
- Not everyone will love the ball shape
This unique Home Manicure Drill from Delanie really stands apart from the others in terms of design. It’s trendy, attractive, and looks like something you’d want to see on your desk.
It doesn’t hurt that it also hits the sweet spot for compact home models. Too small for some nail techs but just right for a lot of folks in between home manicure folks.
As a corded model, it has a good motor with speeds up to 35,000 RPMs which is enough to work on nail extensions like dip nails and acrylic but not quite as powerful as some other professional models. The direction of the rotation can be reversed as well.
It’s small, compact, and lightweight so it’s easy to store if you don’t have a dedicated manicure table. It comes with six standard metal bits and six disposable sanding bands.
The drill is available in this gunmetal grey or rose gold pink.
Find more Most Eye-Catching: Delanie 35,000RPM Home Drill information and reviews here.
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5. Best Professional Drill: Medicool Pro Power 35,000RPM Drill
Pros:- Up to 35,000 RPMs
- Salon-grade quality
- Foot pedal control
- Available with bit set or without
Cons:- Larger investment upfront
- Not cordless
- More than some people will need
- Currently only available without bits
For those looking for a salon-grade model, splurge for the Medicool Pro Power Professional Electric File with corded power up to 35,000 RPMs. That’s plenty fast enough to work with acrylics, hard gels, and other nail extensions.
It uses hands-free foot pedal control paired with a highly adjustable knob for speed and a simple forward and reverse rotation switch. The handpiece is lightweight with minimal vibration so it’s comfortable to use for long sessions. It comes with a cradle to hold the drill making it easy to pick up and elevated from your work surface.
Keep in mind this set does not come with bits. The set that includes bits is currently sold out.
Find more Medicool Pro Power 35,000RPM Drill information and reviews here.
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6. Best for Natural Nails: Beurer 24-Piece Manicure & Pedicure Drill Set
Pros:- Special bits for corns and ingrown nails
- Dust shield and LED light
- Chunky handle is easy to grip
- Great for home natural nail care
Cons:- Not strong enough for salon use
- Not ideal for gel or acrylic
- Corded
- No dock
The Beurer 24-Piece Set is perfect if what you need is a drill to help you maintain your natural nails and toenails, especially if they are thickened and hard to cut with normal nail clippers from your manicure set. It also comes with special bits to work on corns and ingrown nails making it great for people with problem feet looking for a makeover.
There’s a built-in LED light that glows in a ring around the drill tip making it easier to see what you’re doing. To help reduce dust in the air, it ever has a detachable dust shield.
This corded drill plugs in with a 10-foot cord to give you a decent amount of space to work with. The barrel of the drill is thicker than many others making it easier to grip. It comes with 10 different stainless steel and sapphire attachments as well as 10 disposable sanding bands.
Find more Beurer 24-Piece Manicure & Pedicure Drill Set information and reviews here.
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7. Best Drill & Dust Collector: AZ Gogo Professional 3-in-1 Nail Drill
Pros:- Up to 30,000 RPM
- Built-in dust fan with no-spill filter
- LED lamp for brighter work area
- Hands-free pedal
Cons:- Not cordless
- Not everyone likes foot pedals
- Not portable
For those understandably worried about the nail dust created by nail drills (both inhaling it and having to clean it up) this AZ Gogo 3-in-1 Nail Drill with built-in nail dust collection fan may be exactly what you need.
The fan sucks in the dust created as you work and captures it on a no-spill filter screen that’s simple to remove and empty, so there’s no need to be constantly buying replacement filters.
Another plus is the positionable LED lamp to better light your work area and make it easier to see. It’s perfect for eliminating your own shadow as you bend over your work. This LED bulb will not double as a nail lamp to cure gel polish and is only for improved lighting.
The drill itself is a corded model with up to 30,000 RPMs which is enough to work with acrylics and hard gel. You can reverse the direction of the drill with a flip of a switch and the power is controlled by a foot pedal for hands-free use.
Find more AZ Gogo Professional 3-in-1 Nail Drill information and reviews here.
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8. Best for Pedicures: Pedinova Electric Foot & Nail File
Pros:- Up to 20,000 RPMs
- Great for maintaining natural nails
- Long coiled cord
- Includes 12 bits
Cons:- Not for acrylic or gel
- Corded
- No reverse
The PediNova by Medicool is a compact corded electric nail file perfect for maintaining your natural nails at home. It’s designed ideally for toenails and that landed it a place in my best electric foot files article.
It’s just the drill with a cord that plugs directly into the wall without a bulky console machine. You have control over the speed but none of the other extras like reversing its rotation just like salon-grade models.
But that’s totally fine for those looking to take care of their natural nails at home. It’s perfect for shaping fingernails, grinding down thick toenails, and dealing with calluses and dead skin build up.
It goes up to 20,000 RPMs which is just barely enough for acrylics and is more than enough power for natural nails. The PediNova comes with a wide range of bit types and a storage case.
This is a good one to pick up when you’re shopping for portable pedicure chairs.
Find more Best for Pedicures: Pedinova Foot & Nail File information and reviews here.
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9. Most Extras: Jewhitney Electric Nail File Machine
Pros:- Affordable
- Up to 30,000 RPMs
- Three colors
- Lots of accessories
Cons:- Only six bits
- Not cordless
- Not portable
For those on a budget who don’t want to downsize to a smaller, battery machine, consider the Jewhitney Electric Nail File. The corded drill has all the features you’d look for with a budget price tag.
It has acrylic-tackling speeds of 30,000 RPMS as well as forward and reverse rotation. One unique feature is the ability to choose and swap between foot pedal control and hand-held control depending on your preference and work space. A simple switch on the front of the machine toggles the control back and forth.
The knob to control the speed and while I don’t like that the RPMs are only labeled as “Min” and “Max,” it works just as well. It comes with six standard bits, 56 disposable sanding bands, a nail brush, and nail buffing block.
If you don’t like the black color, it also comes in pink and white.
Find more Jewhitney Electric Nail File Machine information and reviews here.
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10. Best Cordless Home Drill: Pure Enrichment Manicure & Pedicure Drill
Pros:- 3,200 to 4,400 RPM
- Cordless rechargeable drill
- Nine drill bits
- Good for at home natural nail care
Cons:- Battery life not specified
- Not as many speeds
- Wouldn't trust this to work on acrylics
The Pure Enrichment Cordless Drill an electric nail file for people who need something to make at-home natural nail maintenance easier and faster. It’s perfect for removing stubborn gel polish, filing down thickened fingernails and toenails, as well as buffing out calluses and rough dead skin on your feet. To make it easier to see, there is a small LED light right by the drill bit.
It’s truly wireless and recharges with an included USB cord. The set comes with nine sapphire-coated attachments for nail shaping, grinding, callus buffing, and a dust protection cap.
The drill has three speeds which are easy to select on the body of the drill with user-friendly plus and minus buttons ranging from 3,200 to 4,400 RPMs.
Find more Pure Enrichment Cordless Manicure & Pedicure Drill information and reviews here.
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11. Best Budget Drill: BestidyElectric Nail Drill Kit
Pros:- Portable
- Up to 20,000 RPMs
- Includes six bits and sanding bands
- Easy to store
- Affordable
Cons:- Not enough power for all
- Can overheat with long use
- Not for salon setting
For those on a budget who just need something small, the Bestidy Electric Nail File is compact and affordable.
With a max speed of 20,000 RPMs, this drill technically just edges up into the type of power you’d need for acrylic, but I honestly wouldn’t try it. This would be great for filing natural nails and calluses on lower settings and grinding down the top layer of dip nails for removal.
It’s powered by a USB cord (which also houses the controls for the drill) and can be plugged into and powered by wall adapters, laptops, or power banks.
Find more Bestidy Electric Nail Drill Kit information and reviews here.
How Do You Choose an Electric Nail Drill?
The best nail drill for you depends entirely on what you need it for. Someone who does their nails at home has different needs than professional nail techs at a salon. Home nail artists can get away with a little less power and durability since they won't be using the drill for hours every day.
Are Cordless Nail Drills Or Wired Nail Drills Better?
If you're a professional nail tech you'll want to stick to corded models because nothing else can match the power, but people looking for something to do their own nails at home may be able to get away with a cordless.
Corded nail drills
Pros: More powerful, never runs out of battery.
Cons: Have to deal with a cord.
Cordless nail drills
Pros: More freedom, easy to travel with.
Cons: Charge only lasts so long, could run out of power mid-manicure, not as powerful as corded models.
Speed: Do You Really Need a 30,000rpm Nail Drill Machine?
Electric nail files are rated on their revolutions per minute (RPM) to rank their speed. They generally run a gambit from 10,000 RPM to 30,000 RPM. Like the speed of most tools, faster equals more powerful.
Speed comes down to if you're working with natural or artificial nails. Professional nail techs will want to be looking at drills in the 25,000 to 30,000 RPM range to effectively work with acrylics and builder gel. Even home nail artists will want to stick to that range if you plan on doing your own acrylic or other nail extensions from home. It takes a fair bit of power to grind these mediums down.
For home users who only need it for removing gel nail polish, general manicures, or for pedicures of thickened toenails, you can easily get away with less than 20,000 RPM.
I would even argue that people who are only going to be working with their natural fingernails should stick to the lower end of the speed spectrum as it can be easier with powerful machines to over file your nails making them too thin and weak. Honestly, unless your nails are quite thick, you can probably get away with a quality file.
What Types of Bits Come With It?
A good nail drill should include a nice range of bit shapes and types. If nothing else, make sure the electric file accepts universal replacement so you can replace bits as they wear out and expand your bit collection as need.
According to Nails Magazine, you'll want to at least make sure you have a natural nail bit, several sizes of barrels and tapered barrels, a cone bit, and a pedicure bit.
How Easy Is It to Clean?
Plenty of news stories have detailed the dangerous and occasionally deadly result of dirty manicure tools and the textured nature of drill bits means that proper cleaning of your bits is even more important.
As an example, some laws require soaking bits in disinfectant for 10 minutes between each use. Highly textured bits will need to have nail dust removed first with a soak in acetone, blown with canned air, and then removed with a brush. If that sounds like too much of a hassle, you may want to stick with drills that come with disposable bands so you start with a fresh bit surface every time.
How Often Will You Use your Electric Nail File?
An electric file uses a motor and, like any motor, it will eventually run down. High-quality motors will last longer but come at a higher cost.
Home users who will only need their nail drill a few times a month can get away with a cheaper model but professionals who will use their drill for hours every day will want to invest in something that will last.
How Comfortable Is It To Hold?
Some drills offer perks like being lightweight or less prone to heating up that you may wish to consider.
Keep Safety In Mind.
While not specifically a feature, make sure you're taking your personal safety into account. Nail drills create fine dust which isn't great to be routinely breathing. The EPA report on "Protecting the Health of Nail Salon Workers" recommends exhaust vents with filters and masks as needed to prevent inhalation of dust.