Equipment type
Flash-cure nail lamps: power, wavelength and size
What a flash-cure nail lamp is, the low wattage, wavelength, timer and size figures makers list, and why some are built for one maker's system.
Also listed as mini nail lamp, spot cure lamp, flash cure LED lamp
Short answer
A flash-cure lamp is a small, low-power lamp for curing one nail or a few at a time. Kiara Sky's corded Beyond Pro Flash Cure lamp, for example, lists 4 W, 400 nm, two LEDs and 66 x 58 x 47 mm, and Kiara Sky designed it for its own Gelly Tips system. It does not replace a full-hand lamp for a whole set.
Key facts
- What it does
- Small lamp for curing one nail or a few at a time[1]Kiara Sky designed its corded Beyond Pro Flash Cure lamp for its Gelly Tips system.
- Power source
- Corded via a USB adapter (Kiara Sky corded flash cure) or rechargeable (Kiara Sky rechargeable flash cure, OPI Lightning)[1][2][3]
- Input voltage
- AC 100-240 V 50-60 Hz to a 5 V 1 A micro-USB adapter (Kiara Sky corded); 5 V 1 A input (Kiara Sky rechargeable)[1][2]Kiara Sky's corded figures were read on its Australian page; the US variant may differ in plug.
- Wavelength (claimed)
- 400 nm, 4 W, two LEDs (Kiara Sky corded); 365 + 395 nm, 12 LEDs (Kiara Sky rechargeable)[1][2]OPI's Lightning page gives ambiguous wavelength text, so we do not state one for it.
- Timers
- 60/45 s (Kiara Sky corded)[1]
- Battery (claimed)
- 24 hours per charge claimed (OPI Lightning); two 2,500 mAh 3.7 V cells (Kiara Sky rechargeable)[3][2]Kiara Sky gives conflicting battery-life figures, so none is published here.
- Safety marks
- Not confirmedWe verified no safety mark for a flash-cure lamp.
- What no source measures
- Which gels a flash-cure lamp fully cures[4]Lamp matching is the gel maker's call; MelodySusie notes an LED lamp may cure a UV gel slowly or not at all.
Watch out for
- Some are built for one system. Kiara Sky designed its corded flash cure lamp for its Gelly Tips system; check that your gel maker approves a flash lamp before relying on it.
- Read the wavelength carefully. OPI's Lightning page lists both a single 400 nm and a dual 365/400 nm wavelength without saying which applies.
- Regional pages differ. Kiara Sky's corded figures come from its Australian page; check the plug on a US listing.
Need to cure a whole hand at once? See the full-hand lamp, and compare the two in flash-cure vs full-hand nail lamps.