Acrylic nails are gorgeous – when they are done right. At the same time, maintaining them can be super expensive. You have to pay to have them installed and if you wear them for a long time, you’ll have to make several appointments to repair and clean your acrylic nails.
They are not like Lee Press-On Nails where the glue eventually loosens to the point where you can just rip them off, no harm no foul. Acrylics are bonded to your natural nails in such a way that they can only be professionally removed safely – more money out of your pocket!
On top of that, as your natural nail grows, your acrylics are going to start to look raggedy if you don’t clean them up. You’ll need to get rid of ingrown nails, clean up your cuticles, and sometimes reshape your acrylic nails.
Instead of paying to have your in-fills done, if you have your own nail drill, you can do it yourself in a fraction of the time it would take at a nail salon. Before you buy a nail drill though, you have to know what type of nail drill bit to get. If you use the wrong size bit, your nail drill won’t work right and you may wind up jacking up your natural nails.
First you need to know the size. If you are looking at an electric nail drill, the standard size for the nail drill bit is 3/32 inches. You’ll need drill bits that are smaller if you have fewer grits and coarser bits on your nail drill. It’s very important to use really good nail drill bits in order to get the best results. We found 11 of the best for you!
11 Best Nail Drill Bits
Top of our list are six nail drills that come with their own nail drill bits. These are among the best nail drills on the market. A really good nail drill will be able to get up to at least 15,000 rotations per minute (RPM). Using the wrong nail drill bit size will cause the bits to wriggle when the drill is on so make sure that the bits you use fit snug into your nail drill with no room to wobble.
1. Pro Nail Drill for Acrylic Gels
Primo professional grade electric nail drill, it was no contest that the best nail drill bits (and drill) on our list is the Electric Manicure Nail Drill File Machine from Belle. This high speed electric nail drill gets up to 30,000 RPMs yet it is very quiet when on and won’t jangle your nerves with a lot of vibrating.
Perfect for home or salon, if you want to manicure your own nails and maintain them yourself, you have everything you need with this kit. It sharpens, it polishes – you can even engrave things and do nail art using this bad boy. It even comes with a foot pedal that you can use to can control your speed!
2. Mani/Pedi Portable Electric Nail Drill
For a portable electric drill, the Compact Professional Manicure/Pedicure Nail Drill Kit from KingLiDa has everything you need to do a salon quality nail job. It comes with six different nail drill bits that perform different functions and more than a hundred disposable sanding bands. You can create all kinds of designs and artwork just like the pros do with the nail art brush.
Handheld and portable, this thing is easy to use for first time acrylic wearers as well as old pros. It gets up to 20,000 RPMs but you can easily adjust your speed from as low as 500 RPMs up to the max. You can change the rotational direction so that it’s easy to use whether you are a lefty or a righty.
3. Six Piece USB Portable Electric Nail Drill Kit
We love the Electric Nail Drill Kit from Bestidy because it is professional grade and USB capable. You can plug it into any USB port to charge it so that you are never without power for your drill. Moreover it comes with everything you need to do a top notch nail job.
This nail drill comes with six changeable nail drill bits for performing many different functions including polishing both acrylic nails and your natural nails and removing gels. Although there is only one speed on this drill, it gives you 20,000 RPMs and you can reverse the rotation of the drill bits.
4. Portable Electric Nail Drill Kit and Bits
Another portable nail drill that we love is the Portable Electric Nail Drill Kit from MelodySusie. It has a max speed of 20,000 RPMs, fits all nail drills with a 3/32” shank and is very light and easy to slip into your purse so that you have it with you anytime you need it.
You get everything with this electric nail drill including tools to create nail art. With its powerful internal motor, it is still very quiet. The heat stays low but if you use it for 20 minutes straight or more, it will start to overheat. While it’s portable, you do have to connect it to a power cord in order for it to work.
5. LED Portable Electric Nail Drill Kit
What sticks out the most about the Electric Nail Drill from econoLED is the shape. It is shaped like a pen to make it easier to use on your fingernails and your toenails. You hold it just like a pen and with the 20,000 RPM motor speed, you can shape, cut, polish, sharpen, or grind your nails – plus you can do nail art! It has a handy LED display so that you can see the speed and settings.
You get six different nail drill bits with this one. Another thing we love about it is that it can be used on your real nails too. It is power cord operated but small and easily portable wherever you go. It has a quiet motor, very little vibration, and is low heat but you don’t want to use it for more than 20 minutes at a time or else it might overheat.
6. Portable Electric Nail Drill with 11 Different Drill Bits
First of all, we think that the Electric Nail Drill Kit from AIRSEE is pretty. More importantly, it is a powerful portable nail drill kit that comes with 11 different nail drill bits. It has a top speed of 20,000 RPMs and is good on both natural and artificial nails.
You can reverse the direction of the bit rotation so that it is easy to use even if you’re left-handed. Like the other portable nail drills on our list, this one is really light and small so that it fits neatly in your purse so that you can take it anywhere with you.
7. Five Piece Nail Drill Bit Set
If you already have a nail drill but want to replace your nail drill bits, we highly recommend the Professional Ceramic Nail Drill Bit Set from MelodySusie. Most of the nail drill bits you get with an electric nail drill are made of metal but ceramic can withstand heat a lot better.
Compatible with almost any 3/32” nail drill, this kit comes with five different drill bits of various shapes and sizes. You can give yourself a pedicure or a manicure. When you are finished with your nails, the bits can easily be cleaned with soap and water since ceramic is rust and corrosion proof.
8. Seven Piece Nail Drill Bit Set
Made of strong, durable Tungsten Carbide, the Diamond Carbide Nail Drill Bits Set from ECBASKET gives you seven different drill bits to work with. They fit in nearly all 3/32” drill shafts and work on both natural and acrylic nails.
Show off your nail art designs or clean and polish your acrylic nails. You can do it all with these drill bits. It comes with a convenient nail brush that you use to wipe away residue on your nails and your drill bits. The carbide dissipates heat so that they don’t get too to handle.
9. Carbide Steel 7-Piece Nail Drill Bit Set
Besides offering really attractive and unique looking drill bits, we think that the Ceramic Nail Drill Bits Set from MelodySusie is an excellent replacement set for dull, worn out drill bits. One of the unique features of these drill bits is the material. It is made to resist corrosion and heat and fits most 3/32” drills.
Each drill bit is made with a combination of gold tungsten carbide steel and ceramic. Unlike a lot of drill bits, these won’t overheat after 20 minutes of use. There are seven different drill bits in this set, giving you everything you need to maintain beautifully manicured nails.
10. Seven Piece Carbide Steel Nail Drill Bit Set with Case
Whether you want to remove your acrylics or refresh and repair them, you can’t go wrong with the Tungsten Carbide Nail Drill Bits Set from Makartt. This seven piece set comes with drill bits for everything and is made to last. Built with unbreakable carbide steel these professional grade nail drill bits will fit most 3/32” drill shanks.
If this is your first time trying nail art, this kit comes with a video to show you different ways to use your nail bits set. It’s just as easy for beginners to master these tools as it is for the pros; extremely affordable yet high quality enough for use in a professional nail salon.
11. Rainbow Colored Carbide Steel 7-Piece Nail Drill Bit Set
Finally on our list is the Long Tungsten Carbide Nail Drill Bits Set from MelodySusie. This set just looks awesome with the rainbow-colored bits – but that’s not all! These drill bits work so well that they can actually reduce the time it takes to shape, polish, or infill nails.
They are really sharp so that cutting and grinding is cleaner and more precise leaving less dust and debris in the aftermath. Hard as a rock, the tungsten carbide steel helps keep the bits smooth so that there is less friction and thus less heat generated when in use. Universal in size at 3/32” these nail drill bits are an excellent choice to replace your old bits.
Important Product Information
Before you go, we wanted to say a few words about maintaining your new nail drill bits. These drill bits are going to be digging into your cuticles and under your nail. If you don’t keep them clean, you could get a really bad nail infection.
After every use, you should use warm water and a little bit of dishwashing liquid to wipe down your nail drill bits. You’ll also want to remove any nail dust and debris on your nail drill with a wire brush to get into the nooks and crannies.
You could also take your bits and soak them in acetone for 10 minutes to clean them. Once everything is clean, you must disinfect your tools also. You can use one of those spray-on sanitizers or a sanitized napkin to wipe your bits and drill down before putting them away.
