The 4 Best Nail Polish Shakers & Mixers are:
- ProShaker (The most durable & powerful nail polish mixer)
- Robart Shaker (An affordable & efficient polish shaker)
- Lab Genius Mini-Vortex (A multipurpose polish shaker)
- HandHeld Polish Mixer (The most portable nail polish agitator)
Table Of Content show
What is a Nail Polish Shaker
A Nail Polish Shaker is a machine that is used to easily and quickly shake up bottles of nail polishes.
This is done so that polishes that have become discolored or thick and clumpy can be mixed up to be more consistent.
Consistent polishes are easier to apply and look more smooth and even.
A lot of nail salons are using polish shakers, it’s one of the reasons why your manicures tend to look better when done professionally.
Nail technicians tend to use a nail shaker to mix up their most commonly used polishes in the morning to revitalize their color and texture.
Now what a lot of women dont know is that nail polishes naturally, especially gel polishes, tend to get discolored and clumpy over time so a good mixing is sometimes needed to get them back to normal consistency.
1- ProShaker Nail Polish Shaker
The ProShaker is the most powerful, fastest and in my opinion the toughest nail polish shaker on the market.
They are currently the most popular brand of shakers and is the polish shaker that I use and recommend.
ProShakers are assembled right here in the USA and are the only brand of shakers that are officially endorsed by OPI for their line of Gel Colors. Citation
Pros of the ProShaker
1- Works Really Fast
The ProShaker is the most powerful nail shaker on the market which allows it to associate up your polishes at an amazingly rapid pace.
It rotates at a pace of 500 rotation per minute (RPM), but what makes it so powerful is not it’s rpm, other machines have higher rpm’s.
What makes The ProShaker so great is that it moves and spins the entire bottle at various angles rather than just vibrating the polish in one direction like how other nail shakers do.
By moving and turning up the entire bottle means that the polish can be more quickly and effectively mixed.
2- Easy & Safe To Use
The ProShaker is super easy to set up and use, just insert the bottle into the container and press the power button, and the machine would run for 1 minute before automatically stopping.
You can check out the video below to see it in action.
Another great thing about the ProShaker is that the container that holds the polish as its being shaken is very sturdy and the machine’s overall design with its spring strap makes it very safe to use.
The spring can handle stress more efficiently which prevents it from breaking. Citation.
3- Very Durable
I have had my ProShaker for almost two years now without any problem.
So I can attest that it’s very tough and durable and as long as you use it correctly it should last you a long time.
Now from what I understand the power button tends to go bad if you use it a lot.
I haven’t had this problem yet but if it does go bad, the good people at Izen Inc, who make the ProShaker will repair it for you.
4- Most Popular
The ProShaker is one of the most widely used and sold Nail Shakers on the market.
You can rest assured that these shakers have been tested and used by thousands of women.
And since they are so popular you can find a ton of guides and manuals online.
Additionally, they are very popular with nail salons who need a durable and reliable shaker. Most Salons shake up their most popular polishes early in the morning to prep for the day.
By shaking the polishes in the morning allows time for any air bubbles to dissipate before they have to be used.
5- Good Customer Service
The folks at Izen Inc offer really good after service with the ProShaker so if you do encounter any issues, you can contact them and you can expect a prompt and helpful response.
Also, if you ever need to, unfortunately, source replacement parts, you get them directly from their website.
Cons of The ProShaker
1- Expensive
The biggest drawback with the ProShaker is its high initial cost.
There are other much cheaper Nail Shakers available that will mix your polish really good.
But I need to highlight that these more budget-friendly machines are much less durable and very prone to malfunction especially if you use them a lot.
For me, since I am a nail tech and I need a good machine that can handle constant usage I consider the ProShaker as an investment.
But I completely understand if you are looking for a more budget-friendly one, the next nail shaker is probably what you are looking for so skip ahead.
2- Not Very Portable
The ProShaker is not the smallest and compact nail shaker available, it will take up a fair amount of desk space and it has a bit of weight which makes it harder to move around. It weighs around 5 pounds.
3- Won’t Fit 10ml Bottles
The ProShaker can’t work with the smaller 10ml bottles of nail polishes, the ProShaker was designed to handle the 15ml bottles which are the most common size nail polish bottles.
4- Very Loud
The ProShaker is rather loud so I would advise to not use it around clients.
Who Should Buy a ProShaker
1- A Nail Salon or Nail Professionals
Nail Salons have to upkeep certain standards, their polishes need to be consistent in both texture and color to keep their clients happy. And they also need to do this on a daily basis in high volumes.
The ProShaker can handle a high volume of shaking without burning out like cheaper shakers this allows you to rapidly mix up polishes daily to keep them high quality thus making amazing manicures.
2- If You Can Afford It
The ProShaker costs a bit more than the other nail shakers, but in exchange, they will last you a much longer time and will perform better, so if you do plan to buy a shaker and you can afford the ProShaker go for it.
Where To Get The ProShaker
Amazon usually has the ProShaker at really good prices, you can click to see the current price. It works with 110V – 240V ac universal input.
There is also a more premium ProShaker which can shake two bottles of nail polish at the same time, its more suited for a nail salon which might need the extra capacity.
The ProShaker Duo is more expensive than the regular one you can click to check its price on Amazon.
2- Robart Polish Shaker
The Robart Polish Shaker is a very affordable and functional polish shaker.
They are made by Robart Manufacturing who helped pioneer the concept of a Nail Polish Shakers.
How Robart Polish Shakers Work
These polish shakers are very simple to use, they work with straps where you have to strap the bottle down and turn the power on. The motor would then kick in the nail polish bottle would start to vibrate, which agitates the polish and allows it to mix. Citation.
You can see how it works in the video below.
Pros of The Robart
1- Affordable: Robart Nail Shakers are very budget-friendly they are roughly half the price of the ProShaker.
2-Easy to Set Up & Use: Robart Shakers come preassembled and are super easy to use
3- Does a Good Job Mixing Polish: They vibrate at a rapid rate which mixes up your polish really fast.
4- Portable: Robart come in a nice compact size which allows them to be easily stored and very portable.
5- Works with most sizes of bottles: Their straps allow them to shake almost any size of bottles.
Cons of the Robart
1- Low-Quality Motor: Robarts’ motors are very poorly made, they tend to overheat and thus quickly go bad after too much usage.
This means that you would end needing a new motor or most likely a new machine if you end up using the machine a lot.
2- Weak Straps: Another design issue with Robarts is that their strap tends to go bad after a while.
This is because over time the tension for all the shaking weakens it.
And this is why they usually come with back up straps.
Now what I am most worried about is that if these straps were to burst during the shaking process which could be dangerous, though I haven’t heard of any such incidences.
3- They Tend to Move Around When Switched On: When the Robart is switched on and the motor is running, the entire machine has a tendency to move around which can cause the machine to fall off of a table.
This is because the Robart is very light and doesn’t have enough weight to anchor itself when its motor is running.
Who Should Buy the Robart Shaker
The Robart Shaker is ideal for:
- Individuals who dont plan to use their polish shakers very often think once a week
- If you want an affordable nail shaker that does a fairly good job
- The Robart is also not really for polishes that are far gone meaning that they are super clumpy and thick, mixing these polishes to a good consistency would take a while and might burn out the Robart’s motor.
Where to Get the Robart Paint Shakers
The Robart comes in 2 models, one that works with electricity and needs to be plugged in and one that works with only batteries.
The one that I recommend is the electric one, it’s much more powerful, you can click to see the price of it on Amazon.
But if you are interested in the battery operated one you can click here to see the current price on Amazon, it’s a bit cheaper than the electric one.
Alternative to The Robart Shaker
I found a cheaper shaker with a very similar design to the Robart and it has really good customer feedback, you can click to see it on Amazon.
3- Lab Genius Mini-Vortex Mixer
Lab Genius Mini-Vortex Mixer is one of the most flexible and open designed nail polish shakers on the market.
It can work with any size or type of nail polish bottle and it can also shake up and mix any container with liquid. This flexibility comes from its completely unique design in comparison to other nail polish shakers.
How Does the Mini Vortex Work
The Lab Genius Mini-Vortex Mixer is a small stand with a silicone bed where you have to press and hold your bottle on the silicone bed which automatically starts to vibrate causing the nail polish bottle to shake which mixes the polish up.
You can see it in action in the video below.
Pros & Cons of the Mini Vortex
The main strength of the Mini Vortex is that it can work with any size of bottles this is because there is no container that the bottle needs to fit in.
Added to that the Mini Vortex is extremely durable with a strong motor and was made to handle constant usage so it should last you a long time.
Whilst for me the main drawback of the mini vortex is that you have to manually hold down the bottle as its being shaken.
Holding the bottle down will require a fair amount of effort.
Thankfully the mini vortex is pretty powerful and works really fast so you won’t need to hold it for too long.
Where to get the Mini Vortex
The Mini Vortex is not that expensive either, you can click here to check out their current price on Amazon.
4- Handheld Nail Polish Agitator
A Handheld Nail Polish Shaker is by far the most portable and easy to store away polish shaker.
These shakers have a really sleek and compact cylinder design you can see in the image below.
How It Works
Before I get into the directions I need to first explain that these nail polish mixers usually come with attachments kinda like caps to fit various sizes of bottles of polishes.
- Now the first thing you need to do is attach the nail polish bottle in a cap that fits it and make sure it fits snugly
- Then insert the cap into the machine.
- Next, turn the power on which starts the motor up to vibrate the nail polish.
- Finally, turn the power off when finished.
Pros Handheld Polish Shaker
- Have a really sleek look
- It’s very compact making them very portable.
- Super cheap, the most affordable nail polish shaker
- And they do a very good job of mixing polish.
Cons Of a HandHeld Polish Shaker
1- Not Durable
Handheld Shakers tend to have very poor quality motors which easily burn out if they are used too much.
These shakers were not meant to be used too often or for a long duration.
2- Only works with a few sizes of nail polish bottles
These shakers are limited to only work with polishes that can fit in their attachments.
3- Terrible Design
The worst thing about handheld shakers is that their design is somewhat unsafe if the nail polish doesn’t fit tightly in the attachment it can potentially fly out.
So please if you intend to use a Handheld Shaker just ensure everything is fitted perfectly in the attachment and that cap of your nail polish is properly screwed on.
Where to Get a Handheld Nail Polish Shaker
You can get a Handheld Shaker on Amazon, click here to see the price of the MOGOI Shaker on Amazon.
Tips When Using a Nail Polish Shaker
1- Always Let Your Polish Settle
After you have used a polish shaker to mix up your nail polish you need to let the polish settle for 20-30 minutes before applying it, this is so that any air bubbles that were formed during the mixing process can dissipate.
Air bubbles will make your manicures look bumpy and uneven and need to be avoided.
2- Never Overwork Your Shaker
The cheaper nail polish shakers have low-quality motors that quickly overheat and damage so after the machine has finished working let it rest for 2 minutes before using it on again.
The ProShaker is automatically set to work for only 1 minute and then it stops, but even though it has a good motor and can handle a lot volume I would advise letting it rest for 30 seconds before turning it on again.
3- Ensure Your Bottle of Polish is Fitted Correctly to the Shaker
Always make sure that your polishes are securely fitted and fasten with the polish shaker before turning it on, this is to prevent the bottle from hurling out of the machine and potentially hurting someone.
4- Consider Using a Nail Polish Thinner
Nail Polish Thinners are special liquids that are added to nail polish to make them more smooth and consistent.
They work really well especially with a polish shaker and can save you a lot of money so I would advise anyone who uses nail polishes to always have one.
You can click to read my guide on how to select the right nail polish thinner for you.
Benefits of Using a Nail Polish Shaker
1- Saves Money
Having a good Nail Shakers allows you to revive old polishes that have become thick, clumpy and hard to use.
A lot of people with clumpy polishes might be tempted to just throw away nearly filled bottles of polishes just because they weren’t willing to put the effort to revive these polishes.
A Nail Polish shaker can make reviving old polishes effortless and saves you from having to buy new ones.
2- Saves Time & Energy
A lot of people who do try to resuscitate old polishes usually do so by manually shaking polishes, this can take a very long time, a polish shaker will do the job in a blink with no manual work
3- Prevents Injuries
This is more applicable for nail tech who have to constantly shake polishes up, which puts them at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome.
3-Makes Your Polishes more Consistent
Nail Polishes generally need a good shaking often, this is especially true for gel polishes and glitter polishes which have a tendency to settle and separate and get clumpy fast.
So a good shaking is needed so that their formula can be mixed again this allows the polish to have a consistent texture and color.
Why You Want Your Polishes To Be Consistent
1- Makes it Easier to Apply: nail polishes that are not thick and clumpy go on very easily and smoothly.
2- Creates a More Smooth Look: A consistent nail polish will give you a nice even manicure without any wrinkles, this is why nail techs shake their polishes in the mornings.
3- Allows it to Dry Better & Prevents Shrinkage: Polishes that are clumpy tend to take a longer time to dry and also have a tendency to shrink when applied, whilst well-mixed polishes dry much faster and are much more stable.
Citation and References Used