WHAT IS BITCOIN MINING?
Bitcoin mining is the process that keeps the Bitcoin network secure, verifies transactions, and creates new bitcoins as a reward.
In the beginning, any computer, including a standard laptop, could mine. Though they still technically can, their computational power, for the purposes of trying to guess SHA256 hash outputs as quickly as possible, is negligible compared to modern miners, which unlike a general purpose PC, can only do one thing - mine Bitcoin.
Miners are powerful, purpose-built computers, used to solve complex mathematical puzzles, known as proof-of-work. The first miner to solve the puzzle gets to add a new block of transactions to the blockchain.
Because Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, there is no bank, or intermediary to validate transactions. So, every time someone sends Bitcoin, nodes (computers which contain the entire blockchain) check that the transaction is valid—no double-spending, correct signatures, and so on—and bundle valid transactions into a batch, which the miners compete to turn into a block.
The solved puzzle allows the winning miner to broadcast the new block. Other nodes on the network verify it, and once accepted, the block is permanently added to Bitcoin’s public ledger - the blockchain.
The winning miner receives a block reward (currently 3.125 BTC per block as of 2026, which is cut in half every four years or so) plus the transaction fees paid by users for the transactions in that block.
Because anyone can participate in mining, there is no central authority controlling the process. This decentralization makes Bitcoin resistant to censorship and single points of failure. No government, company, or cadre of wealthy individuals, can control bitcoin. If you run a node, and you mine, you have as much say as anyone else. All you need to get mining, is a miner, like the ones we sell here at SapphireBTC.com, electricity, and a Wi-Fi connection!
Because of the nature of SHA-256 (the type of cryptographic hash algorithm used when mining Bitcoin), solving these puzzles is computationally intensive, so miners use specialized hardware and electricity.
This energy use is what makes the Bitcoin network extremely secure. The various Bitaxe miners are small, open-source, home-friendly Bitcoin miners that allow individuals to participate in mining with low power consumption (around 15–20 watts). Because they consume far less power than larger, more industrial miners, they have a more modest hashrate (1–2 terahashes per second on Gamma models). This means that your miner is producing 1-2 trillion hash attempts per second - a mean feat for such a small device!
Generally speaking, there are two types of Bitcoin mining - Pool Mining, and Solo Mining. Keep reading to find out what those are, and to decide which is right for your setup.
Why buy from us?
Albertan reliability.
Everything we sell—miners, custom SapphireBTC.com cases, accessories—is sourced and assembled in Europe, the United States, or right here in Alberta. We never source hardware, cases, or components from China. Period.
When you buy from us (using our eBay storefront), you are supporting a small business that shares your passion for decentralization, and freedom.
Why SapphireBTC.com?
The name SapphireBTC.com reflects our core vision: premium, durable, and beautiful Bitcoin mining hardware that stands out in a sea of generic options.
Sapphire is renowned as one of the hardest and most brilliant gemstones—symbolizing clarity, strength, and timeless value, much like Bitcoin itself. We pair that with "BTC" because that's what this company is really about. Bitcoin is the future, it is the once-in-a-species event, that zero-to-one transition from analogue to digital. Bitcoin is the culmination of our entry into the Information Age, and like other transformational technologies before it (fire, internal combustion, electricity, the internet etc) Bitcoin will absolutely transform the world, and we want to be a part of that.
Our signature translucent sapphire-blue resin cases bring this idea to life: custom-designed in Alberta to compliment and protect the high-quality bitcoin mining hardware within them.
At SapphireBTC.com, we're not just selling miners—we're crafting a premium, trustworthy experience for Bitcoin enthusiasts who value quality, transparency, and decentralization.
Pool Mining vs Solo Mining:
The odds of a single miner hitting a block are very long indeed. In fact, they are similar to the odds of buying a winning lottery ticket. But what if you, and a bunch of other miners, agreed to pool your hashrates together, and split any block reward between you, based on the amount of hashrate each miner contributed?
That's pool mining.
It is an ideal situation for many larger miners. By joining a pool, they can often achieve regular rewards, paid in bitcoin, and if their hashrate contribution to the pool is substantial enough, they can earn a pretty sizeable return.
A small home miner might not find pool mining quite as attractive, however. Most home miners do not have the requisite hashpower to generate significant returns as part of a pool. If you point your Nerminder Sapphire, for example, at a pool, your payout (if any) will be pennies per year, because its hashrate as a percentage of the pool, is minimal. Even though a Bitaxe is much more powerful than a Nerdminer Sapphire, it too would generate virtually nothing by pool mining.
So, what are home miners to do?
Unless you have large and powerful industrial miners, pool mining is not likely to be a great choice. But this does not mean that you cannot mine Bitcoin!
Remember, every single hash attempt matters.
All it takes to find a block, is one hash - the winning hash.
Though it does not happen every day, every once and a while, a home miner just like you, mines a solo block, and gets the entire block reward to themselves! No fellow pool miners with whom to split the block reward - if you are a solo miner, the entire block reward, plus all of the transaction fees, goes directly to you.
Some people call this approach "lotto mining", but it is officially known as "Solo Mining". Our products are designed for solo mining. They are user friendly, they don't consume much electricity, and you can run them in your home without needing special circuitry, or worrying about the noise.
A Bitmain Antminer S19 - an example of an 'industrial miner', of the type most suited to pool mining.
A Bitaxe Gamma - a staple of home mining, most suitable for solo mining.
A Nerdminer Sapphire - the low power consumption, little hasher that is ideal for lotto mining.