Transcription
In the past 7 years, I've tested hundreds of red light therapy devices. I've interviewed dozens of the world's leading experts, and I've answered thousands of questions. And here's what I wish I knew. Here's all the things I've learned over that time.
I'm affiliated with some of the companies mentioned in this video, and I will earn a commission if you buy through my links or discount codes. Products were provided to me free of charge, and all opinions are my own. This is not medical advice.
Most products are the same, but details matter. You see, barriers of entry are very, very low in this space. If you wanted to, you could probably go out and start selling your own red light therapy panel line in a couple days, and you may only need a couple thousand dollars to do it. In a way, this could be seen as a good thing because there's a lot of competition out there. It means there's a lot of choice and options for the consumer.
But on the flip side, the reason why it's so easy is a lot of these products are coming from the same factories. And in turn, a lot of the panels are very, very similar. Most red light therapy panels, for instance, use the same LEDs, the same 660 and 850 nmter wavelengths, the same design, the same user interface. Gosh, even sometimes it's the same packaging.
And yeah, like I've said in many of my videos, even the basic bare bone red light therapy panels work. It's just that there are often better options out there where the better is more suited to your goals, fits your budget, looks better, has more advanced features. It all does depend.
You see, if you want to tap into the benefits of red light therapy in the brain, the product's going to be very different to say something that's going to help with facial wrinkles. The recommended wavelengths are going to be different. The power density in terms of power output is going to be different. And of course, the design and the form factor is going to be different. This is why you'll see products that may look very similar, but some are often a lot more expensive, even 10 times more expensive than others. But as I'm going to explain in point number eight, don't just automatically think that more expensive is better. I've got some real world examples showing you how some of the biggest brands out there don't produce the best products. So hang around for that.
Point number two, specs are often misleading. This is really sad and unfortunate. You'd like to think when you buy a product, the numbers on the website or on the box are actual real world numbers. Unfortunately, it's often not the case. It's kind of like buying a car and being told that the power output is 300 horsepower and it's going to do 20 m per gallon fuel, but then when you get it, you find out that it's actually only 100 horsepower and the fuel efficiency is far different to what was claimed.
We see this a lot in the red light therapy industry. Companies saying they've got the most powerful panel out there or their panel is putting out 100 m over centime squared and is using five or six different wavelengths. But when reviewers like myself actually test these panels, we find out that this is entirely wrong and usually the numbers are over height. Also, there's a lot of confusion around what numbers are presented. Companies often sprinkle in big wattage numbers that have nothing to do with the actual amount of energy delivered to the body. For instance, let's say the panel uses 300 3W LEDs. The company may say it's a 900 W panel. 3 * 300 equals 900. Sure. But this is nothing to do with the amount of therapeutic light energy that we are absorbing. Maybe half of the energy is used to power the fans in the control screen, for instance.
It is very, very messy out there because there are no industry standards or regulations in this space. It's why I independently test all the panels in my reviews and I put all the data points into a big database. You can see that over at the light therapy insider shopping tool. So you can go in and make your own informed decisions without worrying about misleading claims from companies.
Number three, bigger is better, but not always best. Yeah, when it comes to value, typically the bigger the panel, the better bang for your buck. You're going to get more power per dollar spent. That's true for many things in life. And obviously a bigger panel is going to provide more coverage, fast, shorten treatment times, and allow you to just do more with your panel. Instead of having a small device where you have to move it around the body, you can have one large device and hit the whole body all at once. You could even look at a full body bed and have full coverage head to toe.
But when you go bigger, you're obviously spending a lot more money and it's taking up a lot more space. And you may even find you have to get an electrician in to power the thing. When you're buying a red light therapy product, it really depends on your budget, but also what you're trying to achieve. If your goal is cognition, memory, brain function, then look for a device that's designed and utilizes the right wavelengths and power density and form factor for that. If you want something that's going to help with your knee surgery, find a small, high-powered, easy to use device that can penetrate deep into the knee. Typically, I do recommend panels because they are well priced and allow you to treat many issues. However, things like wraps, handheld devices, headsets do have their place. Remember, the best device is the one that you actually use. And I have done a lot of comparisons and reviews on this channel. So, be sure to watch some videos, particularly the buyers guide, if you are trying to find the best product for your goals.
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Number four, what matters changes on the user case. This kind of ties in the point I just made before. Think of red light therapy devices as tools in a workshop. Every single tool has a particular purpose. Some tools allow you to do many things. And it's the same with red light devices. A specialist device to help with your skin and beauty, let's say a red light therapy mask, is going to have a lot of different properties to say a handheld laser to help with your knee. The wavelengths are going to be different. The form factor is going to be different. The power output is going to be different. Some products are going to require contact.
The tricky thing is with red light therapy, it's still hard to determine what is exactly the best wavelength, the best power, the best way to use a product for a dog. And this is why I always say, don't rely on one single source of truth or information, including myself. Whether you're looking at contact versus non-contact, LEDs versus lasers, high power versus low power, there's a school of thought to support each claim. And this is why you do see a lot of different products out there. So for you, the most important thing you need to do is decide what you're trying to achieve and then narrow your focus and research around that. Forget about all the noise around best wavelengths for brain health if your goal is to regrow hair, for instance.
Point number five, the industry is full of hype, but that doesn't mean red light therapy doesn't work. Look, we know red light therapy works. There's six or 7,000 peer-reviewed studies on this. I've created videos looking at the science of red light therapy. I've created videos looking at real world examples. I've shared my own experiences from using red light therapy and even an experiment where I stopped using red light therapy for a period.
But it's very easy for companies, influencers, and even consumers to exaggerate and overhype some of the benefits. At the end of the day, a company wants to sell a product and if there's a bit of research showing it can help with sleep, chances are you're going to see an article or a newsletter showing that red light therapy is the best thing for sleep since curtains. But red light therapy isn't magic. It's not a cure all. It's not a magic pill. Chances are you will see benefits and chances are you'll be surprised how effective red light therapy is. But some people are non-responders and some people going into it expecting absolute amazing things and they only get a small change, which then leads to disappointment. But just know that red light therapy is legit. It's not a placebo. And if you do have a particular problem that red light therapy or photobiomodulation has been shown to help, then yeah, I do suggest you try it. You don't have to rush out and spend thousands of dollars on the product. Find a clinic that allows you to do single sessions or borrow a device from a friend before purchasing your own.
But I will say, don't get caught up in all of the hype that you see out there. Lots of people were jumping on the bandwagon and trying to make an easy buck. Though, I do suggest you head over to our Red Light Therapy Facebook group and look at some of the testimonials over there because some of the stories are quite amazing.
Point number six, customer support and warranty are hugely underrated. So, I'm someone who's happy to pay a premium when it comes to buying an item if I know I'm going to get much better service, support, or an extended warranty. I've just had many life experiences to show that the money is actually well spent. Now, when it comes to real light therapy, the same rings true here. It's very easy to get caught up on wavelengths and power output and dollars per wattage output metrics, but it's important to also look into customer support. Not only customer support, warranty length, restocking fees, return policies. What happens if something goes wrong? Because like I said earlier, it is very easy to enter this space as a company. And a lot of companies don't actually know what they're doing and seem to disappear within one or two years. And if you spent three or $4,000 on a large panel to find out that the company isn't even around when you start having problems, it's going to be a bit of a blow.
Unfortunately, when it comes to my reviews, factoring in customer care is rather tricky. I have done a video on this, so you can check that out in your own time. But I still think you need to do some research of your own. Here's where our Facebook group is really good or even reading the comments on some of my reviews. People talk about their good or bad experiences. I have posted some surveys in our Facebook group, so I'll link to them. You can check them out. But after years of being in the space and hearing from a lot of people, here are my golden rules.
Try and buy from a company who operates in your country. That means you're going to have protection from your local consumer laws. If there are issues on payments or returns or refunds, it's going to be much easier to process that if they operate in your country. Chances are they'll have local phone numbers and their support teams will be working on your local hours. So, that's the first rule.
The second one is buy from a company that's been around for at least a few years. Yeah, there may be a product that has all the same features, maybe even more features, but if they're new to the space, I'd personally recommend staying away. Just give them a year or two. In fact, I don't even bother reviewing products from brand new companies. I always wait a year, maybe even longer, because I don't want to waste my time or yours recommending a product from a company that goes belly up a year or two into selling products.
And thirdly, do some research. Like I said though, it is tricky. I mean, there are sites such as Trustpilot and independent review sites, and you can't even go through and read the reviews on a company's website, but I don't I don't really trust all of these. It's very easy to influence. It's why I'd suggest checking out our Facebook group.
And here's where I want to talk about buying direct from China as well. I have done a video on this, but I'll touch on it briefly. Yes, you can often find similar products direct from the manufacturer in China using websites such as Alibaba or AliExpress. A lot of people do it and I'm all for it. However, just be prepared. There are some downsides here. There's often a lot more admin issues than buying direct from a local company. You are often hit with extra fees, whether it's import fees or charges or tariffs. If you do have a problem, if it arrives faulty or a year down the track some of the lights stop working. I've heard horror stories from people trying to get their product fixed or returned or refunded. And finally, this is probably the worst. I have heard from numerous sources that a lot of the direct to consumer sales coming from China are using inferior products that are all the leftover products or the leftover LEDs that didn't meet the big buyers' quality checks. So let's say you've got a big American company ordering a lot of panels from the factory in China and they find a batch that wasn't up to spec. The company may package these up and sell them direct to consumer at a low price. Even though on paper it looks like a really good product, it may not actually be living up to the true expectations. So just be warned. Like I said earlier, spend the extra money. Buy local. Buy from an established company.
Point number seven, use case is better than brand name. Now don't just go off and buy from the brand that you see all influencers using or you see plastered all over Facebook or maybe the brand that has been around for the longest time. Chances are they are a good company and are putting out good products, but it may not be the best for your needs. Also, don't get caught up in the hype. Just because all influencers and athletes or makeup artists are using it doesn't mean you can't find a better product or a similar product for a much lower price. Often, you don't need a lot of the advanced features or the extra power or the larger size. And actually, if you shop around and do some research, check out some of my reviews, you'll find that some of the lesser-known companies are actually putting out much better products and coming in at much better price points. I know what happens over time, these smaller, newer companies rise to the top and they will soon become more of a dominant player. Meanwhile, a lot of the big established companies dedicating all their money towards marketing tend to drop behind when it comes to performance and features while keeping a really high price point.
Look, if you're really struggling to find the best product for your needs, again, check out my shopping tool that I mentioned earlier or just check out my panel comparison video where I look at 17 different panels and rank them from best to worst.
Point number eight, testing is expensive and most reviewers don't do it. I think one of the biggest reasons why my channel took off all those years ago was because I went out and spent thousands and thousands of dollars on spectrometers, EMF meters, sound meters, and I actually tested the products I reviewed. Lots of reviews online, whether it's cars or computers or real light therapy devices, the reviewer simply pulls up the specs and shares their thoughts. I mean, it's kind of like a glorified advertising piece, really. But in my opinion, a true review should look at true metrics. It should test the product and also share feedback on the product.
I've talked about how some of the products I've tested weren't putting out the power figures that the companies had claimed. I've even tested products where the panel wasn't putting out the wavelengths that the company claimed. But another good example here is some panels I've tested that were very, very loud. If you just reviewed it based on the specs, no one would have any idea until the panel arrived at their home, they turned it on and thought, "Oh my god, what is this? It's horrible."
So, if you are shopping around for a panel, do your research, watch as many reviews as possible, and ask questions. And if you're still having doubts, look into the restocking and returns period and buy from a company that doesn't have any restocking fee so you can buy it, try it, and if you don't like it, return it.
So, look, I hope these lessons help you, save you some time, and also save you some money. Just remember, red light therapy does work. And don't get caught up in the marketing hype. But I do know there's still a lot to get your head around, and that's where this video here should come in handy. Otherwise, if there's something you still want to understand better, leave a question below.