The Best Red Light Therapy Body Panel For 2021 & 2022

If you're searching for the best red light therapy panel to suit your needs then this resource is for you!

Shopping for a Red Light Body Panel in 2021 / 2022 means you are spoilt for choice. There are a dozens of companies out there each with quite vast product ranges. Lots of competition means great prices and a certainty that there will be the perfect panel for you.

The downside though is with so many panels to choose from, knowing what to buy can become overwhelming.

Throw in fancy marketing terms, advanced technologies such as pulsing and multiwave LEDs, sprinkle a wide spectrum of sizes, prices, warranties and shipping rates and it's enough for someone to simply give up and not bother at all.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Firstly, we know that red light therapy works. The benefits are well researched and widely known. 

Secondly, I have years of experience testing, using, researching and reviewing red light therapy panels. In fact right now I have over 30 different red light panels in my office. Back in 2019, I carried out a review series to answer 'what is the best red light therapy panel?'.

Now, in late 2021 - after a 2 year period which has seen some revolutionary new panels enter the market - I have answered this question again 'What is the best Red Light Therapy Panel for 2021 / 2022?'

This time round i have compared red light panels from 12 different companies and tested and ranked them over 10 scoring rounds.

What Is The Best Red Light Therapy Panel for 2021//2022?

Choosing the best panel for you may depend on many factors, such as price and shipping cost, power output of the panel, EMF exposure, sound (or noise) that the panel creates, the overall value proposition, wavelengths included, ease of use, warranty and much more.

All that information can be overwhelming and confusing. For that reason, I have put together my red light therapy buyer's guide to help you get started.

I've also created a very extensive Excel sheet where I collect all data of my red light therapy testing. That Excel sheet is updated every month with the latest data from my testing so that you can source the most up to date information going forward. 

Right now, I've got over 5 years worth of experience researching red light therapy. I've gone out of my way not just to source the best red light therapy panels on the market today, but I've also invested in great testing equipment. 

And all of this has been leveraged for my 2021 red light therapy body panel showdown. 

 

Are you ready to get started? Let's go:

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The Best Red Light Therapy Body Panel For 2021: Alex Fergus' Extensive Review

Table Of Contents

 

*** Affiliate Disclosure ***

I am affiliated with all 11 out of 12 companies that produce these red light panels. That means if you purchase any of these products by clicking any of the links in the blog below OR use discount code ALEX then I receive a small commission. There is no cost to you - it is a win-win (you get a discount and ai get a small commission). This commission helps me fund reviews like this one. Also, I wanted to be affiliated with all the companies whenever possible to remove any review bias. We know red light therapy works, my goal is simply to help you make an informed decision when buying a red light panel. 

 

Introduction YouTube Video

If you'd rather watch this series, checkout my YouTube video below:

 

 

Introducing The 12 Different Panels

For my 2021 comparison, I've focused on 'Body Panels'. Meaning red light therapy panels with 150-300 LEDs. And, even though the choice for 150-300 is somewhat arbitrary, it includes many panels that can treat large parts of your body at the same time.

Body panels are ideal for offering good value while reducing treatment time over small panels such as handheld red light therapy units. Mega panels, with 301 LEDs or more, I will review in a later blog post and video series so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more on these.

So, let's introduce the body panels of this 2021 Red Light Body Panel Comparison no particular order:

 

 

 

 

  • Rouge PRO

For the Rouge PRO use the following links depending on the country you want to order from:  - For the US use THIS link. For Canada use THIS link. For Australia use THIS link.

 

I'll Email You With Updates

I'll be updating this review blog every few days as I release a new video for each round.

If you want to get an email when I have updated this blog and released a new round, enter your email address below and I'll be sure to notify you:

 

The Comparison 

There is so much to cover when comparing these panels. So I have broken up the best red light therapy panel comparison review into 10 rounds. Each round will rank and score the panels on specific criteria. 

I will then announce a 'winner' for each round, before combining all these scores together to find the overall winner.

Below I've listed all rounds.

Finally, I will announce the top panels for specific goals and declare the best overall red light therapy body panel for 2021!

A quick note on the scoring system used in this showdown - I will rank each panel from 1st place to 12th place for each category.  I will then convert this ranking into a score. Higher scores are better.  I will then tally up these scores to find the best red light body panel for 2021.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 1: Price & Shipping

Let's get this show on the road!

For the first round, I compare price and shipping costs.

Let's look at the price first.

I have been given a discount code to share with you for 11 of the panels below. This code is ALEX and it knocks anything from $25 to 15% off the purchase price.

Because of this extra discount, I will score this category using the discounted price of each panel.

Note - Joovv did not supply a discount code.

 

Let's breakdown the prices, where I've included both the retail price as well as the discounted price once you apply code ALEX:

 

Round 1 - Part A - Price 

All prices are based upon USD based on the exchange rate at the time of writing. If prices are in GBP or AUD, I've converted these prices to USD at the time of writing.

* Correction: After getting an e-mail from Andrew LaTour from GembaRed, it turns out that we have a 10% discount code for his panel, instead of 5%. I've updated the info to "ALEX - 10%" but changing the discounted price has also changed the rankings. My apologies to Andrew! I will shoot a video with corrections at the end of this series, updating the final scoreboard. For this reason, the scores in the videos aren't 100% aligned with the final outcome, because all videos were shot earlier. I.e., GembaRed should have scored 4th place in this round while the Boncharge (formerly BLUblox) Hive Max should have taken 5th place.

After applying code ALEX, 7 panels in total are priced below the sweet spot of $1,000. I consider $1,000 USD or less a decent price for a body panel.

Also observe that there's a big difference in price between the least and most expensive panel. The Red Light Rising Advantage 900 costs $1,638 with discount code ALEX while the Red Rush 720 from the Red Light Therapy Company costs $729.

Shipping costs change the picture even further though, with the following outcomes:

 

Round 1 - Part B - Shipping

As you can see, shipping costs vary widely. At best, companies offer worldwide free shipping. Four different companies offer free worldwide shipping right now, which are Infraredi, Boncharge (formerly BLUblox), Solbasium, and Rouge.

Free shipping can make a huge difference on the price that you're paying in different parts of the world.

I've not taken shipping into account for the scoring of this round given, but, depending on your location, I assume that the shipping costs that I've laid out here might absolutely change your choice in regards to how you rate each panel.

 

Round 1 Results

Here are the results of round 1:

*Note: GembaRed should have placed fourth, after the correction I made in the table above. Due to the massive confusion it will lead to if I update these tables, I've therefore chosen to keep the scoreboard as it originally was in my videos, and to address the issue in the final video I shoot about this topic.

 

The results of round 1 also automatically supply you with the ranking after one round. Of course, from round 2 and further into my review that assessment will change.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 2: Power Output (Irradiance)

 

In round 2 I test the power output (also known as irradiance) of these 12 red light panels.

Now before we get into the data, I have make a few things clear.

  • This is by no means a scientific test. 
  • The meter I use for this is the Hopoo Color OHSP-350F meter. My spectrometer measures 300 - 1,050 nm wavelengths. The outcomes on the spectrometer match really well with independent laboratory testing.
  • There is an argument that more power is not necessarily better for red light therapy benefits. I am not getting into this conversation in this series, but I will be scoring the panels based on their power levels (higher levels leading to a higher ranking).

I tested for the following 3 metrics:

  1. I took the peak power - i.e. the highest number I saw on the meter from 6 inches. Though there are issues with this method, it is what all the companies seem to do when testing their panels. This output is flawed because you can score very high on this outcome by concentrating all light in one area. Of course, the higher the watt output, the greater the number of red and infrared light photons your body is exposed to.
  2. The average irradiance outcome at 9 different points of the panel. Of these 9 points, 3 points are located on the left of the panel, 3 in the middle, and 3 on the right side of the panel. In each of these locations, left, middle, and right, I get one measurement high up on the panel, one in the middle, and one at almost the bottom of the panel. This reading is measured at a 6-inch distance too.
  3. The total power output, which is calculated by using the result on the 9 different spots multiplied by the size of the LEDs' area that cover the panel. I chose to make the total power output the metric I use for scoring this round as it also takes into consideration the size of the panel. A bigger panel with a higher 9-point outcome will expose you to more light photons than a smaller panel with the same outcome on the 9-point measurement.

It's the total power output that I use for determining the best and worst panels in this power (irradiance) category. So here are the outcomes:

You can read more about my testing methodology in my ultimate red light therapy buyer's guide.

Next up, here are some observations about this round:

  •  I chose the PlatinumLED BioMax 600 over the BioMax 900 for two reasons: First, after testing the panels myself and being in contact with the company, we both agree that the BioMax 600 is actually putting out the power per LED. This is due to an engineering limitation on the 900. Secondly the BioMax 600 Gen 1 took out top spot in the 2019 Body Panel Comparison so I figured it was best for it to defend its titled with the new Gen 2 Biomax 600 in 2021. From an 'overall' point of view, I genuinely believe that the 2021 BioMax 600 is superior to the BioMax 900 (factoring in price, size and power).
  • Overall, for pure raw power output at maximum intensity, the Mito Red MitoPRO 1500 wins this round!
  • Also, the red light therapy space is really developing because all of the new generation panels I tested this year have a WAY higher power output compared to the 2019 panels.

Let's check out the results of this round, based upon total power output:  

Round 2 Results

So, based upon total power output, here are the results of round 2:

Based upon the points allocated in this round, I end up with the following rankings after 2 rounds:

After 2 rounds, the BioMax 600 and Infraredi Max share first place. The Red Rush 720 sits in third place. The MitoPRO 1500 and LightpathLED Large Multiwave Pulsed are closely behind at 4th and 5th place. We're still early in the game though so all of these rankings can still change based upon later rounds!

I'm very excited about what's coming and hope you're too!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 3: Value

If you like to watch the YouTube video on this round, click below:

 

In round 3, we look at "value".

What exactly do I mean by value? And why do I have a round looking at value, after we've already had a 'price' round? Here are my explanations:

  • Value is the amount of return for your investment into red light therapy panels. Higher-value panels give you a bigger bang for your buck, or more specifically -  higher power output (measured in watts) per dollar spent. 
  • My value figure is measured by dividing the price of the panel by the total watts the panel emits. Effectively the discounted price from round 1, divided by the power output from round 2.
  • The lower your price per Watt, the better, because you're getting more power output for the same monetary unit you're paying. Here's an example: let's say a panel has a 100 total Wattage power output and costs $1,000. In that case, you're paying $1,000/100 = $10 USD for every Watt of power output. Of course, a lower price is better in this regard. 
  • Now some of you may be thinking 'aren't you doubling up on scoring rounds here, since you have already scored for price and power?' And that is a valid - and accurate question. The answer is yes, from an overall standings point of view we are putting more weight into the price and power. 
  • I do this for two reasons:
    • First - I think breaking down and showing the value figures of each panel is a really handy metric to have. It shows how fairly priced these panels are. It answers the question, is a high end, super expensive panel really worth it from a power output point of view, or are you better off with a lower-priced panel (or something in between).
    • Secondly, I don't use any weighting system in my overall standings - each round is equally weighted from a points standpoint. However, I personally believe price and power output to be the two main factors that people look at when buying a red light panel. Therefore, by including this value round, the panels that are well priced for the power they emit do get rewarded in the overall standings.
  • I hope this all makes sense - of course, if you have any questions please leave them below.

So let's check out the results of this round:

 

Round 3 Results

So here's the USD per Watt outcome (remember lower is better)

**Note:  The GembaRed value has been updated to match them giving me a 10% discount code instead of 5%. The final ranking does not change due to that fact!

Notice that there's a huge difference in the amount of money you're paying per total Watt of power output when you compare the top panels to the bottom. In fact, there's a more than 3-fold difference between the winner and last place panel of this round.

These results show that there are 3 panels that are of exceptionally great value, these are the MitoRed MitoPro 1500, the Infraredi Max 2021 and the PlatinumLED BioMax 600. 

All of which have a $ per watt figure of less than $9.

The LightPathLED Large Multiwave Pulsed panel is not far off them with a figure of $9.26.

Then you have 6 panels between $10 and $20, and 2 panels above $20. With the Red Light Rising Advantage 900 coming in at an astronomical $28.30 per watt output!

Once again, by allocating 12 point to the winner, 11 points to the number 2 panel, all the way down to 1 point of the last place, I end with the following ranking after round 3:

The exciting part? Right now this contest is still a very close race between the top-3 contenders, and even the top-6 to 7 can still win this content if they score really well on the other rounds!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 4: Non-Native Electro-Magnetic Frequencies (EMF)

If you like to watch the YouTube video on this round, click below:

 

For testing these panels I use the Cornet ED88t meter. And no, this EMF meter doesn't cost $5,000 but it actually holds up really well against much more expensive meters. If you want a cornet meter then you can get one HERE.

I've tested the EMFs in 2 different ranges:

  1. Magnetic fields
  2. Electric electric fields

I've programmed my Cornet meter with the Building Biology EMF Safety Standards. The meter then gives you a score in colors. Green here, means the Building Biology standards would consider the exposure safe, yellow is unsafe and you'll have to limit exposure as much as possible, and red entails dangerous exposure that you should avoid.

 

A quick note on Microwaves

 

I didn't bother testing microwaves for these panels as only 2 have a microwave transmitting function (the Joovv Solo 3.0 and PlatinumLED BioMax 600) and both have the option to disable this transmitter.

The Joovv uses bluetooth when you use the bundled Joovv app, and the Biomax has a function to connect with other panels but this is disabled by default and not a requirement to use for multi-panel use.

 

Why Electric & Magnetic Fields Matter

All electronic devices emit some electric fields, but with good engineering practices, these fields can be dramatically reduced and or shielded. 

Though reducing them are rather challenging so I always expect to see some magnetic fields when testing these panels. 

Also, here are some comments on the magnetic and electric field issues:

  • I've not only tested the EMF levels at 6-inches, but also at 3-inches. The reason is that many people don't stand 6 inches away from their panel when they're using it - me included! Hence testing at 3-inches adds a bit more 'real use' insight into finding the lowest EMF panels. 
  • Also: EMF readings have improved a lot since my 2019 series. Hence, I can barely detect EMF at 6 inches for many of these new panels, so testing at 3 inches allows me to determine what panels are truly ultra low EMF panels - and which aren't. EMF leves increase the closer you get to the source.
  • Finally, I know a lot of people stand very close to their panels - this is because the energy from the LED's is higher the closer you are to the panel. But I want to determine if it's safe to do so, hence more reason for including the 3 inch data. 

Ready for the results? Here we go (remember lower is better)

I've ranked the panels based on electric fields first. This is because these fields are quite damaging and at the same time very easy to shield from an engineering point of view (i.e. there really is no excuse for a company to have 0 electric fields in 2021).

The Joovv Solo and Red Therapy Red Rush 720 Classic were the only two panels with Electric fields. These two take bottom positions in this round with the Red Rush taking last spot due to their high Electric and high magnetic fields.

The Joovv had really good magnetic readings, but poor electric fields. I put this down to a poor power cable that doesn't have a grounding plug - which is a 50c fix! Joovv really tripped up on this one.

I then scored magnetic fields, and, there's quite a difference in exposure levels.  Again, I've included the 3-inch reading because many people stand very close to their panel, sometimes even with their body pressed against it entirely - plus, as you can see a lot of the 6 inch readings are really good, so we need to go closer to really determine what is going on.

6 panels had no magnetic EMF at 6 inches, which is excellent. These were all in the top 6 for this round.

The four that did have a reading at the 6-inch mark still have relatively low figures. Yes the figures are in the 'Orange = Unsafe' zone, but they are low in this zone.

And that is true for most of the panels that had an orange reading at the 3-inch mark. Personally, anything below 0.3uT at 3 inches I consider to be safe - as in I would use it and be happy with my loved ones using it. Remember, these are the 3-inch figures, so that is quite close to the panel.

The Mito Red MitoPRO 1500 takes first place here with an incredibly low EMF score.. The Platinum BioMax is close though and shares second place with the GembaRed Reboot.

After adding these latest rankings to the overall standings we see the following:

 

 

Round 4 Results

So here's the ranking right now after 4 rounds:

Again, only 1-2 points separate the panels in the top-3, so it's a really close race!

However, outside the top three, there is a big gap opening up. With 13 points separating the Infraredi Max in 3rd place and the Optix 180 in 4th place.  Can the panels in the middle range close the gap and become the top panel? Let's find out!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 5: Wavelengths, Pulsing & LEDs

If you like to watch the YouTube video on this round, click below:

 

 

So here's what you need to know about my testing in this round:

  • Back in 2016 and 2017, red light therapy panels solely used 660 and 850 nanometer (nm) wavelengths. Over time, however, companies added new wavelengths to their panels. These wavelengths included frequencies such as 630 nm, 810 nm, and 830 nm. 
  • The 630nm and 660nm are found in the red part of the light spectrum and the 810, 830, 850, and higher numbers in the infrared part of the light spectrum. The 660nm and 850nm LED's are typically cheaper to produce and have much more scientific backing. The 630, 810, and 830nm are more expensive to produce and have less scientific support (but there is good evidence with these wavelengths, read more HERE)
  • "Pulsing" allows the light also to be activated and deactivated at a specific frequency measured in Hertz (Hz). Some pulsing frequencies have scientific backing - pulsing might increase penetration depth, for instance.
  • The Joovv and the LightpathLED panels are the only ones that offer pulsing right now. 
  • In this round, I reward panels that emit multiple wavelengths  and or utilise pulsing technologies in their panels. Therefore, if a panel has wavelengths other than the 660 nanometers and 850 nanometers, and pulsing, the panel goes towards the top. If there's a tie then the number of LEDs determines the winner.
  • If you want more info on the effects of different wavelengths for different conditions, consider THIS Excel sheet, where thousands of studies are aggregated. The topic is highly complex, as there are literally hundreds of wavelengths that all have a potentially different effect.
  • If you're interested, you may also want to learn about the price per LED, which can be found in my Excel sheet. The price per LED is a value metric, just like price per Watt, which I covered in round 3, on value.

The outcome of this round? Here is the rankings and breakdown of what technologies each panel uses:

Please observe that I consider panels with 2 wavelengths - 660 nanometers and 850 nanometers, not a "multiwave" panel. These panels, therefore, have a "NO" score in the last column on the table above.

The Lightpath LED Large Multiwave pulsed really stands out on its own in this round! Not only does the Large Multiwave Pulsed have 5 wavelengths - 620 nm, 660 nm, 810 nm, 830 nm, and 930 nm - it also has a very extensive pulsing feature.

I've talked about that pulsing feature in much more detail in my review of the LightpathLED Large Multiwave Pulsed. The panel allows you to pulse light at anything from 1hz all the way up to 9,999hz. Which is quite amazing. Also, the panel has pre-programmed "Nogier frequencies which you can select from. Read my review and more info on that panel HERE.

The interview I had with Scott Kennedy, the CEO of LightpathLED, is also highly recommended!

Now that we know who the winners of this round are, let's tally up the score and update the scoreboard after round 5:

 

Round 5 Results

Here's the updated ranking after 5 rounds - exciting that we're already half-way in:

The outcome after 5 rounds?

Well, the MitoPRO 1500 and BioMax 600 share top spot with 51 points each. The Infraredi Max trails behind with 42 points - slipping behind as it lost points this round because it doesn't use multiwave or pulsing and doesn't have as many LED's as some of the other panels.

The LightpathLED has also surged ahead and sits in fourth spot. But is still 13 points behind 1st place.

The Red Light Rising Advantage 900 is in second to last place and the Boncharge (formerly BLUblox) Hive Max sits in last place. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 6: Sound & Flicker

As always, you can watch this round on YouTube:

 

In this round I look at the sound output and any 'flicker' that the LED's produce. Let's explore why flicker and sound are important:

  • "Flicker" denotes how many times a light gets turned on and off within one unit of time. If there's no flicker, the light will be emitted continuously. Flicker can be stressful when your eyes are exposed to it and there's even reason to believe flicker might be more stressful when that light enters your cells.
  • The reason I measure sound is because at higher levels, sound creates "noise pollution". Noise pollution is certainly stressful to your body.
  • Believe it or not, but some panels put out a lot of noise or a horrible sound. Trust me on this, you don't want to be be standing next to a panel for 20mins, multiple times a week if it's emitting a loud and irritating noise!
  • I measure flicker with my spectrometer and sound with a standard sound (decibel; dB) meter.
  • Flicker frequency is measured in Hertz and the flicker percentage, which measures intensity. So, with a higher flicker frequency the lights are turned on and off quicker, and with a higher percentage, there's more of a difference between the maximum and minimum light intensity.
  • If you'd like to learn more about flicker then GembaRed has some amazing articles on whether flicker is dangerous in red light therapy, and a basic overview of what flicker is.
  • Any panel that has flicker I've scored at the bottom automatically. Then I've ranked all the panels on the sound. Lower sound levels are obviously better for a higher score.
  • The reason panels make sounds is because they need fans. With fans, the light output can be higher because more heat can be lost from the red light therapy panel to the environment.
  • Bart, who works for team AlexFergus, has written an extensive blog post series on noise pollution and why it matters for health. Bart has written about the basics of noise pollution and what it is, on the health effects of noise pollution, and 12 different noise pollution solutions. That blog post series teaches you that excess sound that affects your biology (i.e. "noise") does negatively affect your body's biology.

 

With all that said, let's move on to the results of this round:

 

Round 6 Results

So, here are the outcomes on both flicker and sound. Only 2 panels had any meaningful flicker that could be measured, and these two panels scored lowest during this round:

So, the Red Light Therapy Company Red Rush 720 and the Rouge PRO were the only two panels with flicker. Their decibel (dB) sound output was decent, in the mid-50s.

Keep in mind that the dB scale is logarithmic, meaning that for every 10 dB increase the loudness level goes up 10-fold. So, a 57 dB sound is 10 times as loud as a 47 dB sound. Hence, even though these numbers all look closely related, there's a huge difference between the loudest and most quiet panel.

In fact, there's a 14.6-fold difference between the top and lowest ranking panel in this round, which is probably a 15-20-fold difference in loudness!

The Infraredi Max panel scores really well in this round, taking a solid first place. With the quietest panel by quite some margin.

One comment I have about the Joovv panel here is that the high pitch it gives out is really irritating. If you want to hear that pitch on video - even though it's not super clear - then check out the timestamp where I discuss the issue in my video.

Overall, I do think that the sound of a panel matters. If you're spending 10 or 20 minutes a day, a few times a week, next to a panel, then, a 50dB and 60dB loudness will make all the difference in the world.

Higher sound levels literally increase your stress levels, blood pressure, and heart rate, as Bart has already described in his noise pollution series.

So, let's take these scores and update our overall standings after 6 rounds:

 

 

We see that the MitoPro and Biomax remain on first place, but the Infraredi Max with the recent win have closed in on the leaders sitting only 3.5 points behind (before this round they were 9 points behind).

4th place - Solbasium Optix 180 and 5th place - LightPath LED - are seperated by only half a point. 

Whereas  Red Light Rising and Boncharge (formerly BluBlox) Hive remain at the bottom of the table.

We have 4 more scoring rounds to go. It's still unclear who is going to come out with the title of the best red light therapy body panel! Who do you think will take the crown?!

 

Round 7: Warranty, Support & Service

By the way,  if you'd rather watch a YouTube video of this round, click below:

 

We're already at round 7 of my 2021 red light therapy comparison and in this round we look at warranty and support. Warranty is a very important topic because if you're spending  $1,000 on a panel you want to know that you're not buying a lemon that doesn't have a good warranty or returns policy.

Here's what you need to know about warranty, service and support:

  • Red light therapy panels should last a very long time. In fact, LEDs last 50,000 hours thus you can expect your panel LED's to last a lifetime.
  • Only in the case where you'd use a red light therapy panel as background lighting or in a clinical setting would you reach that 50,000-hour mark within your lifetime.
  • Nevertheless, the warranty does matter because it's not only the LEDs in a panel that can break - other components can be damaged or broken as well (fans, control units, circuits etc). Therefore, you'll want a reasonable warranty if you're spending around $1,000 on a panel.
  • Warranty periods have changed a lot since I entered this space. Back in 2019, when I did my first comparison series, the worst panels had a 1-year warranty and the best 3 years. 2 years was the average. Things have improved massively since then, with the maximum warranty now at 5 years. And 3 years seems to be the standard today.
  • With regards to service, some companies also go above and beyond to help customers - I'll give these red light therapy companies a shoutout! Two companies, in fact, offer phone calls with the CEO & founders of the company and help you with your purchase - stay tuned to learn which companies they are!

During this round, I've given preference to companies that offer a higher number of years of warranty. So, a 3-year warranty will be placed higher upon my scoreboard list than a 1-year warranty.

If the warranty is the same for different companies,

Lastly, I've also included info on the companies that do offer a free phone call. So here's the outcome of this round:

  

Round 7 Results

Companies' warranty and service, ranked from best to worst:

Note: Warranty is listed in number of years

Note 2: Both Red Light Rising and LightpathLED offer a call with the founders of the company. For that reason, I've added a "Y" under the special column.

With LightpathLED you'll get a 100% free 20-minute consultation with Scott Kennedy - the CEO of the company - if you buy this panel. The call will be used to teach you how to best to use the panel for your situation, such as for specific health conditions or how to apply the pulsing and/or Nogier frequencies, and more.

With Red Light Rising you get access to a free phone call before you even purchase a product, which is even better than the LightpathLED option. During that call, the founder of the company - James Strong or Bryan Gohl - can help you you pick a panel that suits your need or to tell you how to apply red light therapy in your unique situation. The founders also have a biohacking background and might be able to answer questions about that.

 

Overall, Red Light Rising is the very clear winner of this round, with a whopping 5-year warranty and the ability to call the founders before you even make a purchase. 

It's good to see that more companies are offering longer warranty periods on their products. 

Let's now check what this round has done for the overall scoreboard ranking:

It's still a very exciting race between the MitoPRO1500 and the BioMax 600. The top-3 haven't changed but LightpathLED in fourth place is making a surge towards the top 3.

With only 3 more rounds to go, the BioMax and MitoPRO are still looking good for a top 3 finish, and maybe the overall title. But are we going to see these two separated or will they end with equal points?!

This outcome shows you how close these two panels are in terms of quality - and why, when I get asked which one is better, I have never been able to give a clear answer!

Next up, my prediction so far that the LightpathLED would do well when I carried out the full review is looking good. But the big surprise is really the Infraredi Max! They're sitting comfortably in 3rd place and only 3.5 points behind the lead.

I didn't know too much about this company but they've done really well. I'm really excited to learn how this panel will perform in the next few rounds. Also, I'll be coming out with a full review of the Infraredi Max in the near future, so stay tuned.

Will they be the surprise of 2021 and take out the overall winner? Only time will tell!

Also, the Red light Rising Advantage 900 has made a huge move upward after winning this round and is now a mid-level player in 8th place

And, lastly,  the Joovv Solo 3.0 is a big disappointment at this point. Anyone who watched my full review would not be surprised that the Joovv isn't leading the pack here, but I really didn't expect them to perform this bad.

Their 2 year warranty isn't top-notch even though it's the second most-expensive panel in the group. So that result sees them slip into 2nd to last position.

Though there are still 3 more scoring rounds to go, so we may see a strong finish!

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 8: Hotspot Testing

By the way,  if you'd rather watch a YouTube video of this round, click below:

 

Welcome to Round 8 - in this round we look at hotspots.

With the 'perfect' red light panel you would get an even exposure of light on your body. If there are big hotspots in a panel, some body parts will receive lots of light exposure while others won't.

Add to this fact that panels use different wavelengths (some panels have 5 different wavelengths) and you can see why developing the 'perfect' panel that emits an even spread of light is going to be tricky!

Let's explore that topic in more detail:

  • I also call the "hotspot" testing the "Polkadot effect" because you can visually see the patterns emerge when doing this test. In other words, you'll see a Polkadot pattern if there are hotspots where, for instance, tons of red light is projected, while at other areas, there is almost none.
  • My 2019 body comparison video didn't consider this topic but I've decided to include this topic because it's somewhat important at least. Here's why:
  • The hotspot testing is directly related to peak power output. Some panels have very high peak power output at some parts of the distribution but much lower power output at other parts. With other panels, the distribution is more even. If there's tons of power in one area but not at others you're getting an uneven distribution of the light.
  • With multiwave LEDs it has become even more important to reduce hotspots because you've got 4 or 5 different LEDs with different wavelengths compared to 2, making it harder to evenly distribute the light across the body. Here's an example: if a panel has 200 LEDs and only 10% of these LEDs are in the 630-nanometer range, you'll end up with only 20 LEDs across a large surface area that emit the wavelength
  • If a panel has huge hotspots, there is a solution, fortunately. Because power of panels is going up, you can stand further away from the panel and not be affected by hotspots as much. Polkadot patterns or hotspots lessen once you move further away from a panel as the light is dispersed over a larger area.
  • I don't touch upon beam angle because I'm finding that the beam angles listed on a companies website doesn't seem to correlate with the hotspot issue.. All panels with different beam angles for red light therapy purposes work well, so far. In other words, no beam angle has ever been problematic for me.

The problem, however, is that hotspots are harder to quantify. For that reason, the scoring in this round is a little bit different. I've distinguished between "great", "okay", and "poor", depending on the visual pattern on the hotspot test.

For the hotspot testing, I use a white paper (with some printed text on it!) with a 6-inch ruler. The ruler ensures that I test each panel from the exact same distance as all other red light therapy panels.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. For that reason, here's an example of a "great" outcome on the hotspot testing:

As you can see, the light is distributed very evenly across the paper. Next up, here's an example of a poor outcome, where you can see a huge Polkadot effect:

Here, it's very clear where the red light is projected and the near infrared. If you were to stand in front of this channel without moving, some parts of your body would only receive red light and some parts would only receive near infrared light.

I highly recommend watching this round on youtube for a better understanding and to see how some panels have really good light blending and others are really bad.

Now that you hopefully understand my testing methodology, let's move on to to the results of this round:

 

Round 8 Results 

Here's the outcome of this round, categorized as "great", "okay", and "poor" hotspot outcomes:

To understand how I got to that assessment, and to see my live testing, just check out my YouTube video on the topic with the exact timestamp where I carry out these tests.

Here are some observations about this outcome:

  • Panels that have a space between the LEDs generally tend to do poorer because you create a big gap where the light is distributed. The Red Rush 720 Classic being the prime example.
  • Some multiwave panels have actually done really well, to my surprise. I expected multiwave panels to do worse because if you've got 5 different LEDs all emitting different wavelengths, it's much easier to create a Polkadot pattern. The MitoPro 1500 with 4 wavelengths is a good example here. 
  • Because I only had 3 scoring categories, 5 panels shared the number 1 position because their hotspot test outcomes was "great", 3 panels shared the "okay" assessment at 6th place, and 4 shared the "poor" outcome at 9th place.

And, with these results I can update the scorecard after this round:

And would you look at that! 

With only 2 more scoring rounds to go, the MitoRed MitoPRO 1500 has jumped out into the lead. They now have a whooping 7.5 point lead over second place. And second place is shared by the PlatinumLED BioMax 600 and Infraredi Max. I knew up front that the hotspots would be an issue with the BioMax because of the review I had already developed on their product.

And this is really costing the BioMax, not only have they fallen out of top spot, but they've let Infraredi catch up. Amazing. 

What a round! Infraredi continue to surprise, BioMax trip up big time and MitoPro remain focused and continue with their exceptional and consistent performance!

The outcome is very interesting because we only have 2 more rounds to go! Stay tuned to learn more...

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 9: Operation

By the way,  if you'd rather watch a YouTube video of this round, click below:

 

 

Welcome to round 9, here we look at how easy it is to operate the panel. This is round 9 of my 10 round red light therapy comparison series. Here is what you need to know about this round:

  • With "operations" I mean several things, including the ease of use, ease of setup, whether there are advanced functions, whether there's an inbuilt timer, and more. I'll describe all these categories in more detail later on.
  • Back in 2019, when I did my first red light therapy body panel comparison, most of these panels were very basic in their operations. Since then,  these panels have become much more complex. With more bells and whistles, it's also more important that you can still use them easily.

For my scoring system in this round I've got 10 scoring metrics:

  1. Easy to figure out without manual - ideally you'll want to be able to use your panel by just plugging it into the power outlet and pushing a button or two. If you need a manual to understand how to use the basic functions then I deem it to be too complex and thus a panel will not get a point here.
  2. Built in timer - Timers are a handy addition for those who want to track their session time and ensure they get adequate treatment time on each body part. You can read why treatment times, which are related to dosing, in our red light therapy dosing guide. If the panel has an inbuilt timer it gets a point here.
  3. Wavelength indicator - the human eye cannot see infrared light so you'll want to know whether its activated by means of a visible indicator light on the panel. Without an indicator to know whether infrared light is activated you may find you're only using red light and missing out on all the good near infrared light. 
  4. Wavelength selector - selecting between what wavelengths are operating gives you more options for treatment protocols. With some panels you can activate or reactive both the red part of the spectrum and the infrared part. This allows select wavelengths, specific to your goals such as infrared only for cognition and brain health.
  5. Easy to press buttons - some buttons are very easy to use while others don't give you any feedback whether anything is happening. This may seem like an insignificant detail, but I want to ensure the panels that are easy to use and don't leave you angrily button smashing are rewarded here!
  6. Doesn't turn on straight away - I don't like if a panel starts emitting light as soon as I plug it in. I prefer panels that wait for me to start the LED lights up. This gives me time to set the treatment protocol (i.e. what wavelengths, what time length etc) and also get in position for the red light treatment (i.e. getting my book ready, getting into the right position). 
  7. Main power easy to access - Every panel has a main 'power' switch. Sometimes you need to kill the power in a hurry and it's great being able to do this directly from the panel (especially if your wall socket is tucked away behind a bed or hard to reach). Having an easy to use and locate main power switch on the panel means the panel gets a point here.
  8. Modular control function - without modular control, using multiple panels becomes more time-consuming. You'll have to activate all of the 2 or more panels that you're using manually, each time you want to have a red light therapy session. If the panel has this shared control function it gets a point.
  9. Low power input plug - with a high power plug input, you lose a lot of cable length and you might need an extension cable so you can reach the wall socket. To me it's very irrational to place the power input of the panel at the top, as oftentimes, you'll be suspending the panel up high for upper body treatment. It's just a design oversight and means you may have to go out and buy a untidy looking extension cable.
  10. Negatives - Note - if a panel has a negative feature it loses a point - This metric is a way to penalise a panel for any frustrating features that they may have that weren't covered above. 

 

In the results section below, I've used the 1-10 numerals to denote the different scoring rounds of the operations section. So, the "1" above, about whether a panel is easy to figure out without a manual, corresponds to the "1" below in the table:

 

Round 9 Results

An "Y" stands for 'YES' - meaning the panel has that particular feature. An empty cell means that the panel didn't have that feature, 

With column 10,  - the 'negatives' -  the "-1" denotes that the panel lost one point for having a bad operations aspect. The MitoPRO 1500 lost a point because the infrared light does not run by default and the Joovv Solo 3.0 loses a point because many of the panels advanced functions - which are neat - are only accessible through the app and not through the panels inbuilt control panel.

If you want to know more about the specifics of each panel, just watch the timestamp on the YouTube video where I discuss each panel and why I give them the score I do on operations.

Also, I'll clarify the table above a bit more with the outcome of this round. Here's how each of the panel scored in round 9:

  • At place 12, with a 3/9 score, the LightpathLED Large Multiwave Pulsed scores 1 point
  • At place 11, with a 4/9 score, the GembaRed Reboot scores 2 points
  • At place 10,  with a 5/9 score, the Red Light Therapy Company Red Rush 720 scores 3 points
  • At a shared place 8, both the Rouge Pro and CytoLED Triplex score 4.5 points
  • At a shared place 2, the Red Light Rising Advantage 900, MitoPRO 1500, Boncharge (formerly BLUblox) Hive Max, Infraredi Max, BioMax 600 and Solbasium Optix 180, score 8.5 points
  • And, the winner of this round, the Joovv Solo 3.0, wins with 12 points!

 Updating the tally, we come to the following outcome after 9 rounds:

After scoring this round, the MitoPRO 1500 is in a strong lead, with only one more round to go! Are they going to take out top spot? they're definitely in a great position to do so. We will find out soon.

The BioMax 600 and Infraredi Max both stay in 2nd equal. I don't know whats more surprising - the fact that BioMax may not only finish first, they may not even place 2nd, or the fact that the relatively unknown Infraredi may end up with a 2nd or even 1st place!

Incredible!

In the battle for 4th we have a 7 point spread, the Solbasium is in optimal position, but as we have seen a lot can change in one round.

GembaRed continues to do well for such a basic panel and the Joovv Solo takes it's first win of the series and moves up from 2nd to last to 3rd to place place. I expected them to finish strong with these last two rounds, so I wouldn't be surprised if they move up the table in the next, final round!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Round 10: Everything Else

If you'd rather watch a video of this round then click on the YouTube video below:

 

Welcome to round 10 - the round where I score "everything else" round. Here I've included some extras as well features of panels that couldn't be included in the other 9 rounds. And yes this is the final scoring round of this series!

 There are 7 scoring 'points' for this round, let's break down each of these below:

  1. Stands Available - This is simple, can you buy either a horizontal or vertical stand for the panel? The benefits of a stand are numerous. For instance, if you would prefer to lay under a red light than stand next to it then a horizontal stand might be great. A vertical stand can be great if you like to use a few connected panels at the same time, while still being able to move them around easily in a room. Both horizontal and vertical stands are great options for clinics too.
  2. Modular Capability -  Some panels allow you to connect more panels from the same company to make a larger treatment area. I refer to this feature as being 'Modular Capable'. Not all panels have this feature. 
  3. A Long Power Cable - If the panel comes with a cable that is 6ft or longer it gets the tick here. The longer power cables mean less need for extension cables.
  4. Decent Manual Included - If you're spending $1,000 on a red light panel you would expect a quality manual showing you how to operate it right?! My team and I get daily e-mails about how to use red light therapy panels. Some of these questions are quite basic and should be answered in a manual, but I know a lot of panels don't include such information with their panels. 
  5. In-Built Grips -  This is a new design feature but it is really a neat addition to those bulky panels. Grips on the side and the ends are the best and they really make moving and setting up the panels so much easier. 
  6. Special Accessories provided with the product, (above and beyond the normal inclusions such as a door hanging kit and regular sunglasses?) This could just mean that some glasses are provided that are better than the standard supplied glasses, or other accessories not commonly included.
  7. Special Mentions - if the company exceeded expectations in any way. This special mention can be anything, but usually means that a company has been innovative and/or creative with adding new features to a red light therapy product or improving on existing ones.  

Ready? Here's the outcome of this round:

 

Round 10 Results 

The table below shows what panels have scored well on each of the 7 categories:

If the panel has the relevant feature, then it gets a "Y" in the table.

Both the Joovv Solo 3.0 and Biomax 600 did alot better than the competition in this round, with a much higher score, 2-3 points higher than the top-3 panels. They both have inbuilt grips and have some nice special features.

The BioMax has a great control panel with extra options not commonly included, for instance the touch screen slider to change power output levels, and the Joovv 3.0 has many bells & whistles not included in any of the other products such as the in built beeper, the polished app that syncs via bluetooth and ambient mode.

Also, the PlatinumLED BioMax 600 has a wireless option whereby you can control several panels simultaneously, even though they're not connected, through the wireless function. The wireless function can be disabled though, so if you're worried about EMF then you don't have to be exposed!

The Joovv is meticulously designed compared to the competition, and Joovv has really gone the extra mile to make the use of the panel very comfortable.

Special mentions about the Joovv Solo 3.0 is that it's really light because it's made from plastic, and, it's also very movable because of 4 grips, instead of 2. The Joovv 3.0 ticks all the 7/7 boxes out in this round.

In terms of special accessories, Joovv has included very nice green glasses that still allow you to see but protect your eyes against excess exposure if necessary. 

There were then 4 panels who scored 4/7. They all do some things good but miss out on others.

The MitoPro is in this group, it doesn't have grips or any special features but has all the basics - modular support, stand options, a nice manual etc.

Speaking of manuals, I have to give a shoutout to Infraredi Max - their manual is the best I have seen, it covers all the key things a use needs to know - how to setup the panel, how to connect multiple panels, how to operate it, what red light therapy is, how it works, suggested treatment protocols etc etc.

Beneath these panels we have everyone else. I won't go into specifics as I have already covered it in the table above and video.

 

Now that we have the final results from this round, we can move on to the winners section of this series!  

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Winners Round

If you'd rather see a video version of this around, consider the YouTube video below:

 

Welcome to the awards section and final rankings for my 2021 red light therapy series. Many of you have literally been waiting for years for this outcome. 

Before we get into the final rankings and determine who takes top spot, let's look at the special award winners:

 

Special Awards For 2021 & 2022

I've included this category of awards because there are panels that excel in particular areas. At the same time, some buyers are after panels that suit their particular requirements. 

The 6 special awards and their winners are:

  • Highest peak irradiance: PlatinumLED BioMax 600:  - with a peak irradiance reading of  92.9 mW/cm2. This is the highest figure I've ever tested in any panel. So if you want raw power, then the BioMax 600 is best.
  • Safest panel (low flicker, ultra-low EMF, and low sound): Infraredi Max:  & GembaRed Reboot: - both panels attain 20 points when I add up the EMF and sound/flicker outcome rounds. The GembaRed has slightly better EMF levels compared to the Infraredi, but the Infraredi does better in the sound department. 
  • Most advanced panel : The LightpathLED Large Multiwave Pulsed Panel. With custom pulsing rates between 1-9,999 Hz, in built  Nogier frequencies and 5 wavelengths the LightPath panel is the clear winner here.
  • Best customer care (service, warranty, and more): Red Light Rising Advantage 900:  - the panel comes with a 5-year warranty and a free call with the founders. LightpathLED is a good runner up in this category with a call and 3-year warranty.
  • Lowest EMF: Mito Red MitoPRO 1500  - no detectable levels of magnetic and electric at 6 inches, and a very low exposure for magnetic fields only at 3 inches.
  • Best for penny pincher: Infraredi Max:  At a discounted price of $809 (after using discount code ALEX) the Infraredi Max placed 2nd in my price rankings. Yes the Red Rush 720 is cheaper (at $729) but the Infraredi is a much better panel across the board.  Also,I should note that the BioMax 600 costs $854 - $50 more than the Infraredi Max - but has some nicer features and higher power. All 3 panels are worthy of consideration if you are on a tight budget, but my pick is the Infraredi Max. 

 Ok, now for the overall winners! 

Overall 2021 & 2022 Red Light Therapy Comparison Series Winner

The moment of truth has arrived. Finally, you'll learn which panel wins my 2021 and 2022 red light therapy comparison series. I'll start with panels which were placed 4th till 12th, and then move to the top 3. Here's the list with the final outcomes:

 Note: if you decide to buy any of these panels then discount code ALEX will save you anywhere between $25 and 15%. Only for the Joovv Solo 3.0 I don't have a discount code.

Though these panels didn't place in the top 3, they are all red light panels that will do the job. It's just that there are better panels out there!

What are these better panels? Drum roll please:

 

The 2021 Red Light Therapy Body Panel is:


The MitoRed MitoPro 1500!

The MitoRed MitoPro 1500 has a score of 92.5 points. 

In second place we have the Platinum LED BioMax 600 with a score of 87.5 and in third place the Infraredi Max 2021 who scored 85 points.

 The top two panels are both exceptional panels and as we saw throughout this series - they are very closely matched.  Since 2019, I used and recommended the BioMax because it had multiwave LED's and had amazing power figures. Plus the BioMax 600 won the 2019 series (and the MitoRed panel was runner up).

However, now, in 2021, the new MitoPRO also offers multiwave LEDs and is putting out more watts than the BioMax, plus - and this was what really separated the two - it doesn't have the hot spot issues that the BioMax has. 

So with that outcome, the Mito Red MitoPRO 1500 takes the number 1 place in my 2021 red light therapy comparison & review series!

And in third place we have the very impressive Infraredi Max 2021. I was very impressed (and surprised) by this panel and I now see why there is such a strong community following with Infraredi devices.

 

So that's a wrap. I hope you have enjoyed this series and found it to be useful.

Of course if you have any questions or feedback please leave them in the comments section below and if you did want to purchase any of these panels be sure to use discount code ALEX to save.

Finally, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter as we will be doing this all again in 18 months or so with any new panels that have hit the market.

 

 

 

Summary 

If you need a quicker way to see all of the outcomes of all my videos easily, then check out this summary video - the video contains no new info but only recapitulates the outcomes of all previous rounds:

 

 

 

Debrief

If you want to see my reflections on this entire process, and how my views have changed after tons of feedback from you, then check my debrief video:

 

 

 

Found This Interesting? Then You Might Like:

 

This blog post was written by Alex Fergus. Alex is a ISSN Sports Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Professional and certified Superhuman Coach who continues to expand his knowledge base and help people across the world with their health and wellness. Alex is recognized as the National Record Holder in Powerlifting and Indoor Rowing and has earned the title of the Australian National Natural Bodybuilding Champion. Having worked as a health coach and personal trainer for over a decade, Alex now researches all things health and wellness and shares his findings on this blog. Learn more about Alex's Credentials HERE.

 

 
 

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