Sep. 01, 2025
With things like arthritis, ACL and other ligament tears, Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) and other spine problems, general pain, healing wounds…. well, some claim a cold laser can cure about anything. Now you want to buy a home use cold laser for pain relief but the information out there is overwhelming and sometimes conflicting. Lucky for you, I love gathering, gathering, gathering information and then boiling it down to something really simple.
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I’m no a laser expert – I only recently started learning about them after Mr.Daniel in Canada injured his shoulder and knee, his initial rehab period was over, and I started looking at long-term management options. However, I did a ton of research over a few months and consulted with a few laser experts. Hopefully this guide will help you decide which home use pain relief cold laser is right for you.
How to Decide Which Low Level/ Cold Laser to Buy for Pain Relief
When evaluating a laser to purchase, basically there are five things you want to consider – classification, power (mW), wavelength (nm), size of the diode (area it can treat at once), and cost.
When looking at different lasers, you will see their “class”. Lasers are classified according to power level. Basically, the class tells you how safe a laser is for home use. Safe here means the ability to do damage to eyes or tissue. Classes range from 1-4 (typically expressed in Roman numerals but not here for clarity) with some classes being broken into 2 sub-classes (example, 1 vs 1m or 3 vs 3b). Class 1 & 2 lasers can easily be purchased over-the-counter for home use. Because this classification is limited to a maximum power of 5mW continuous (they can go a bit higher than that if pulsed – see the section on frequency below), the risk is buying something that isn’t actually effective for treating your pet. However, effective class 1 & 2 lasers do exist.
Class 3 lasers are designed for practitioners but can also be purchased for personal use or pets and horses. Class 3 lasers must be less than 500mW per laser diode continuous output. You can find some lasers that use multiple diodes, all under 500 mW, to increase the power or treatment area of the laser. If they are a class 3 or 3b laser, that means they have still been determined to meet the safety requirements of that category.
There is a class 4 laser. Lasers in this class have one or more laser beams with an output of 500mW or more. Lasers in this class have potential to due damage to eyes or tissue if used improperly but you can still buy these for home use. However, some cold laser expert warn to stay away from class 4 lasers because the potential to use them incorrectly, and cause damage, is too high. If you do choose to purchase a class 4 laser, it’s highly recommended that you get proper training on how to use it from professioners. Class 4 lasers are so expensive though that most people are unlikely to be buying one for home use only.
The bottom line: Lasers that range from class 1 to 4 can be purchased for home use. However, class 4 lasers can be dangerous if not used properly, and aren’t necessarily better, so stick with a class 1-3 laser.
The power of the laser doesn’t exactly correlate to effectiveness . The power just determines how long or short the treatment time is. A lower power laser will have to be used for 15-30 minutes while a high-powered laser can provide the same treatment in as low as 5-10 minutes. Conversely, a higher power laser used for the same amount of time will deliver more healing power.
As you can imagine, when trying to treat at home sometimes , a shorter treatment time – therefore, a higher power laser – is probably better. I could go into numbing detail but I’ll just say that a home-use laser can range from under 30 mW (some say that ones under 100 mW aren’t really effective though) to about 15,000 mW.
The bottom line: As long as the laser is over 5 mW (so, not a laser pointer for your cat or computer), it will deliver some level of treatment. The higher power you go though, the shorter the treatment time and the more likely they are to be effective (if you have to use the laser for 20 minutes twice a day, you might be tempted to cut the treatment time short).
If you are buying a laser for pain relief to help with a skin condition or wound, you can go with a laser that is closer to the 600-635 nm range. An interesting thing about lasers in this wavelength is that they are the most likely to put the energy “in the blood”. This energy can move around the body in the bloodstream and effect more systematic or complex issues.
If you want to laser to treat deeper muscle tissue or joints but still offer surface-level cellular benefits, then a laser with a wavelength of 800 to 860 nm is ideal. If you are looking for one to treat only deeper level tissue and joint issues, you should go with a laser that is at least 905 nm. There is some controversy around laser wavelengths that are above 905 nm. The theory is that the extra wave “length” is absorbed by tissues and water enough that the longer wavelength doesn’t reach any deeper than a 905 nm and. In fact, some studies claim that it may not even reach as deep as a 905 nm wavelength (this is a totally non-sciency explanation of… a lot of science) .
Some studies contradict that though. Just make sure the laser has a wavelength of 905 nm if you want deeper treatments. You are unlikely to find anything over nm for home use.
Still confused about which wavelength you need? Luckily, there are some lasers out there that cover the whole range and have different settings depending on what you are treating at the moment. There are also some lasers, like our cold laser, use multiple wavelengths at the same time.
The Bottom Line: Figure out what condition(s) you want to treat and choose the appropriate wavelength. If you are unsure, or you want to treat multiple conditions, choose a laser with different modes or that use a combination of different wavelengths at the same time.
I didn’t see this point emphasized in most literature I reviewed about lasers. However, it is worth noting.
If the laser has only one diode, it’s diameter is somewhat relevant. Some diodes are only 1/2 inch in diameter and some are closer to 2 inches. It makes sense that a larger diameter diode will cover a larger treatment area if applied to the skin in one spot. However, most lasers are used by “sweeping” them over the treatment area so you can really cover the same area with both pretty easily. Where it might matter is if you are using it to trigger acupuncture points (very specific points on the body).
If the laser has multiple diodes, the size of each diode matters less. Like us there are fifteen 1/2 inch diodes can cover a similar area as a single 7.5-inch diode.
The bottom line: Look at the description for information about the size of the treatment area rather than getting hung up on the size of the laser diodes.
You’ll obviously need to think about, or “justify”, how much you’re willing to spend on a cold laser unit. Here are some things I considered.
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How many people will you use it on? – This matters when estimating what the cost would be if you choose to get treatments through your doctors. Obviously, treating more people will be more expensive.
How many treatments a month do you want? – During Daniel’s rehab period, it was recommended that he gets 1-2 laser treatments a day. 20-30 minutes treatment per day was the minimum recommended when she was in active recovery. The chances are that you would get similar recommendations for home use but it’s not a bad idea to ask a doctor who works with cold lasers.
What is the going rate for cold laser treatments to home use in your area? Call around and find out what the average cost of a laser treatment is in your area.
What would it cost if you DON’T buy it? This is where we get down to the math of it all. Multiply the number of pets you will treat by the number of treatments you plan to give them a month. Multiply that by the going rate in your area for one laser treatment. If you are going to give maintenance treatments all-year long, multiply that number by 12 months (most quality lasers will last 5 years or more).
For example, laser treatments in US is about $50-$70 per treatment. If I accept my back pain for 2 treatments only a week, that would be 8 treatments a month, at least $400 a month. If I gave them treatment Two months, I would spend $800 or more. Meanwhile, if i buy a cold laser, when my back pain recovery back to normal for 1-2 months, the cost is $329 ONLY.And the cold laser can be used for others who happen to the acute or chronic pain.
What are you willing/able to invest? – Now you have an idea of what you would spend if you didn’t buy a laser for home use. Chances are, it’s more money than you are happy about parting with. However, it gives you some perspective. The cost of the laser you purchase, ideally, will fall in between what you can easily afford and what it would cost if you sought treatments through a doctor.
The bottom line: Buy the highest power laser you can, with the most appropriate treatment wavelength for the condition you are treating, that is within your budget.
When it came to price – using my example above – it would cost me $800 two month only to treat at home. If I treat longer time or future pain, the cost has to be higher.
CHOKE! *Ahem* There is no way I could pay that much. Ever.
As far as convenience, that was a no-brainer. First, we travel a lot. Whether it be driving for hours back and forth to trails, camping trips in the woods, or traveling to other states. we are away from home often. The ONLY solution for us is for me to have my own laser unit so I "Daniel" can give the treatments no matter where we are at or what time of day it is.I did finally decide on a laser and purchase next one to use at home, and now i "Daniel" is happy to recommend the cold laser to their friends and family, starting business in Canada.
You could know more for our portable laser therapy by the following:
· 510mW of max output power on Continuous or Pulsed.
· The output power is adjustable by users for different pain.
· Use 2 different wavelength simultaneously-650nm and 808nm±10nm, to reach different tissue levels.
· The typical treatment time 15 minutes, twice a day.
· One mAH rechargeable lithium-ion battery inside.When fully charged for 4 hours, it will work to 3-4 days.
· Factory free warranty: 12 months.
· Delivery lead time: Within 3 business.
· Shipping time: Normally 6-7 business days.
At a cost of $329, it was significantly less than my $800 two months for treatments. Over one year period, getting this laser would save me $4,471!
For any query or interest, just call or mail me at +86 . Or at
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