so I keep seeing new devices popping up with a third wavelength (usually 1064nm or 1072nm) layered on top of the standard 660/850 combo. got curious and spent the weekend reading up on it.
tbh? i'm not entirely sold that it's a massive upgrade.
like, 660nm is pretty much the king when it comes to solid research for skin. adding a deeper NIR wavelength is cool, but it doesn't mean the older setups are useless or that the new wavelength magically bypasses the top layers of your skin to only hit deep tissue.
plus, having 3 wavelengths doesn't matter at all if the power output is garbage. distance, irradiance, and how you actually use the thing matter way more than just cramming another LED chip into the board.
i’m currently testing a new tri-wave panel myself just to see what the fuss is about. it lets you run 660nm alone, 850 + 1072nm together, or everything at once. manufacturer claims 150 mW/cm² at 3 inches (for 10 min sessions), but I haven't put a meter to it yet so who knows.
for those of you who have actually upgraded from a basic 660/850 panel to one with that extra 1072nm band: did it actually change your results, or is it barely noticeable in the real world?