In this 30‑day hands‑on review, Victoria S. Dorsano evaluates the BestCool Pro 100 red‑light panel and explains how it differs from targeted red‑light lasers and wraps. She begins by clarifying that panels provide broad, hands‑free coverage suitable for skin‑level and surface‑tissue benefits, whereas lasers and wraps deliver focused, deeper treatment to specific joints. She outlines the science behind the panel’s four wavelengths—630 nm and 660 nm (red) for superficial skin work, and 850 nm and 940 nm (near‑infrared) for deeper muscle tissue—emphasizing that the therapeutic effect comes from cellular absorption, not the warmth generated. Dorsano describes her testing protocol: the panel placed ~6 inches from the body, 15‑20 min sessions on the front side, extending to 25‑30 min for sore areas, over a month. She reports modest but noticeable improvements after the second week, such as smoother facial and chest skin and reduced neck tension, noting that results require consistent use. A key focus is the panel’s irradiance reporting: while many manufacturers inflate numbers using solar power meters, BestCool sent the unit to LightLab International for third‑party measurement and published those accurate values, which Dorsano praises. She lists pros (transparent measurements, modular design, accessories, zero EMF at 6 in, pleasant warmth) and cons (covers only half the body, no smart app). Finally, she recommends the Pro 100 as an entry‑level, user‑friendly option for those seeking regular skin‑level therapy, provides an affiliate discount code, and encourages viewers to use the device consistently for several weeks before judging effectiveness.
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So I've been putting red light on my body for about a year now. A targeted laser clamped around my knee, a wrap around my joints, and for the last 30 days, this red light panel as well. And here's the thing that's important to know: they're not the same tool, and most people end up buying the wrong one for what they're actually trying to do. So I ran with this panel for a full month. Today I'll be answering 3 questions that honestly matter. What does a red light panel do that a wrap or a targeted laser device for red light can't do? Is a budget panel that's roughly around $300 even worth it? And does the company actually tell the truth about its numbers. This is the BestCool Pro 100 panel, and BestCool sent it to me to check out and review, but all opinions in this video of course remain my own, especially as I got a nice long time to check it out and give you guys the real deal. So who is this red panel actually for? Well, a panel is a great category if you're considering something that is truly just a hands-free coverage targeting your skin in general, or just a broader surface area of your body instead of just treating one distinct spot at a time. The nice thing is you can just stand or sit in front of it, which makes it really easy to stay consistent with. So if you're somebody who struggles with consistency, a panel might be good for you. I would also say that panels are great for people who want mostly the skin and surface tissue benefits of red light, not necessarily somebody who's looking for like deep targeted joint therapy. I'll come back to that distinction in a little bit, but just something to keep in your mind. Now, if you haven't seen my other videos on red light therapy, just a brief explanation here. And of course, I'll link some of my other videos that go deeper into that down below. But just as a base, Certain wavelengths of red and near-infrared light get absorbed by your cells, mainly the mitochondria, which is the part of the cell that helps to make energy. That absorption of the light can nudge up cellular energy and support local circulation and help calm the body's inflammatory response. And the reason a panel like the Bestcool Pro 100 runs on 4 wavelengths comes down to depth. The 2 red wavelengths, which are 630 and 660 nanometers, mostly work near the surface on your skin. And that's the part a panel is genuinely well-suited for because it's covering that large surface area all at once. The 2 near-infrared wavelengths, which are 850 and 940 nanometers, those are invisible and tend to reach even deeper into tissue like muscle. A nice thing about this panel in particular is the warmth generated from all those wavelengths feels really, really nice. Honestly, as somebody who runs hot, that surprised me for how much I liked it. But I can imagine if you're somebody who runs cold naturally, or again, once it becomes wintertime here in Chicago, I'm probably going to absolutely love being exposed to this panel as much as possible because of the cold temps. But one thing I do want to mention, the benefit doesn't come from the heat itself. The warmth is just simply a nice side effect of the wavelengths doing their thing, but the actual work is coming from the light getting absorbed by your cells. But hey, if the warmth is a reason for you to stay consistent with it in the middle of January, then yeah, I mean, enjoy. So again, for using a panel, the evidence is strongest with benefits towards the skin and for calming inflammation in areas that the light can actually reach. For muscle soreness specifically, the evidence can kind of be mixed here. Some studies show a benefit while others show more of a placebo effect. So think of a red light panel as like a supportive tool, but not necessarily like a magic wand that's going to fix all of your deeper issues. But again, even that benefit from using it as a supportive tool comes with consistent use, which is another pro for the panel. Very easy to use. You can sit in front of it, stand in front of it. It just makes it simple. So where does a red light panel actually fit amongst the other types of red light tools that I mentioned earlier, like a targeted red light laser or a targeted red light wrap? Think coverage versus precision. A targeted device like the Kineon Move Plus that I reviewed, you essentially are pressing that into one specific joint with some pressure and driving that light deep into that singular space. Something like a red light wrap, which I've also tested on this channel from Fringe, those conform around a limb, sometimes your lower back if you have a big enough wrap. And a panel like the Bestcool Pro 100 gives you full coverage of a broader area, best for skin surfaces and just building that daily habit of use. The trade-off is that the panel is non-contact, so the further you stand back from it, the less light intensity you're actually getting. The The rule I personally keep coming back to is match the tool to the target. If you are consistently coming back to one angry point, if you had ACL surgery like I have or elbow tendonitis, then something like a targeted therapy device is going to be best. But if you want to cover a larger region of your body and really hone in on the benefits of red light for the skin, then you're going to want something like a panel. One thing I do want to mention is that Bestcool actually calls the Pro 100 a targeted panel, and that's fair because again, it covers about half of the body, not necessarily head to toe in one shot. But what is really cool is that it is modular. You can actually splice more together for a full body panel. So I love that BestCool actually built it to be that way because you can, you know, add on to that and get as many of these panels as you want and start to stack them and build them together where you're getting more exposure if you want that. Here's something that actually surprised me when I was going through some of the literature on this particular panel. A lot of panels typically sell people on one number, which is irradiance. That's a measurement of how much light is actually landing on you in milliwatts per square centimeter. Most companies end up using something called a solar power meter. This device tends to read red and near-infrared wavelengths pretty high. BestCool actually says in their manual that they're assuming that that solar power meter is measuring their panel about 60% higher than what the actual output is. So let's say a panel is genuinely putting out 50, but the solar panel meter is measuring 80 and it gets marketed as 80. No one's technically lying here. They're just using the flattering number from that meter. What is cool is that BestCool actually went in the opposite direction. They actually chose to send their panel to a third-party lab called LightLab International, which uses the appropriate tools to measure red and near-infrared light. And BestCool decided to publish those numbers instead. So I actually think it's pretty cool that they decided to publish the third-party tested numbers and not just ones that are taken from a solar meter that kind of falsely inflate the irradiance levels. Okay, so let's get into how I tested this panel for the last 30 days and what I noticed. Personally, I kept my panel about 6 inches away from the area I was treating, which for me was mostly this area because You know, who doesn't want beautiful skin? While sitting about 6 inches away from my panel, I ran the red and near-infrared light. I did about 15 to 20 minutes on the front side of my body this way. And if I ever needed to target any deeper areas, like against just some soreness in the back, I would do a little bit longer, like 25 to 30 minutes. These are all recommendations that Bestcool has in their manual. And the cool thing is the buttons were really simple to figure out. It's just like power, turn on near-infrared, red light, the timer. That's pretty much that. One thing that is important to note is that again, near-infrared light is Invisible, so when you have that on, it's not gonna look like anything's changed, but it's on. The first week of using it consistently, didn't really notice anything dramatic. Around the second week, the biggest changes that I noticed were again around the surface of the skin. Overall, the skin on my face just looks a little bit smoother. The skin across my chest just looked a little bit smoother. Very subtle, but there was a difference that I could see. And as far as noticing it for like the soreness and the neck tension that I tend to have, I did tend to see like around week 2, 3 that some of that got a little bit better. But again, these types of changes take a good while while of consistent use. So I wasn't anticipating any miracles by 30 days, but there was definitely some change. Let's talk about the pros and cons of this particular device, the Pro 100 by Bestcool. The honesty on the numbers and the radiance measurements— that is a pro to me. I like a company that is going to be honest about their measurements and not sell you on like false, misleading higher output numbers. The fact that it's modular is definitely a pro. So if you want to start small and build out till you get like more full wall-length panels and put these panels together. That's really cool. The other thing is the accessories that it comes with. I love that it comes with the goggles that you can wear to protect your eyes. There's an option to hang it on a wall or over the door. Again, modularity-wise, you can daisy chain multiple panels together, and it really easily stands on a surface like the floor or table. Another thing that's great is that this device measures zero EMFs at 6 inches. And while the output does feel warm on the skin, which can feel nice, it does run cool enough for low-heat contact to use. As far as the cons go, it's just covering half of your body, which can be a con if you are looking for a just bigger panel. So full body coverage will mean buying at least 2 of these panels. Secondly, there's no app or like smart control to it, which is fine by me, but I know some people really like to be able to have like a smart control panel. All that considered, this is really going to be a great option if you're looking for a good entry-level panel that's effective hands-free for skin and surface area recovery. If you're somebody who gets put off by the complexity of a lot of different buttons controls, like, this is going to be a really good fit for you. Where this lands personally for me, and again, this is after testing a targeted laser device and a red light wrap, this panel is one that I do consistently reach for, for just broader overall skin coverage. If you're interested in trying the Pro 100 by Bestcool, then the link is down below in the description, and you can use code VICTORIA10 for an additional 10% off. I do earn a small commission if you decide to purchase using that link or code. And that helps to support this channel and the videos that we make. So I do appreciate it if you do. Again, one ask I make before you judge if it's working or not: make sure that you use it consistently for a few weeks. That is the same recommendation I make with any red light therapy device, and again, I'm going to make it here again because it does take time and consistency. But I promise you, it feels amazing, and you will probably be a big fan towards the last 2 to 3 weeks. And if you're exploring red light therapy as an adjunct to just overall Improvement of your well-being, your recovery, your training, then please reach out. That is exactly what we help people with at Be Victorious Coaching and helping to orchestrate a total health plan to help you feel your best. From nutrition to training, recovery, we've got it handled. Links down below to book a call in the description, and I appreciate you guys for watching this video. If you liked it, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, and I'll catch you guys on the next one. Bye!
