Which is better- iRestore vs Capillus
iRestore laser hair growth system and Capillus laser hair growth cap are two of the most revered names for Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Both companies have a solid array of FDA-cleared LLLT caps and Laser Hair Growth Systems. So, choosing between them can be confusing for the buyer. But this comprehensive iRestore vs. Capillus comparison review will guide you in making the right buying decision to counter hair loss, baldness, receding hairlines, and weak hair.
Although these Laser caps and helmets are substantially cheaper than treatments at Low-Level Laser Clinic, the best ones can still be quite an investment. As per my experience, these devices have the following advantages over traditional laser therapy:
- FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved, which speaks for their legitimacy
- Drug-free
- Safe and Non-Invasive
- No side-effects
- Easy to use.
Objective
This extensive yet to-the-point comparison, Capillus vs iRestore, will help you make long-term decisions to treat your receding hairline and hair loss. I will compare the various laser hair growth devices from Capillus and iRestore based on the following points:
- Technology
- Power and Effectiveness
- Treatment Regime
- Fit and Comfort
- Cost
- Warranty and Return Policy
- Safety
- Brand Experience
- Customer Experience
Products In Comparison
Based on my experience of more than two years, added with a fair bit of research on popular LLLT caps and helmets, I will be comparing the following devices to find out which is better- iRestore or Capillus:
- iRestore Essential
- iRestore Professional
- CapillusPro
- CapillusPlus
- CapillusOne
- CapillusUltra
- Capillus Pro S1
Technology
Many sham devices in the market only use LEDs in their LLLT caps to cut costs. But hair follicles respond to specific light wavelengths. LED light is emitted incoherently, so the light beam cannot focus its energy on the damaged scalp. It fails to penetrate deep enough to reach the hair follicles.
Market-Leading brands like Capillus and iRestore hair growth system use real Laser Diodes in their devices. iRestore also uses LEDs in combination with lasers to achieve maximum efficiency. Their experts believe that while the coherent low-wavelength laser light ensures proper stimulation of the dormant hair follicles, the LEDs help spread out the energy across the scalp to encourage a broader area of effect.
All devices from iRestore and Capillus use Medical-grade Laser Technology in line with industry standards. In addition, the lasers are evenly distributed for every cap/helmet to provide optimum levels of power and uniform scalp coverage for the best follicular stimulation for hair restoration.
Note: Please remember even though Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) works as a complementary treatment in severe cases, it can not cure complete baldness.
Winner: iRestore (the combination of lasers and LEDs gives iRestore laser hair growth systems a slight edge over Capillus Laser Caps).
Read also: iRestore laser hair growth system review -iRestore professional vs essential
Power and Effectiveness
Power is another vital aspect of these LLLT devices and a denominator for effectiveness.
How effective your hair follicle stimulation has been depends on the uninterrupted energy transmitted from the device. The strength or power of laser caps depends on the number of laser diodes, total power output (mW), and Wavelength (nm). Now, let’s look at these variables for each product:
- iRestore Essential– The iRestore Essential Laser Hair Growth System comprises 120 medical-grade lasers and LEDs of 5 mW that generate 600 mW of total power output.
- iRestore Professional– The iRestore Professional Laser Hair Growth System consists of 282 medical-grade lasers and LEDs. It generates 1410 mW of total power output.
- CapillusPro– The CapillusPro laser hair growth cap comes with 272 laser emitting diodes, generating total output of 1360 mW.
- CapillusPlus– The CapillusPlus laser cap contains 202 laser diodes, emitting total light energy of 1010 mW.
- CapillusOne– The CapillusOne model consists of 112 laser diodes. Each has a power of 5 mW, generating a total power output of 560 mW.
- CapillusUltra– The CapillusUltra laser cap contains 82 laser diodes of 5 mW each, emitting total light energy at 410 mW.
- Capillus Pro S1– The Capillus Pro S1 laser cap comes with 304 medical-grade laser diodes and 1360 mW of laser energy.
All the LLLT devices of iRestore and Capillus listed above work at an optimum wavelength of 650 nm.
Winner: Capillus Pro S1 (for severe hair loss) and iRestore Essential Laser Hair Growth System (for moderate hair loss).
Treatment
iRestore Helmet– iRestore advises its customers to use their LLLT helmet every other day for a 25-minute session. After 3 to 6 months of continuous use, you will start to see the results.
You can also opt for their iRestore hair growth system Kit versions for both Essential and Professional models. These come with Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo, Anti-Hair Loss Serum, Anti-Thinning Conditioner, and Hair Growth Formula 3-in-1.
Capillus Laser Caps – Capillus recommends you use their laser caps every day for a 6-minute session. According to their claim, in 6 months, you will notice a decrease in hair loss. You will notice visible physical results and a fuller appearance on your scalp in one year. After two years, you will see the most noticeable prominent results in hair regrowth. Capillus does not have any added kits like iRestore.
Winner: iRestore helmet (Less time taken to see results and have supporting kits for better haircare)
Fit and Comfort
iRestore laser hair growth system has a circumference of 25 inches, and for Capillus Laser caps, it is 24 inches. Both are more than enough to provide comfort for all general head shapes.
Both devices have hands-free operation and come with portable battery packs and AC power adapters. This feature makes them very comfortable to wear and enhances portability.
As iRestore LLLT devices are essentially helmets, they might draw unwanted attention in public.
But the basic appearance of Capillus Laser Caps or hats lets you go outside without giving much thought to the crowd.
Winner: iRestore (suitable for home use with a slightly larger circumference) and Capillus (for outdoor use, with a smaller circumference).
Read more: Capillus Laser Cap Review
Cost
The cost of iRestore Laser Caps:
iRestore Essential- Check the price on Amazon
Buy from iRestore’s official website for $699
Avail the complete iRestore Essential Full Kit for $774 now and save $75.
iRestore Professional- Available now on Amazon for $899
Buy from iRestore’s official website for $1,299
Get the iRestore Professional Growth Kit (3-Month) for $1,524 and save $450.
- iRestore Professional
- Price: $1195.00
- iRestore Professional Complete System
- Price: $1255.00
- iRestore Essential
- Price: $695.00
- iRestore Essential Full Kit
- Price: $755.00
Capillus laser cap cost:
- CapillusPro- Check the price on the official website; available now on Amazon for $1799
- CapillusPlus- Check the price on the official website; available now on Amazon for $849
- CapillusOne- Check the price on the official website; available now on Amazon for $799
- CapillusUltra- Available now on Amazon for $479
- Capillus Pro S1- Available on the official website
Winner: iRestore Helmet (much more budget-friendly).
*Please note: prices on the different websites can be changed.
Warranty and Return Policy
iRestore:
The iRestore Essential comes with a standard 1-year manufacturer’s warranty. You can get an additional extended warranty of 24 months, summing up to total coverage of 3 years, which must be purchased simultaneously as the device to be valid.
On the other hand, the iRestore Professional comes with a standard 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. You can get an additional extended warranty of 24 months to double your coverage to a total of 4 years, which also has to be purchased at the same time as the device to be valid.
The activation of the warranty has to be from iRestore’s official website.
The Return Policy for iRestore Laser Hair Growth Sytems purchased from their official website includes a 12-month Money-Back-Guarantee at an additional 18% service fee. iRestore devices bought over amazon provide a 30-day return window. For iRestore Laser Hair Growth Systems purchased through authorized resellers, you must provide a valid receipt while claiming a warranty. iRestore allows the return of only one device per user under this money-back guarantee program.
Capillus:
Capillus provides:
- A limited warranty of 1 year for CapillusUltra.
- Two years for CapillusOne.
- Two years for CapillusPlus.
- Three years for CapillusPro.
- Three-year warranty on the Capillus Pro S1 laser cap device.
You must register your product officially online within 30 days of purchase to claim a warranty.
In addition, Capillus provides a 1-year limited warranty on their battery pack and ac adapter.
Capillus offers a 6-Month Satisfaction Guarantee. Suppose you are unsatisfied with the results within six months of using the device (from the purchase date). In that case, Capillus will gladly accept a return with verified proof of purchase.
You’ll have to bear the return shipping costs. Moreover, you will be charged 25% of the purchase price as a service fee.
Winner: iRestore Laser Hair Growth System (provides more coverage at a relatively lesser cost).
Safety
I realize that it is always better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, all the products I’ve compared here have FDA clearance for men and women alike. So, you can rest assured that these LLLT devices are some of the safest.
Winner: Tie (both are FDA approved).
Brand Experience
iRestore is the technological brainchild of Freedom Laser Therapy. It’s a laser therapy clinic founded in 2003 which used low-level laser therapy to help smokers overcome addiction. With further research in LLLT, iRestore devices later received FDA approval and are now considered one of the most efficient and non-toxic LLLT devices in the market.
Capillus is a brand that has been around since 2012. And The FDA has also cleared its laser caps as Class-2 medical devices for revitalizing hair growth. Capillus is almost a decade younger when it comes to brand experience.
Winner: iRestore (has been in the game for almost two decades).
Customer Experience
The credibility of a brand demands the evaluation of first-hand user experiences. It helps quite a lot when buying such expensive devices. But going through the individual customer testimonials and reviews on the official website and other platforms can be a strenuous job. So, after investing much of my time and patience, I shall give you a brief overview of the customer experiences of these two brands.
iRestore Reviews- iRestore has very positive reviews on both its official website and Amazon. The official site boasts of all 5–star reviews. The average customer iRestore Essential review on amazon is 4 out of 5. For iRestore Professional reviews, it is 4.4 out of 5. Both iRestore products have more than 3,000 reviews in-between them, which is a formidable achievement.
The Capillus laser cap reviews on their official site are rather impressive. 75-85% of their customers recommend the Capillus hair cap on the company website. On other online retail stores, the average customer reviews are above mediocre, ranging from 3.4 to 4.2 out of 5, with CapillusOne and CapillusRx taking the pedestal.
Winner: iRestore (more widely and highly reviewed than Capillus).
Conclusion
Based on my research and feedback on iRestore laser helmets vs. Capillus laser caps, I’d give the final verdict that in terms of technology, treatment regime, cost, customer experience, and brand presence, iRestore is the clear winner. However, Caplllus isn’t far behind. In terms of comfort and portability, it gives tough competition to iRestore and sometimes surpasses it.
Both brands’ warranty and return policies are equally attractive, with iRestore leading by a short margin. Both iRestore and Capillus caps go head-to-head in terms of power and effectiveness. So choose your laser treatment device based on your hair loss type and budget.
