Equipment comparison
Candela. Lumenis. Cynosure. Alma. The HR-LASE™.
These are the five tri-wavelength diode systems that come up most when practices — dermatology, med spa, internal medicine, ER adding aesthetics — are shopping for laser hair removal. We sell one of them. Here's where they stand against each other — including the parts where the established brands have a real edge.
Updated 2026-05-08. Competitor prices reflect publicly observed market ranges — not vendor-confirmed quotes. Get current quotes from each vendor before you decide.
The wavelength question
Who actually has all three. And who has FDA clearance on each.
Three wavelengths target three melanin-depth bands. 755 nm (alexandrite range) for lighter skin. 808 nm (diode) for the broadest skin-type range. 1064 nm (Nd:YAG range) for darker Fitzpatrick types. Most competitors carry one or two. The HR-LASE™ carries all three — with FDA clearance for hair removal on each.
Only laser with FDA clearance on all three wavelengths. 755 nm + 808 nm + 1064 nm. The grid below shows where the brand-name systems land. Tri-clearance is the regulatory edge the HR-LASE™ carries that single- or dual-wavelength competitors structurally cannot match.
| Wavelength | Clinical role | Candela GentleMax Pro |
Lumenis LightSheer |
Cynosure Elite iQ |
Alma Soprano ICE |
HR-LASE™ (FG2000B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 755 nm Alexandrite |
Lighter skin (Fitz I–III) | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ FDA cleared |
| 808 nm Diode |
Broadest range (Fitz I–V) | — | ~805 nm | — | ~810 nm | ✓ FDA cleared |
| 1064 nm Nd:YAG |
Darker skin (Fitz IV–VI) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ FDA cleared |
| All three exact wavelengths? | No (2 of 3) | No (2 of 3) | No (2 of 3) | Close (810 ≠ 808) | Yes — 755 / 808 / 1064 |
Competitor wavelength specs sourced from publicly available product literature. Lumenis LightSheer operates at 805 nm (not 808); Alma Soprano at 810 nm (not 808). Both are diode-range but not the same wavelength as the HR-LASE™'s 808 nm output.
At a glance
The full comparison, one table.
| Decision factor | Alderm Direct HR-LASE™ (FG2000B) |
Candela GentleMax Pro Plus |
Lumenis Splendor X |
Cynosure Elite iQ |
Alma Soprano Titanium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Quote on request Factory-direct |
~$80K–$100K* | ~$110K–$175K* | ~$80K–$120K* | ~$75K–$90K* |
| Wavelengths | 755 / 808 / 1064 nm ✓ Tri-wavelength, simultaneous |
755 / 1064 nm Dual |
755 / 1064 nm Dual |
755 / 1064 nm Dual |
755 / 810 / 1064 nm Tri (810 ≠ 808) |
| Skin types treated | Fitzpatrick I–VI ✓ | Fitzpatrick I–VI | Fitzpatrick I–VI | Fitzpatrick I–VI | Fitzpatrick I–VI |
| Sales & Service | Factory Direct ✓ One phone tree, no rep handoff |
Distributor Model Regional / rep-led |
Distributor Model Regional / rep-led |
Distributor Model Regional / rep-led |
Distributor Model Regional / rep-led |
| FDA / CE status | FDA cleared ✓ 755 / 808 / 1064 nm |
FDA cleared | FDA cleared | FDA cleared | FDA cleared |
| Best fit | Independent practices ✓ Dermatology, med spa, internal medicine, ER adding aesthetics |
Multi-location, enterprise | High-volume clinics | Established practices | SHR-focused practices |
* Competitor prices reflect publicly observed new equipment ranges — Candela GentleMax Pro Plus (~$80K–$100K), Lumenis Splendor X (~$110K–$175K), Cynosure Elite iQ (~$80K–$120K), Alma Soprano Titanium (~$75K–$90K). Real practice quotes from manufacturers vary by configuration, financing, and trade-in. Confirm current pricing with each vendor before deciding.
Decision factor 1
Price.
The biggest number in the comparison, and the one that determines whether the math works for a practice your size.
Factory-direct pricing
Factory-direct removes distributor margin, regional sales-rep overhead, and brand-maintenance spend that get priced into brand-name systems. The HR-LASE™ price is set per-conversation — request a quote and we'll walk through what fits your practice.
Where the savings come from
Distributor margin, regional sales-rep overhead, and brand-maintenance spend — trade shows, clinical trial budgets, journal advertising — all get priced into the equipment when you buy through a brand distribution network. Factory-direct removes all three.
What the savings don't touch
The hardware. Tri-wavelength diode platforms are built by a small set of OEM manufacturers. The underlying machine cost is similar across brands. The price difference is in distribution, not in what's inside the box.
Decision factor 2
Service.
The first question most buyers ask when they hear "factory-direct." It's a fair question. Here's the honest answer.
| Dimension | Major brands (Candela / Lumenis / Cynosure / Alma) | Alderm Direct |
|---|---|---|
| First-call routing | Regional support desk → tier-1 triage → escalation if needed. The first call is the queue, not the diagnosis. | Direct line to the team that sold you the unit. The first call is the diagnosis. |
| Parts pipeline | Regional warehouse spares network. Parts ship from the nearest service depot once the service ticket is approved. | Parts shipped direct on diagnosis. Practice does the swap with a guided call when the part is in-room serviceable. |
| On-site technician | Field-service territory rep dispatched when the fix needs hands. Travel coverage and lead-time depend on regional density. | Service visit scheduled when the diagnosis points to non-in-room work (resonator alignment, beam-delivery cable, cooling-system rebuild). |
| Annual service contract | $3K–$8K/yr, sometimes bundled at purchase, sometimes sold separately. Typically covers parts + labor + on-site visits within the contract term. | No separate service contract sold. Manufacturer 2-year warranty covers parts during the warranty window. Post-warranty service handled per-incident through Alderm Direct. |
| Warranty depth | Brand-specific. Typically 1–2 years bundled, optional extended-warranty plans available at additional cost. | Manufacturer 2-year warranty. Full warranty document available on request prior to purchase. |
| Loaner / downtime mitigation | Loaner availability varies by brand and contract tier. Generally a paid add-on or a top-tier service-contract entitlement. | Single-unit practices: 2-year warranty + part-shipping pipeline; no loaner pool. |
Which model fits depends on your practice. A six-provider multi-location group doing six figures a month in LHR revenue needs an enterprise SLA and probably has an equipment-procurement team that requires one as a precondition. A single-location independent practice doing 10–30 cases a month usually gets a faster first answer calling us directly than working a brand-name service queue — and saves $15K–$40K in service-contract cost over the equipment's typical lifecycle by not paying for an SLA wrapper that doesn't change the outcome for the volume they actually run.
The 2-year manufacturer warranty covers most of the period when hardware failures actually happen — early-life defects show up early, infant-mortality components fail in months 0–18, the surviving population stays healthy. Beyond year 2, service-incident frequency drops sharply and the per-incident model usually beats an annual contract on total cost for moderate-volume practices.
Deeper: see the service & support section on the product page for the engineering close-up of each service touch-point, and the model-fit argument on Why Alderm Direct for the downtime-economics framing.
Plain-spoken recommendations
When to pick each.
The right answer isn't always the HR-LASE™. Here's where we'd point you elsewhere.
Pick a major brand if…
You run multiple locations, your equipment purchasing goes through a procurement process, you need an enterprise service SLA with contractual response windows, or your lender has a preferred equipment list. Brand recognition on the balance sheet matters to some lenders.
Pick Alma if…
You specifically want SHR — Super Hair Removal — and the low-fluence, high-repetition-rate approach Alma's Soprano line is built around. That's a different clinical method, not just a different brand. Worth understanding the difference before choosing.
Pick Alderm Direct if…
You're an independent practice — dermatology, med spa, internal medicine, ER adding aesthetics — upgrading LHR and the brand-name capital outlay doesn't make sense. You want tri-wavelength coverage across all skin types. And you'd rather talk to the person who knows the machine than work a service queue.
See the HR-LASE™ side-by-side.
Thirty-minute video walkthrough or in-person visit. Bring your questions about wavelengths, service, and financing. We'll answer them straight.