ONE LIGHT from Neung vs Helder 2
This is not “which is better.” This is “which one will you actually use.”
People keep asking me this, so here’s my honest take.
A good wall panel like ONE LIGHT is a serious tool. Big coverage. A lot of light. Great for that full body ritual at home.
Helder 2 is the opposite philosophy. Targeted. Simple. Built for normal life. A device you can actually use every day without turning your house into a clinic.
So yeah, you can compare specs all day. But the real difference is habit.
Quick note on Neung and ONE LIGHT
Neung lives in Bangkok. He’s a biohacker and a fitness dude, and he’s properly into red light therapy. We actually “met” a few weeks ago just on the phone, and soon we’ll meet up and do a podcast together.
So when I say ONE LIGHT is a good wall panel, I’m not talking about some random Alibaba panel with a fake sticker. Neung is the real deal. He cares about this stuff.
What a good wall panel is great at
If you’ve got space and you like routines, a panel is awesome.
You can hit big areas fast. Back. Legs. Whole torso. Shoulders. You stand there, you soak it in, you’re done.
A panel is basically the “home gym rack” of red light therapy. When people use it, it’s great.
The problem is what happens in real life.
The factory story that taught me everything
Back in the day, Arjen built a full-body setup using old sample PCBs from a project called Power Beam. Full-on power. Almost whole body coverage.
We put it in the back bathroom in the factory and said, “Everyone can use this. Everyone should use this.” We were literally a red light therapy company, so you’d think this would be a daily ritual.
And then reality happened.
It turns out it seemed only Christian had the time to undress and stand ten minutes in front of a panel.
Just ten minutes. But no one used it.
Not because they didn’t believe in it. Not because they didn’t want the benefits. But because there’s friction. People are busy. They don’t want to change clothes at work. They postpone. They forget. They think “tomorrow.”
I used to obsess about specs. Garnet cured me of that with one sentence: the best wellness device is the one you actually use. 🙂
That’s the whole game right there.
If the habit is hard, the device becomes a decoration.
The distance problem nobody talks about
And here’s the second thing with panels.
Distance.
Unless you’re a biohacker and you’re hardcore about it, it’s actually hard to do a panel session consistently.
One day you’re 15 cm away. Next day you’re 30 cm away. Then you angle a little. Then you stand a little higher. Then you change time because you’re guessing.
So even when you do use the panel, you often end up with random sessions.
With light, distance is the whole game. If you don’t control distance, you don’t really control the session.
This is why panel owners either become disciplined nerds, or they slowly stop using it.
What a targeted device is great at
This is where a targeted device shines.
Helder 2 is built for consistency. Same setup. Same distance. Same routine. Less guessing.
You don’t need a dedicated room. You don’t need to undress fully. You don’t need to stand there like you’re in a sci-fi clinic.
You just pick the spot you care about and you do it.
Knee. Shoulder. Jaw. Neck. Face. Behind the knee. Hands. Lower back. Whatever is on your list.
This is why I call Helder 2 our Volkswagen of red light.
Not because it’s “cheap.” Because it’s practical. It’s the one normal people will actually use.
The honest tradeoff
If you want maximum coverage and you truly love that home ritual, a good wall panel like ONE LIGHT is hard to beat.
If you want something you will actually use consistently, especially in real life in Thailand and Asia, Helder 2 makes more sense.
So it’s not “ONE LIGHT vs Helder 2.”
It’s more like this:
ONE LIGHT (wall panel)
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Best for coverage
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Best if you have a fixed spot at home
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Best if you actually enjoy the ritual
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Easy to become inconsistent with distance and time
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Easy to not use at all once life gets busy
Helder 2 (targeted)
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Best for consistency
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Best for targeted spots
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Best for desk life and daily routines
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Easy to keep the distance and time repeatable
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Easy to use even when you’re busy
If you love panels, here’s how to make it actually work
If you want the panel life, do yourself a favor and remove the friction:
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Put a tape mark on the floor for where your toes go
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Mount the panel at a fixed height and stop changing it
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Use a timer every single time
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Pick a simple routine. Same time of day
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Keep it dumb. Don’t turn it into a whole ceremony
That’s how a panel becomes a habit instead of a guilt object.
My personal recommendation
If you can only buy one thing, buy the thing that matches your real life.
Because the best device in the world is the one you actually use.
And if you end up with both, that’s honestly the dream setup.
Panel at home for the big coverage sessions.
Helder 2 for daily targeted work, the spots you actually care about, and the days where you have zero time.
Quick note, because we do this properly
AriHelder is a wellness brand. Not a medical device company. I’m sharing founder perspective and real-world use. If you have a real medical issue, talk to a professional. Light is a tool, not a miracle.
If you’ve got ONE LIGHT or any other panel, tell me. Do you actually use it? And if you do, what made it stick as a habit?