Have you noticed that almost EVERY manufacturer and distributor shamelessly declares themselves as "The Best", "Most Innovative", "Most Advanced", "Highest Quality", or a personal favorite, all of the above?
Can Everyone be the BEST?
Obviously, not EVERY Cryo Chamber can actually be "The Best" so other than that true "Best", everyone else is just self-promoting and flat out lying. Unfortunately, the cryotherapy industry is still in its infancy and there is a lot of unqualified manufacturers and companies making unfounded claims about quality, temperature, capabilities, etc, making it very difficult for the consumer to sift through the noise to find the best option for them.
Instead of giving you our biased point of view and telling your we are the best (we do believe we have a strong case), we are going to provide guidelines to help you find out who really is the best and be confident with this large investment. If done properly, you will be making an educated decision and end up with a valuable asset that will be with you for years to come!
So Where do I start?
First things first, you need to decide whether you want to go the Nitrogen or Electric route. While both methods of cryo can give positive results, it has been widely debated and general decided that Electric is the future of cryotherapy so for the purpose of this article, we are going to focus only on electric cryo chambers.
Now, please note that not all "electric" cryo chambers are created equally. Just as the electric Tesla and electric SMART EV car do not have the same quality and performance capabilities, you should not expect all "elelctric" cryo chambers to be equal, just because they each use electricity to operate.
 SMART EV: 0-60mph in 9.8 seconds |  Tesla Roadster: 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds |
Similarly to electric vehicles, electric cryo chambers are vastly different in quality, performance and more. The first thing to get past is the marketing of everyone claiming to be the best. Next, check the specs and claims of the machines to make sure they match your needs. Unfortunately, just checking the self published specs is not enough and you should be weary of claims made on websites and by sales people.
Others: Head out, -20F, 10-20 session/day |  Everest: Head in, -166F, 100+ sessions/day |
If you understand refrigeration, it will be quite obvious which systems are suitable for commercial applications and high performance, but it can sometimes be difficult to tell how a system is powered when browsing online.
Look out for these Red Flags
System can plug into the wall on 120V - it simply isn't powerful enough.
Is not fully enclosed - Just like your freezer at home, you need to keep the cold in..
Small footprint or no external equipment - This isn't magic, it takes relatively large engine cabinets to power cryo chambers.
Sold by distributor - Distributors are often not fully educated on systems and are typically overly focused on making a quick sale, regardless of fit.
Reputation & Presence of Manufacturer - If the manufacturer has an overwhelmingly or little to no reputation or locations near you, there may be a reason for that.
Temperature Claims - Unfortunately, temperature claims are widespread in the industry and something that is routinely false
Abscence of Sessions/day specs - It is one thing to get the system cold, but can it stay cold all day and deliver the number of sessions you need it to?
Aggressive language - "The best", "most advanced", "game changing", and similar language can be a sign that something is lacking in substance
So What do I do?
Try the systems! - After you narrow down to 2-3 options, be SURE to physically go try them each in person. There is no better barometer for quality than trying for yourself. We still test drive cars before buying them and the same process should be applied to cryo chambers.
Don't just try them once - Take a friend and have them try it right before or after you so that you can both compare notes. A lot of cryo chambers are only good for 1-2 sessions per hour so if you happen to try it while it is actually cold, you might not realize how long it takes to recover until the next session. Maybe come back another day or try them at multiple locations. If they don't have multiple locations near you, that may be a sign you should consider.
Talk to owners IN PERSON - There are a lot of online forums with owners that discuss pros and cons of systems, but many of them are actually controlled and censored by manufacturers or distributors. The best owners to talk to are ones that have had their system for several years.
Ask the HARD questions - Forget about the marketing content. Ask about service after the sale, common problems, time for repair, what is included in warranty, etc. If they tell you their system never needs service, RUN!
Disclaimer: This article was written by a member of CryoBuilt. We do strongly believe that we have the best cryo chambers and the best service & support, but we caution you to take our word for it without using the above steps to evaluate your options.
Should you want to try a CryoBuilt cryotherapy chamber, find a location near you on this map and schedule a consultation with one of our product experts;