Is Saunacore Really Obsessed with Quality?
Saunacore Canada claims its mission is to be obsessed with quality in building its infrared saunas as well as its traditional indoor and outdoor units. Does this hold up under close scrutiny? For some of its products, yes. But unfortunately some products do not and others are greatly overpriced.
This is a challenging review to complete for many reasons. While Saunacore sauna is different than 90% of its competitors, one competitor, Heavenly Heat Saunas has superior medical-grade infrared saunas which are made in the USA and have a lower price.
So for you, the consumer wanting to know which infrared brand is the best for you and how their units might benefit you, does their stated obsession to quality benefit you?
Saunacore does many things. It has infrared saunas, traditional saunas and is known for its stand alone steam heaters. Again, the short answer is that for those desiring a medically pure sauna for extremely chemically sensitive people, Heavenly Heat Saunas are a vastly superior option. As that is their direct competitor, we encourage you to read that review carefully. This review will mention and compare to Heavenly Heat numerous times.
However, for those wanting a customized traditional sauna and have a high budget, Saunacore could still be considered.
Quick Rating: Saunacore Review of Features
Company – Excellent
Extensive product lines of infrared, steam, parts and accessories. Some products built in Canada.
Wood Cabinets
Varies. Ultra Clean wood on the Purity Line. Built for chemically sensitive people. Many options to customize.
Also offers a low quality, Chinese made line.
Heater – Excellent or Acceptable
The brand uses a clean ceramic heating element in Purity line.
Standard, cheap carbon heater in Finn Core.
Warranty – Good and Poor
Varies. Purity and Infra-Core have Lifetime on heaters and only 5 Years on all other parts.
Lower end Finn-Core carries only 5 years on heater and 1 year on parts.
Most online Saunacore reviews are simply restatement of a few basic features on the company website. This Saunacore review is based on 4 years of research and discussions with company representatives. Our hope is that is saves you hours of research and helps you choose the best product for you and your family.
Saunacore Sauna
Jump to These Sections:
- How Saunacore Infrared Saunas are Different
- What is Different about the Saunacore Heaters?
- What Wood and Glues Does Saunacore Use?
- Horizon Purity Line
- Opti-Cool Air Circulation in the Infra-Core Line
- Finn-Core Line
- Warranty
- Saunacore Sauna Review Conclusion
How Saunacore Infrared Saunas are Different
When wanting actual detoxification and healing, the materials used and how they are combined and put together is what determines whether or not you actually benefit from its use, and to what extent.
For informed consumers a close examination of this company’s products reveals tremendous quality differences that will positively affect your health during your infrared sessions. The Saunacore heater is where you will find the greatest benefits over lesser brands.
Medical Grade 304 Stainless Steel Saunacore Heaters
What is Different about the Saunacore Heaters?
This is one area the company stands almost alone above all others. The ceramic heating element used is premium medical grade, 304 surgical stainless steel. What this means is when in use, there are no metal fumes being released. Other companies which use out dated sand filled ceramic tubes are in fact producing some of the very toxins you are trying to eliminate out of your body.
These heaters appear to be equal to the purest ceramics in the industry. It is interesting to note that one other highly rated company, Heavenly Heat, buys and uses similar heating elements. In fact Heavenly Heat’s models and the Horizon Purity line from Saunacore (page 31 of their brochure) are the only ultra-pure units and are the ones recommended for those that are extremely chemically sensitive or already chemically ill.
However, while Heavenly Heat manufacturers only the one extremely clean product line, Saunacore Canada also manufacturers other lines.
The Saunacore heater is also concave providing up to 96% efficiency in directing the infrared to your body. Understand that many inexpensive (read cheap) products using ceramic rods have efficiency of 50% or less. Many companies use inexpensive ceramics that were actually designed for purposes such as drying paint on automobiles and other non-health related purposes.
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What Wood and Glues Does Saunacore Use?
The company is very particular about the woods and other components used in constructing the wood cabins. In the Infra-core line, very small amounts of glues are used and those used are water based non toxic glues. Non corrosive screws are used to secure the wood pieces together. The Purity line uses no adhesives at all. However they state the wood used in manufacturing the Purity line is “treated with non-harmful substances.”
In contrast, Heavenly Heat uses no wood treatments.
Horizon Purity Line
This is the Medical grade line designed for home use. It is their purest line using only non-corrosive screws to assemble the cabin. The wood used is solid poplar or cedar. I do think this product line could be improved a little. A stereo and speakers does come with this unit which I would actually prefer to see not included when designed for the ultra chemically sensitive. For 99% of users, however, this should not be an issue at all.
Sauncaore Control Panel
Opti-Cool Air Circulation in the Infa-Core Line
The company’s large product line of Infra-Core units have an optimization cooling system which cools and circulates the air inside the cabin. A fan brings in cool outside air and circulates that into the cabin and out a ceiling vent. This moves through each heater and through the hollow venting inside the cabin walls.
This is an expensive process that provides two great benefits for you.
First, it vents out the toxins you are excreting through sweat and provides additional comfort. Secondly, ceramic heaters are known for being very hot. The cooler an infrared element is, the closer it gets to a better resonance frequency for your body’s cells and the better the body’s cells shake off toxins.
There is a lot of technical work that goes into this but basically your body will detox better with this circulation than with the exact same unit that does not have this. Combine this with the clean ceramic Saunacore heaters and it is a combination that is surpassed only by Heavenly Heat Saunas. This is one of the reasons this brand has very high quality. However, this Infra-Core line does not have the purity of their Purity line and is still priced from around $7000 for the smallest unit up to $11,500.
The only other manufacturer that has an air circulation system is Heavenly Heat, which as mentioned, uses 304 surgical grade stainless steel elements and is obsessed with purity.
These Infra-Core air circulated units are designed with a wellness clinic or medical related office in mind. In these settings the units are often run 8-10 hours a day with up to 20 patients using them each day. The air circulation helps keep the units cooler throughout the day. 40% of the company’s infrared sauna units are sold for these types of medical applications. 60% end up in residential homes. These also include the Euro-Light canopy.
These do lack a carbon filter which Heavenly Heat includes for the expelled air but these move more air.
Infra-Floor Heating
The high end Infra-Core line also offers an optional upgrade which includes full floor heating. This same concept is offered standard with two top companies, Clearlight and Vital Health, although Sauncaore’s is full floor heating. It supplies 12 watts per square foot which is a low temperature, but enough to keep the feet from becoming the coldest part of the body. The feet contain almost 20,000 pores and there are strong opinions that this far infrared to the feet can add an extra benefit.
Finn-Core Line
Finn-Core is their lower end line targeted to compete directly with the typical units sold by most mid-grade companies. It is superior to the 90% of mass produced $1000 ones sold at large retail chains but not exceptional compared to a few other brands. I believe Clearlight’s lines to be superior to this Finn Core line with its stronger heating panels and much better full lifetime warranty.
One of Saunacore’s accesories
Warranty
Infra-Core and Horizon Purity models carry a 5 year warranty on parts with lifetime coverage on the heaters. While this is a good warranty, I wish the other parts carried a longer warranty then 5 years. This is an impressive company producing products that will likely last you for decades. Perhaps in the future the warranties will increase, more accurately reflecting this.
However, this is still a good warranty on products that will likely never disappoint any owner.
The lower end Finn-Core carry only 1 year on parts and only 5 years on the heating element. Very disappointing when compared to Clearlight’s full lifetime warranty that includes superior carbon heaters.
Traditional Sauna Steamroom
The company also offers traditional steam heaters and traditional sauna for indoor or outdoor use in many styles as well as stand-alone electric and Country Living Wood Stoves to be used as add on parts. These range from Steam vaporizers to their electric sauna heaters, the Elite series heaters. It also sells DIY kits and parts including doors and heat elements.
Their sauna heater line is the area where this company is at its best. Part of the Saunacore products line is working with construction companies to design and build commercial steam rooms and steambaths.
Saunacore Outdoor Saunas
The Country Living Barrel Saunas include either the Saunacore CTY-WS16 Wood Burning Stove or Special Edition Electric Heater.
Their accessory line includes thermometers, foot massagers, steam controllers, chromo therapy color lights and other related items. This company has an expansive product line and has all aspects of beneficial sweating and detoxification therapy covered.
They also have a line of steam bath generators including the Steamcore Spa II and Steamcore Pro Series for a steam sauna and steam room. These can be part of their custom do-it-yourself sauna kits.
As you can see, their product lines are extensive with a sauna heater being a major part of their product line.
Saunacore Sauna Review Conclusion
If you are wanting to own a customized product or one of the best the industry has to offer and price is not a factor, you could consider this Canadian brand, headquartered in Ontario, Canada. Most of their products are very much better than the $1500 units sold in large chain stores. However, there are better options for any of their infrared sauna products.
Saunacore actually manufactures a lot of its own products which is what allows it to offer not only customized cabins, customized ceramic placements, glass doors etched with company logos, etc, but also allows it to build some of its products as pure, quality units from exceptionally superior components.
Options:
For a medical practice with daily patient use, this company and Heavenly Heat should be your top considerations. Both actually manufacturer their own units and provide air circulation. Sauacore prices are nearly twice as much, however.
For home use with an ultra chemically sensitive person their Purity Line is rivaled only by Heavenly Heat. The Purity is also ideal for any home for the average person.
But again, Heavenly Heat has the purest medial grade heaters anywhere, provides air circulation, filters the vented air, has exceptional customer service with low pressure sales, offers options including wheels/castors, near infrared full spectrum and are custom made in the USA with a much lower price tag. The top doctor in the world specializing in treating chemically sensitive patients has used Heavenly Heats Saunas since 1994. Dozens of other medical clinics and doctors do as well.
If you are looking for a high quality product with a price on the lower end of these high end units, we think Clearlight offers better options than the lower end Finn-Core line. As well, for 95% of users, Clearlight’s units offer exceptional detoxification, which is backed up by numerous clinical studies.
If you are serious about wanting to truly improve your health and budget is not a consideration, you could consider this company’s Purity line. We also encourage you to study the brand comparison table as well as read the other top reviews. Our opinion, based on 6 years of research, is that Heavenly Heat will provide a superior pure product. Clearlight and Heavenly Heat offer exceptional units at a better price. Sunlighten and Vital Health’s units are better options than the lower end Finn-Core.
To your Health.