Cross-category · read the framing first
SoftWave is broad-focused electrohydraulic and the Chattanooga machines are radial and focused. Compare them on the axes that genuinely map across, with sourced specs and FDA records.
The decision in plain English
This is not a specification race, because these machines are not in the same category. SoftWave's Gold Li Series is broad-focused electrohydraulic: a spark gap inside a parabolic reflector produces a wave that is spread across a treatment volume rather than concentrated at a point. Its published 0 to 82 mm figure is a focus volume, not a focal depth.
The Chattanooga catalogue is two different things again — one electromagnetic focused device and two pneumatic radial ones. Setting a broad field's volume against a narrow focal spot, or against a radial device's surface energy, produces a number that looks like a comparison and is not one. That specific error is the thing this page exists to stop you making.
So the table below compares only on the axes that genuinely map across all four machines: energy range, frequency, portability, price transparency and regulatory record. Everything category-specific stays in the framing rather than in a column.
A radial device puts its peak energy at the applicator surface and disperses with depth. It covers a broad, shallow area and is the workhorse for superficial tendinopathy and trigger-point work. Both the Intelect RPW2 and the Mobile 2 RPW are in this group.
A focused device concentrates energy at a depth you select, so the peak lands inside tissue. The Intelect Focus is in this group, and its 0.01 to 0.55 mJ/mm² band is a point intensity.
A broad-focused device spreads energy through a treatment volume. SoftWave's 0.01 to 0.19 mJ/mm² is measured across that volume, so reading it as "weaker" than a focused device's peak misunderstands what is being measured. Different quantity, different clinical intent.
| Specification | Chattanooga Intelect Focus Shockwave | Chattanooga Intelect RPW2 | Chattanooga Intelect Mobile 2 RPW | SoftWave Gold Li Series (OW100S) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modality | Electromagnetic focusedSource [1] | Radial pressure wave, pneumaticSource [1] | Portable pneumatic radial pressure waveSource [1] | Broad-focused electrohydraulic, parabolic reflectorSource [3] |
| Energy range | 0.01–0.55 mJ/mm² at the focal pointSource [1] | Extended pressure range, stated in bar not mJ/mm²Source [1] | Not stated in the sources reviewed | 0.01–0.19 mJ/mm² across the treatment volumeSource [3] |
| Frequency range | 1–8 HzSource [1] | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Not stated in the sources reviewed | 0.5–8 HzSource [3] |
| Field geometry | Focal point at a selected depthSource [1] | Peaks at the applicator surfaceSource [1] | Peaks at the applicator surfaceSource [1] | Focus volume 0–82 mm — a volume, not a focal depthSource [3] |
| Weight and portability | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Not stated in the sources reviewed | Built-in compressor for mobile useSource [1] | 36.3 lbSource [3] |
| Purchase price signal | $50,176.02 purchase estimateSource [1] | $18,775.52 purchase estimateSource [1] | $16,709.85 purchase estimateSource [1] | $40,000–$99,000 as previously reported on 20 August 2026. The current public page uses an ROI calculator rather than a listed range, so treat that band as stale.Source [3] |
| Monthly lease signal | $1,165 per month estimateSource [1] | $427 per month estimateSource [1] | $380 per month estimateSource [1] | Financing stated to exist; terms not publicSource [3] |
| FDA record located | DJO establishment and device listing onlySource [2] | DJO establishment and device listing onlySource [2] | DJO establishment and device listing onlySource [2] | 510(k) K233937, diabetic foot ulcers, decided July 2024Source [4] |
What the gaps mean: Where SoftWave is genuinely stronger, this page says so. SoftWave holds the clearest FDA record among the broad-field devices we reviewed, and the three Chattanooga machines we sell hold a listing rather than a clearance. A comparison page that only flattered the machines we sell would not be worth reading.
Three different things get collapsed into the phrase “FDA approved”, and only one of them is approval. Each entry below names the exact record type and number found, and the indication exactly as the record words it. A record is specific to one model, one configuration and one indication; it never travels to another product.
No model-specific FDA clearance was located. What exists is a DJO establishment and device listing, which registers the facility and the device type. A listing is not a clearance and carries no indication.
No model-specific FDA clearance was located. What exists is a DJO establishment and device listing, which registers the facility and the device type. A listing is not a clearance and carries no indication.
No model-specific FDA clearance was located. What exists is a DJO establishment and device listing, which registers the facility and the device type. A listing is not a clearance and carries no indication.
A device-specific 510(k) was located for the OW100S configuration. Among the broad-field devices reviewed, this is the clearest regulatory record in the set.
Editorial judgment, not specification data
Everything above this point is sourced data. Everything in these cards is our opinion, and we sell some of the machines being judged. Read them as a starting point for your own diligence, not as a finding.
Broad-field and regenerative-medicine positioning
Choose SoftWave if your clinical model is built around treating a volume of tissue rather than a point, and if having a current device-specific clearance on file matters to how you present the service.
Because it is the only machine in the table above with a device-specific 510(k) — K233937, decided July 2024 — and its 0 to 82 mm figure describes a treatment volume, which is the geometry that model depends on.
Clinics that need depth-selected, point-targeted treatment
Choose the Intelect Focus when the target is deep and specific — an insertional tendinopathy at a known depth — rather than a broad region of tissue.
Because its 0.01 to 0.55 mJ/mm² band is a point intensity at a selected depth, roughly three times the top of SoftWave's volume-averaged range, because the two figures measure different things.
View the Intelect FocusBroad superficial caseloads, and clinics that need a published price
Choose a radial machine for high-volume superficial tendinopathy and trigger-point work, and choose the Mobile 2 if the machine has to leave the building.
Because they are the only options here with both a purchase and a monthly figure on the table — $18,775.52 / $427 and $16,709.85 / $380, all estimates — and the Mobile 2 carries the built-in compressor that makes on-site work practical.
View the Mobile 2 RPWPricing on request. This machine was quote-only everywhere we checked, so we publish no estimate for it.
Shockwave Source does not sell or lease this machine. Request pricing from its manufacturer directly.
Every monthly figure on this site is an estimate. Contract length, APR and buyout are confirmed at quote, not on this page.
Take this list to every quote you receive. If a vendor will not answer all five in writing, that is itself an answer.
SoftWave is a brand of shockwave device, not a separate treatment category. Its Gold Li Series is broad-focused electrohydraulic, which spreads acoustic energy through a treatment volume instead of concentrating it at one point. It is shockwave therapy delivered with a different field geometry from radial and focused machines.
Yes, for a specific configuration and indication. The record located is 510(k) K233937 on the OW100S, decided July 2024, for diabetic foot ulcers. That is the clearest FDA record among the broad-field devices we reviewed. Map the exact model and configuration you are quoted against that record before relying on it.
Chattanooga machines publish figures: $16,709.85 to $50,176.02 as purchase estimates, $380 to $1,165 monthly. SoftWave was previously reported at $40,000 to $99,000, but its current public page uses an ROI calculator rather than a listed range, so that band is stale and should be confirmed directly with SoftWave.
Because they are not the same measurement. SoftWave's 0 to 82 mm describes a focus volume — the region the energy is spread through. A focused device's depth figure describes where a narrow peak lands. Setting one against the other produces a number that looks comparable and tells you nothing useful.
No. Shockwave Source sells and leases the three Chattanooga Intelect machines named on this page and has a commercial interest in them. SoftWave is compared independently. We are not a SoftWave dealer, partner or affiliate, and pricing has to come from SoftWave or an authorised SoftWave representative.
You read the whole comparison
Bring the diligence checklist above to the call. We will answer all five questions for the machines we sell, in writing, including the ones where our answer is weaker than a competitor's.
Every monthly figure on this site is an estimate. Contract length, APR and buyout are confirmed at quote, not on this page.
Specifications on this page were verified on . Entries marked carried forward were not re-fetched during that pass and date from the earlier research round; treat them as older than the live entries.
