Nubway TI4

The TI4 suits beauty studios, salons, aesthetic and dermatology practices and medical spas whose clientele is mostly Fitzpatrick types I to IV with dark hair. Most bookings are for body hair, from legs and underarms to the bikini line and back, with sliding passes on large areas and stamped pulses on the lips and chin. Rosacea redness, thread veins, freckles and sun spots make up the skin list, and Nubway's platform list adds active acne.

Evidence on darker skin pulls in two directions. A 2026 narrative review of cosmetic treatments in skin types IV to VI advises against IPL there because of hyper- and hypopigmentation, and names the long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd: YAG laser as the standard for hair removal. The same review describes a within-patient comparison in types IV to VI in which IPL left no lasting adverse effects, although the laser removed more hair. It also cites a review of types III and IV that found IPL as safe and effective as lasers.

Duties attach to each room the console works in. An optical risk assessment under the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 falls to the employer. MHRA's guidance on intense light sources looks for written local rules, an appointed protection adviser and a supervisor on site, and operator eyewear should carry BS EN ISO 12609-1 marking. PUWER 1998 covers operator training and planned maintenance, and powered equipment undergoes electrical testing on the provider's schedule. Clinic groups that buy through formal procurement routes usually want device documents in hand before a unit is installed. The conformity documentation those procurement routes require comes from the manufacturer and is shared by the enquiry team.

Settings that follow the client in front of the operator

Separate hair and skin bands, six inserts and adjustable pulse width let one console treat a fair-skinned freckle client and an olive-skinned hair client in consecutive bookings. Protocol choice starts from the person on the couch.

A gentler mode for olive tones

In sliding mode, each pulse delivers only 3 to 15 J/cm², so the dose is spread across many passes. That lower peak per pulse gives operators a more forgiving way to work on olive skin after a clean patch test.

Vascular inserts for rosacea and thread veins

The 530 and 560 nm inserts reach the haemoglobin band that drives facial redness. A practice can add rosacea and thread vein courses to a hair-led menu on the same console.

Pigment work with a modest post-inflammatory record

Published trials on solar lentigines link intense pulsed light with relatively little post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. That matters for clients in types III and IV, where pigment rebound is the usual worry.

Longer pulses for cautious protocols

Pulse width reaches 10 ms, and longer pulses deliver energy more slowly. Slower delivery lowers peak heating in the epidermis, which suits darker phototypes within the console's range.

Cold contact on every pass

Cooling from the 108 W thermoelectric chip keeps the contact surface cold before and during each pulse. Clients tolerate settings better, and the epidermis maintains a margin against heat buildup during passes.

A portrait screen that supports protocol checks

Mode, energy and pulse settings are chosen on a tall portrait touchscreen with a circular dial above grouped icon panels. A clear layout supports the habit of checking each setting against the client's patch-test record before the session starts.

One running item to plan around

The xenon lamp's rating of up to one million shots works out at under 28 hours of firing at the 10 Hz ceiling. Logging shots per course turns that figure into a replacement schedule.

Three treatment modes

IPL, SHR and E-light share the console, each with its own fluence, rate and pulse-width limits. The operator selects the mode based on the target and body area.

IPL at 10 to 60 J/cm²

Stamped single pulses run from gentle facial settings to coarse-hair energies. Olive skin and type IV call for the lower part of the range.

SHR at 3 to 15 J/cm²

Low energy per pulse defines the sliding mode. Heat builds up gradually across repeated passes over the same skin.

Repetition from 1 to 10 Hz

Ten pulses a second suit flat body areas where the handle moves freely. Slower rates help on curves, bony areas and the first sessions of a course.

Pulse width from 1 to 10 ms

Pulse duration is adjustable across the full span. Operators lengthen it for darker skin and coarse hair, and shorten it for fine, superficial targets.

E-light radiofrequency

In E-light mode, radiofrequency at 160 W and 1 to 50 J accompanies the light, according to Nubway's platform table. The TI4 configuration sheet names the handle that carries the radiofrequency electrodes.

Hair band from 640 nm, skin band from 560 nm

Both bands extend to 950 nm, and Nubway's page prints them with unit-typing errors. The cut-offs keep the shortest, most superficial wavelengths away from hair work.

Six insert filters

Inserts at 430, 530, 560, 640, 690 and 755 nm move a handle between acne, blood-vessel, pigment and hair work. Nubway lists the insert-filter hand tools as optional, so the quotation states which arrive.

Treatment windows

Nubway's product page gives a 15 × 50 mm window, while its comparison table for the portable console lists an 8 × 40 mm skin window beside the 15 × 50 mm hair window. The narrow window helps around the nose and cheeks.

9 mm xenon lamp

The flash lamp is a 9 mm xenon tube whose Nubway rating tops out at one million shots. Higher fluence and longer pulses usually shorten that life.

Power supply and capacitors

Three large-capacity capacitors charge each flash from a lamp supply that Nubway quotes at 1500 W, against 2000 W in its specification table. The higher figure is the one to plan the circuit around.

Light guide and contact surface

Nubway's parts list gives quartz for the light guide, and the advantages on the same page describe sapphire contact cooling. Sapphire's far higher thermal conductivity changes how cold the contact surface stays, so the handle specification in the TI4 configuration sheet matters.

Three-stage cooling

Thermoelectric, water and air stages divide the cooling work between the handles and the housing. Water top-ups and changes follow the schedule in the instructions for use.

Portrait touchscreen

The photographed unit has a tall screen showing a circular dial above grouped icon panels, with coloured action buttons along the bottom edge. Nubway's comparison table gives 10.4 inches for its portable console.

Front cradle and side holster

One handle sits upright in a holster on the right side, and the second rests in a cradle at the front. Both stay within reach of an operator standing beside the couch.

Top-mounted red button and base light strip

A red button sits on the top surface of the housing, and a teal light strip runs along the base. The user manual sets out what each control and indicator does.

The TI4 is a sound choice for studios, salons, and aesthetic practices where most hair clients pair dark hair with fair to olive skin, and the skin list includes rosacea, thread veins, and sun spots. It suits operators who already hold, or will gain, the training that insurers and licensing authorities expect. It is the wrong console for caseloads led by blonde or grey hair, types V and VI, tanned skin or wrinkle reduction. Before ordering, settle the TI4 configuration sheet against the platform figures used here, the power and current rating, the crystal material, and the insurance and licence position for each room. Medigear.uk lists the TI4 for business buyers worldwide and can arrange delivery, installation, commissioning, familiarisation and service cover. Ask the enquiry team for the TI4 configuration sheet, the instructions for use, the declaration of conformity and the BS EN 62471 risk group before ordering.