LED 101

SMD stands for ‘Surface Mount Device’ while COB stands for ‘Chip on Board’. SMD's are much smaller individual LED chips in Rectangular shapes. They are built together as a matrix format to produce light. This allows for flexibility on how the LED chips are to be arranged according to the shape and design of the light. The efficacy of SMD chips are often higher.

COB’s are usually Circular-shaped and are significantly larger as they comprise of multiple LED chips integrated onto one single large LED. The advantage of this set-up is it produces a much more concentrated light with a beam angle that is easier to control. Operating temperatures of the same wattage or lumens from a COB set-up often run at cooler temperatures which equate to a longer lifespan. These were made to replace Halogen Spotlights where all aforementioned characteristics are important. COB’s are often more expensive and many LED brands choose to use SMD’s on their Spotlight products. Again, kudos chooses to only use COB for all their Spotlight products to ensure absolute quality.