What are COB LED strips?

COB LED strips are LED strips that allow to create a dots free light effect and offer a wider beam angle of 180° even in profiles without diffuser or when the LED strip is clearly visible.

In the picture below it is possible to appreciate LED strips having the same power installed in the same surface profile with two different kinds of covers. The profile A features a COB LED strip with opal cover, the profile B features a standard 120 led/m LED strip with opal cover, the profile C features the same COB strip with clear cover and the profile D features the same standard LED strip with clear cover. Compared to a standard LED strip, the COB strip makes the cover totally illuminated although there is a small reduction of the light emitted by the profile.

It is very interesting to point out that, in profile A, the great density of LEDs of the COB allows an homogeneous lighting by reducing the dots effect. On the other side, in profile B, dots are still visible despite the use of a high LED density strip.

Is COB strip better or worst than a standard LED strip? The COB strip is simply different: one of its main characteristics is the different beam angle.
While the standard LED strip has a beam angle of 120°, the COB has a beam angle of 180°. This is very useful when you need to install a LED strip inside a profile featuring a wide beam angle (see pictures below). Moreover, the high LEDs density makes the strip more flexible and suitable for both temporary professional and decorative installations. On the other hand, it is important to highlight that, compared to COB strips, standard LED strips have the advantage of being more efficient and to allow the CCT control even in different product batches (BIN).

Percentage of retained light for LED strips installed in surface profile