When buying LED bulbs or lights for your household, sometimes you encoutner lot of strange shortcuts in the LED number or LED type description. Which LED type is the most appropriate for the purpose? Here you can see a brief owerview of the LED types with the most frequent use in household lighting systems.
High Bright LED – the orignal LED, their production and use is decreasing. Due to the constante evolution, their radiation angle od 60° becomes inconvenient and insufficient, and LED lights with this LED type involved dispose with the low light intensity.
Power LED – their use is also decreasing. The narrow radiation angle of 60° and the low light flux are the reasons why this LEDs are frequently replaced by new types. Power LEDs can still be found in older LED Bulbs types.
SMD LED – „Surface Mounted Diode“ is a constantly widening LED type group and its characteristics are being improved. They definitely overcome the original LED types characteristics. Besides many LED Bulbs (for ex. 2323SMD 9W bulb), this LED type can be found in LED Panels, Linear LED Lights and LED Tubes.
- SMD 3528 LED – one-diode with 3.5 x 2.8 mm surface and 0.08 W input, with two times higher light intensity comparing to the original LEDs and significantly better radiation angle (120°). Thanks to only one chip installed, the air-cooling becomes more effective.
- SMD 5050 LED – three-diodes with 5 x 5 mm surface and 0.24 W input. Six times higher light intensity and efficiency and better radiation angle (120°) comparing to the original LEDs (e.g. high bright LEDs). Warms up less than SMD 3528.
- SMD 5630 LED – three-diodes with 5.6 x 3.0 mm surface and 0.5 W input. Even though it is smaller than SMD 5050, its light intensity is higher (up to 80 lm/W). This LED is a bit lower, what provides better air-cooling, while the radiation angle remains unchanged – 120°.
COB LED – few SMD LEDs merged together in order to reach higher light instensity comparing to an independent SMD LEDs group. Higher price and operation temperature requiring better cooling system, are the disadvatages of this LED type. This LED type is involved in e.g. COB GU10 5W bulb, but it is widely used in LED Floodlighs.
MCOB LED – „multi cups/chips on the board“ – the very new LED technology, gradually replacing many currently used LED type. LEDs are placed directly on the cooler, what provides better cooling comparing to SMD LEDs or COB LEDs. This helps to reach better light intensity and brings downt the price.
The information on the LEDs number can help you to recognize the real light intensity of each LED light: more LEDs, higher the light intensity. Anyway, don´t forget each LED has different characteristics. Before you decide to buy the light, read the information on light flux and light temperature, a comsumption and color rendering index (Ra). Bear in mind this LED types categorization can be appled only for the household use – there are different LED types involved in industrial lights and public lighting systems.
