What does COB mean on a worklight?

COB stands for chip on board, where many small LED chips are mounted together on a single panel. The result is a broad, even flood of light rather than the bright hot spot and harsh shadows a single high power LED produces. For workbench, engine bay and cupboard work that even coverage is far more useful than raw brightness.

Is a COB worklight or an SMD floodlight better for a garage?

They do different jobs. A 3W COB worklight is a task light: portable, hand held or hung close to what you are working on. A 10W SMD flood light is fixed area lighting for a whole bay, driveway or workshop. Most people end up with both, using the floodlight for general illumination and the COB worklight for detail.

Where should I fit a motion sensor light?

Anywhere you normally arrive with your hands full: inside a shed or garage door, at the top of cellar steps, in a stair cupboard or over a workbench. Mount it high enough that the sensor sees you entering rather than only when you are already past it, and avoid pointing it at anything that moves in the wind outdoors.

Are the batteries included with these lights?

For several of them, yes. The white and flame lantern is supplied with alkaline batteries and the 3W CREE aluminium torch comes with four Duracell cells, so both work straight out of the box. Product descriptions state what is included on each item, and it is worth keeping a spare set in the workshop drawer regardless.

What is a helping hand magnifier used for?

It holds small components steady while you work on them, which frees both of your hands. The adjustable crocodile clips grip circuit boards, wiring, model parts and jewellery, while the lens and ring of LEDs light and magnify the work. It is most commonly used for soldering, electronics repair, model making and watch or jewellery work.

What does COB mean on a worklight?

COB stands for chip on board, where many small LED chips are mounted together on a single panel. The result is a broad, even flood of light rather than the bright hot spot and harsh shadows a single high power LED produces. For workbench, engine bay and cupboard work that even coverage is far more useful than raw brightness.

Is a COB worklight or an SMD floodlight better for a garage?

They do different jobs. A 3W COB worklight is a task light: portable, hand held or hung close to what you are working on. A 10W SMD flood light is fixed area lighting for a whole bay, driveway or workshop. Most people end up with both, using the floodlight for general illumination and the COB worklight for detail.

Where should I fit a motion sensor light?

Anywhere you normally arrive with your hands full: inside a shed or garage door, at the top of cellar steps, in a stair cupboard or over a workbench. Mount it high enough that the sensor sees you entering rather than only when you are already past it, and avoid pointing it at anything that moves in the wind outdoors.

Are the batteries included with these lights?

For several of them, yes. The white and flame lantern is supplied with alkaline batteries and the 3W CREE aluminium torch comes with four Duracell cells, so both work straight out of the box. Product descriptions state what is included on each item, and it is worth keeping a spare set in the workshop drawer regardless.

What is a helping hand magnifier used for?

It holds small components steady while you work on them, which frees both of your hands. The adjustable crocodile clips grip circuit boards, wiring, model parts and jewellery, while the lens and ring of LEDs light and magnify the work. It is most commonly used for soldering, electronics repair, model making and watch or jewellery work.

Workshop Tools

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Rolson COB Worklights, Floodlights and Lanterns for UK Workshops

Working in a garage, shed or under a car is mostly a lighting problem, and this corner of the Rolson Tools UK range exists to solve it. The Rolson COB worklights, floodlights and lanterns here cover a 3W COB worklight with a 1W torch, a 3W COB motion sensor light, a 10W SMD flood light, a white and flame lantern supplied with alkaline batteries, and a 3W CREE aluminium torch with Duracell cells included. Alongside the lighting sit the bench items that go with it: a 10 LED USB helping hand magnifier, a clip on spectacle eye loupe, a scriber and magnetic pick up tool, a collapsible tool holdall, a bicycle lift and a bar stool.

COB Worklights and Motion Sensor Lighting

COB stands for chip on board, and it is the reason these worklights throw a broad, even wash rather than the harsh hot spot a single LED gives. That flat, shadow free light is exactly what you want along an engine bay, inside a cupboard carcass or across a workbench, because it stops you working in your own shadow. The 3W COB worklight pairs the panel with a 1W torch in the end, which covers both jobs from one body. The motion sensor version is the one to fit inside a shed, garage or under a stair cupboard where you are usually carrying something and have no free hand for a switch.

SMD Floodlights and Emergency Lanterns

The 10W SMD flood light is the step up for lighting a whole bay, driveway or work area rather than a single task. SMD packages spread multiple diodes across the panel, so the output is wide and even at a sensible power draw. The white and flame lantern is worth keeping for power cuts and camping, since the flame mode gives a soft ambient light that is easier on the eyes than a hard white beam. The 3W CREE aluminium torch is the pocket option, with a machined body that survives being dropped on a concrete floor. For rechargeable models, see Rolson LED torches.

LED Magnifiers, Loupes and Bench Kit

Close work needs magnification more often than people admit. The 10 LED USB helping hand magnifier combines a lens, a ring of LEDs and adjustable crocodile clips, which makes it the obvious choice for soldering, model making, jewellery repair and anything involving small fixings. The clip on spectacle eye loupe fits over your own glasses for inspection work. The scriber and magnetic pick up tool retrieves dropped screws from an engine bay or under a bench, and the collapsible tool holdall with dividers keeps the whole lot together. For precision hand tools, browse precision tools.