Colbor Stackable COB LEDs (IBC 2023)

During IBC 2023 we talked to Charlie from lighting manufacturer Colbor about the company’s line of COBs and some of the upcoming lights.

compact but Stackable

The basic philosophy behind Colbor’s COB system is Stackability. You can start with a relatively small and inexpensive 60w unit and if you need more you buy another one and attach it to the other unit you now have double the power and you can create banks of lights and control them as groups in a simple way.

This basic concept also applies to more powerful lights which Colbor showcased at the show with units ranging all the way to 330W which means that you can group 2 or 3 of those together and get an extremely powerful light if you need it (or use them separately when you don’t).

This concept has a lot of advantages but it also requires a different way of diffusing the light as there are no softboxes, barn doors, and “conventional” light modifiers that can connect to a number of closely fixed lights so Colbor developed their own multi-light softbox. In our opinion, Colbor needs to actively develop more multi-light diffusing options to make the most out of its stackable system.

At the heart of the Colbor innovation is a NATO Groove which allows the user to connect lights to one another or accessories such as V- V-mount batteries (which can power more than one 60W light by the way as demonstrated in IBC).

On IBC Colbor also showcased several upcoming lights including a touchscreen version and an ultra-powerful Siruius 660W COB with full rainproof built (inside a container). The company now has Daylight, bi-color, and more recently several RGB COB options.

Pricing and availability

You can find the entire existing line of COLBOR COBs on the company’s website (full prices on B&H).

Make sure not to miss any of our IBC 2023 videos and articles on our special show coverage page.

Special thanks to our sponsors for IBC 2023: SmallRig, Ulanzi, Godox, Zhiyun.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.