Has anybody replaced T12 Flourescent bulbs with T8 LED Bulbs in their shop/garage ?

[BruceinLA]

I found some on amazon, both 15 and 18 watt, 48" non-ballast LED tube bulbs... both claim more light output but the question is bulb color/temperature, or "K"
they come in 3000,4000,5000,6000 from my experience with HID headlights the 3000K are more yellow, the 6000K almost blue, I'm thinking 5,000K should be good for my
shop that is 27'x34', the lights are at 8', hanging on chains about 12" below 2x4 cross members, I have 10, 2-40 watt tube T12 lights now so I am burning 850 watts per hour, good for winter warmth, bad for energy consumption and the light could be better... the older I get the more light I need!

So, are 4000K color LED's going to be brighter by a good margin?

https://www.amazon.com/Hyperikon-Dua...ed%2Btube&th=1

[Hobbytime]

leds are bright white regardless of wattage, I replaced a bunch of old florescent bulbs with the leds and am very happy, they are brighter, instant bright no need to warm up,many of the bulbs you can angle the leds inside the tube..also disconnect the ballast, you dont need it and to keep it in will use up more electric..

[bigb]

Warmer colors like say 2700K will be more in the yellow range, 2700-3000 are closest to natural light. Cooler colors like 4100 are bright white, some 4100 flourescents are called "daylighters". 5000K will be pretty bright white bordering on blue. Hopefully Willie will be around, he is a wealth of knowledge on lighting. Meanwhile here's a handy chart: http://www.westinghouselighting.com/...mperature.aspx

[John T]

Check out bees lighting.

http://www.beeslighting.com/

[juiceclone]

Replaced all my 4' florescent bulbs with the LED-no-ballast ones. Very happy. they're outside and have held up so far. Sourced mine from a co called "earth led"

[12345678910]

I like 6500K lighting, it's like sunlight

Have you ever noticed that you can read outside without glasses in the sunlight, but never inside with incandescent light ?

[ferrret3238]

I replaced all mine, 24 4' fixtures a year ago and it helps a lot with working at night. I went with 4' 110v ballast less led tubes and it was a bit of rewiring to get it all done. No more ballast hum or black goo oozing out of them. You need to pay attention and do some research as to what you're buying. SMD 3528 means 3.5mm by 2.8mm led chip size and there's 5050 which means 5.0mm by 5.0mm led chip size. Also there are 144 or 288 led tubes. I have the 3528 288 led 6000k type and couldn't be happier. I don't heat my shop all the time and they fire right up in the cold.

[KMA]

I have some around 4k, which I believe is the best overall color. They measure brighter too.

[ManoKai]

T5 (4100K) overhead sources in our shop since '06. Ample lighting. EasyDay.

[triptester]

I have gone to direct wire LED in my shop and they work great. I went with the 5000k 2400 lumen tubes.

[BD1]

I bought the Costco 4' shop lights. First couple were $30.00, next couple were $25.00 and the other six I got for $20.00. Can't be beat for the $$$. Works great in cold weather too.
Here's a post from the GARAGEJOURNAL site. They have been around for a while.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=345685

[Willie B]

I wonder if there is not a good standardized test for color temperature. I usually consider 6000 K to be stark, harsh white. I feel I see best at equivalent lumens with stark white, but it is most unpleasant light in a home environment. Incandescent light bulbs would be warmer, say 2700 K. For most middle ground use, I compromise at 4100 K. The LED bulbs (replacement for A bulbs) that I usually use are not rated for enclosed fixtures. I found some at Home Depot that were. I used four at home in some older ceiling lights. They are awful! The box says 5000 K, I feel they are off the scale in cold blue light. Still, everything seems very brightly lit.

I wonder if in a shop environment they might be a good choice.

Willie

[bigb]

I wonder if there is not a good standardized test for color temperature. I usually consider 6000 K to be stark, harsh white. I feel I see best at equivalent lumens with stark white, but it is most unpleasant light in a home environment. Incandescent light bulbs would be warmer, say 2700 K. For most middle ground use, I compromise at 4100 K. The LED bulbs (replacement for A bulbs) that I usually use are not rated for enclosed fixtures. I found some at Home Depot that were. I used four at home in some older ceiling lights. They are awful! The box says 5000 K, I feel they are off the scale in cold blue light. Still, everything seems very brightly lit.

I wonder if in a shop environment they might be a good choice.

Willie

Trouble is there doesn't seem to be standardization across different manufacturers. For instance the Sylvania RT-4 and RT-6 in a 3000K is whiter than a Lotus LED 3000K which looks closer to a Sylvania 2700. I agree on the 4100K fluorescents though, that's what is in my shop and I love em.

Funny coincidence in a few minutes I am heading to a clients home who has issues with anything cooler than 2700K, I am going to show her a 3000K Lotus and see what she thinks. I just finished rigging it up with a cord and dimmer.

[mike837go]

I'm waiting until they have 8' LED fixtures at the home stores.

Then the shop will get a total fresh-up.

The harsh white to almost blue of the modern LED's is a PITA in an RV in the middle of the woods. But when you are trying to see if you have a 1/4-28 or M6-1.25 nut in your hand, you can't beat that kind of light!

[Faelwolf]

I used the 4' LED lights from Sam's for my new shop build, 6 total, on the bottom of the trusses about 10 feet up. My shop is an enclosed pole barn, and the way they spaced the poles, I think of it as three 12 x 30 bays. I wired them so that each "bay" is on a seperate switch running two lights individually spaced in the center of each half of the bay (using the roof peak as the dividing line), and I am glad I did. The center bay only is enough to light the shop at night to average, to a bit above average levels. All 3 bays at once is like an operating theater! These things are much brighter than the florescents in my old shop, so I did not hesitate to upgrade to them in the old shop when money allowed. (The old shop is an old one car garage built some ways from the house) I save power by having the main area of the shop I am in being well lit if needed, with no lack of lighting in the rest of the shop, as well as having control over the amount of light I want. I don't recall the color rating but it is a very cold white light. I installed them by using ceiling outlets, rather than hard wiring, so that they can be easily replaced if they ever go bad, and with the idea at the time that I could add more if needed, an idea that has quickly gone by the wayside, unless I should go half blind or feel the need to signal high flying aircraft / the international space station.
My shop was bult primarily for blacksmiting, so the extra light is unwanted for that, but if I use the lights on the far side, it is not so bad, though I am considering a welding curtain to block some of it. Having the option to really brighten things up when working on other things is very handy. Given the ceiling height difference in the two shops, I noticed that the light they give off (at least these particular ones) is put out in a downward fan effect, the higher mounted ones give more ambient coverage than the lower mounted ones, more noticably than with florescents, but this may be due to the brightness and coldness of the light. I have also noticed that it seems to be less attractive to bugs than the florescents, or especially incandesant bulbs. It does not eliminate them, but it certainly reduces them. I live in Florida, so this may not be an issue in other regions. Given this, I use LED lighting in my outdoor fixtures as well.
I don't miss the hum, buzz, delayed start, dust sensitivity, and flickering of the florescents in the least, and the reduced power bill is a nice bonus too. I am replacing all the bulbs in my house with LED's as the old ones give out.

[69sa200]

Incandescent light has an orange tint to it. The box has a code printed on the side of it. Red and yellow ink are more orange spectrum light. The light blue and dark blue are more white spectrum. I like the light blue spectrum for shop lights. You can see better with it.

[CamW]

Check out the 48" LED bulbs at Costco,price is about $20 for two bulbs. I swapped them for the bulbs in my garage at home and the office in my shop and they are BRIGHT! Color is OK, I think they are 4000K.
The good thing about buying them at Costco if you don't like them you can always return it.

[Joker11]

Hobbytime,
I disagree. They are not all bright white. I wanted bright white and got a dim blue when I bought some for my RV to save battery time.

They provide enough light to navigate the RV at night, but by no means are they useful for task lighting. I flip on my flourescent for that.

[juiceclone]

Replaced all my 4' florescent bulbs with the LED-no-ballast ones. Very happy. they're outside and have held up so far. Sourced mine from a co called "earth led"

guess I shouldn't have mentioned earthled, they are all sold out of 4' replacements now.

[xryan]

Personally I like the 4000-4100K labeled LED's regardless of what they really may be. Higher color temperatures seem too blue and harsh. Warmer, lower numbers in the 2700-3500 are too yellow. The price is really dropping on them now, I wouldn't use anything but LED's anymore.

[storeman]

Anyone know if they offer grow light ranges? If so, I could light my shop room and tend my seedlings.
Jerry

[kolot]

Got my bulbs at Lowes, cut out ballast but have to get the right bulbs, some will say for use with existing ballast , don't want those. Some re wiring involved but basic. Utilitech, chinese but so far work good, no problem with cold start up, instant on.

[ronsii]

Just put up a few of these T8 integrated 1 foot 6watt cheapies... they aren't bad for light... I actually like the double row T12's I have in one the other areas they're just brighter and I think the watt rating is similar per foot??? These are 17 bux for 10 fixtures... 10 feet so 1.70US a foot each on has it's own little cheezy side switch so you could turn off some of them if you can reach it


Not sure if I'll leave these in this room or not they're just not as bright as I like shop lights... even if I put rows every 2 foot across the ceiling

[Hobbytime]

Just put up a few of these T8 integrated 1 foot 6watt cheapies... they aren't bad for light... I actually like the double row T12's I have in one the other areas they're just brighter and I think the watt rating is similar per foot??? These are 17 bux for 10 fixtures... 10 feet so 1.70US a foot each on has it's own little cheezy side switch so you could turn off some of them if you can reach it


Not sure if I'll leave these in this room or not they're just not as bright as I like shop lights... even if I put rows every 2 foot across the ceiling

I dont like those type lights that you cant change the bulbs, and the made in china crap doesnt last that long....if you get em cheap enough then they can be disposable and worth it if they last a year or 2..

[ronsii]

I dont like those type lights that you cant change the bulbs, and the made in china crap doesnt last that long....if you get em cheap enough then they can be disposable and worth it if they last a year or 2..

Yeah I know, it's hard to find actual led's that aren't made by the chicoms though... so far I have had decent luck with the 4 foot integrated I got straight from china... I know it was a lot cheaper than buying the same exact thing here at HD for 4-5 X the cost You can certainly tell that even though there will be hundreds of different sellers on ebay,amz,etc... offering the same thing that there are differences in them... depending on who's little 3 and 4 year old chinese kids are building them and where they are sourcing the components... so for about the same price as a single lightbulb at the hardware store that is probably made overseas anyways I can have one of these shorties... not sure I'll be getting more of these as it was just a test order of a few cases anyways they might be decent lights for stock shelves and down aisleways... but like I said not for actual working under... at least how I like it lit for working conditions

I ran these for at least 12 years at these shops and the old ones, these are the HO highoutput 8 foot 112watt flourescent tubes. i liked them at the time just because they would start when it was cold inside the buildings , they were way brighter than the typical 40 watt 4 foot tubes and they had the cool spring loaded slide in socket to change em' out... not the funky quarter twist two pin crap some retarded monkey invented!!!


But a few years ago I started using these 4 foot integrated led fixtures because they were halfway cheap and had decent light compared to the fixtures I was replacing... one downside is they were pretty noisy in RF the newer ones seem better but hard to say if they're just moving the noise to a different band or if they're using more energy wasting linear powersupplies???