Workshop light question

[Glen Kenney]

Hi guys and gals. I'm looking for help with lighting for a new workshop. I did try reading old posts before posting a new thread, but finally decided to start over.

I just finished construction of a "grass roots" new workshop and am ready to install lights and power. I know just enough to know that I do not want to "cheap out" and buy low quality lighting fixtures. Question is, what makes a high-quality fixture?

I've heard that I should buy my fixtures from a lighting supply house rather than the el cheapo fixtures from discount retailers. Last night at my local Big Box Store I looked at a 4-lamp fixture that uses 4' T-8 bulbs and has an electronic ballast. It costs about $50. An aquaintence used a very similiar fixture from an industrial supply house that costs about $125.

I'll be buying about 15 of the 4-lamp fixtures for my shop and garage. The difference in the fixtures will amount to over $1000. Both use the same bulbs and have electronic ballasts. If there is a difference I will "buy once, cry once" but I don't want to just throw away $1000.

Thanks for your advice.

Glen Kenney in Beautiful Dam B, Texas

[David Hostetler]

Well, to assume just because you are spending $125.00 a fixture doesn't make it any better, or worse than say the $50.00 fixtures. You didn't mention what make and model fixtures. Boutique stores are well known for ramming retail prices through the ceiling, on the same exact item that can be purchased elswhere. So is that $50.00 fixture any different from that $125.00 job?

Obviously you don't want the $8.00 T-12 fixtures as they will be obsolete in a matter of months, and being as you are here in Texas, I am assuming that you are say south of Midland, so you don't have long, deep cold winters to worry about...

For me, the quad bulb fixtures just didn't make sense. I used the 2 bulb "Shop Light" fixtures with electronic ballasts, and have been quite pleased for the last 3 years I have had this setup working.

[Mike Wilkins]

I am getting ready to upgrade the lighting in my shop when I enclose the ceiling and add insulation. I plan to use the same fixtures you describe, the 8-foot fixtures with 4 T-8 bulbs. Since we get temps. below 60 deg. here in NC, the T-8 fixtures will operate fine down to 0 degrees. Since I have to operate on a budget (who does'nt?) these should work just fine for me. If you decide to go with these units, it might be a good idea to consider those protective cages that slip over the fixtures, just in case you swing a long board around and pop one of those bulbs.
And by the way; Lowes is where I am getting mine.

[John Aspinall]

You might want to scan this thread from March:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?95119-Why-Short-Lived-Flourescent-Tubes
In particular, I posted about one batch of BigBox shop lights (2 X 4 foot T8's) whose ballasts were failing left and right.

The good news is that I've had no more failures; the identically packaged light from HD now has a ballast from a different source
and the new ones are surviving much better. The bad news, if you feel like taking the chance, is there's no way to tell good from
bad without buying the light.

[Don Jarvie]

I went with the lithona 4ft T8s that the Depot sells from around 20 bucks a piece. They are hardwired and I run 5 per switch so I don't have to use them all if I don't need to.

They have been up for 2 years and no issues so far (knocking on wood).

[Jerome Hanby]

If you don't mind a little work, scan your local CL and you might find a great deal on some fixtures that have been replaced. I bought 8 4 bulb T12 fixtures for about $70. I'm changing out the ballasts to make them T8 a well as doing a quick repaint before I mount them.

[Jim O'Dell]

I'm also using the Lithonia units from HD. A mixture of the 4' 2 bulb units, and the 8' 4 bulb ones. I've only had to replace one, and that was because of a very noisy ballast that interfered with FM reception. I bought my bulbs from business lights dot com. Decent bulbs and a good price. Jim.

[Robert Payne]

I installed eight Lithonia 2' x 4' four bulb T-8 suspended ceiling fixtures from the BORG in 2005 that cost about $42 each then and have lost one electronic ballast in five years. They came equipped with the bulbs and a 5'-6' metallic whip that made installation a cinch. It would take a long time to buy lots of ballasts for the cost difference. JMTC

[Bartee Lamar]

One thing to know is to use 5000k or 6500k bulbs. These are daylight type blubs. the 3200k are very "warm" and for my not the light I like.

I just installed 2 of the 4 bulb 4ft T8 fixtures from Lowes about $50. They are in a 7 x 10 ft area. It is BRIGHT !! Seemed ok to me. What is there that can really go wrong.

[HANK METZ]

I'm using the good 'ol lamp socket with a CFL lamp installed:

209622

Cheap, reliable, spotted where needed, select lamp color (I like daylight) and output as desired . Operating cost is currently as inexpensive as a consumer can get. Best thing is, when LED's come online, nothing changes except the lamp, it's gonna be an easy retro- just screw it in.

- Beachside Hank

[Jerome Hanby]

I don't know if it's the nature of the beast or if there is something squirely with or power around here, but in the previous house and this one, these compact fluorescent bulbs are not listing as advertised. There were nothing but normal incandescent bulbs in this house when we moved in and I replaced most of them with CFLs. This past weekend, I replaced half a dozen of them that had gone out...



I'm using the good 'ol lamp socket with a CFL lamp installed:

209622

Cheap, reliable, spotted where needed, select lamp color (I like daylight) and output as desired . Operating cost is currently as inexpensive as a consumer can get. Best thing is, when LED's come online, nothing changes except the lamp, it's gonna be an easy retro- just screw it in.

- Beachside Hank

[Gary Curtis]

Here's my take on shop lighting (or any lighting). The same design of fixture (household, garage, industrial) is copied by everyone. So, you can get a Ferrari, a nice Buick, or a Yugo. The cheaper ones fall apart due to the heat. In florescent, you pay more for electronics that a)start and warm quick b)are quiet c) don't die in a year.

For my shop (new construction, high ceiling) I chose High Intensity Discharge lighting. You see it every time you walk into Bed and Bath or Home Depot. Low electric bills and a Kelvin temperature close to natural sunlight. And no shadows. And one Halogen fixture with two bulbs over my workbench.

If I had a low ceiling, I would buy lighting (at least the bulbs) from these guys www.griotsgarage.com The florescent bulbs come from Germany, use rare earth and the light quality will make shoptime a real joy. You can substitute HD fixtures for theirs without much loss.

At least over the workbench areas. Who really cares about detail around a tablesaw or planer? When you walk into a store with high grade and well engineered lighting, your emotions react and you want to spend. Why not create that atmosphere in your shop?

[HANK METZ]

I don't know if it's the nature of the beast or if there is something squirely with or power around here, but in the previous house and this one, these compact fluorescent bulbs are not listing as advertised. There were nothing but normal incandescent bulbs in this house when we moved in and I replaced most of them with CFLs. This past weekend, I replaced half a dozen of them that had gone out...

I know what you mean, for a while I was having a spate of premature failures, then noticed the ones purchased from Lowe's seemed to do alright, and have been satisfied since single- sourcing them. Another advantage to using the simple lamp socket is doubling up using this:

209654

If one lamp fails, you're not out of business unlike the dual tube florescent fixture. It's still new technology (CFL)and has a ways to go, but I think it's just an interim product, as the smart money is currently on future L.E.D. technology. After that, who knows, excitable phosphorous maybe- a totally chemical light source with near 100% efficiency?

- Beachside Hank

[Jerome Hanby]

I actually have LED bulbs in one of the two light fixtures in our living room. Each fixture uses 6 bulbs and I thought one of those would make a good experiment. The fixture with eh LEDs is bright enough for living room use, no where near enough for any type of work. Planning on picking up another pack of LEDs from Sams Club for the other fixture. FWIW, six 40 watt equivalent CFLs in the same fixtures were much too bright...