T8 bulb lighting question

[rodney mitchell]

I am going to replace all of my old T12 bulbs with T8's. Where is a good (cheap) place to get them and which ones should I get? Brand, kelvin rating, etc. Thanks for the help.

RM

[Steve Canada]

I have 8 double 4' fixtures. 32 bulbs in all.

I bought two Daylight Delux (6500K) 10 packs from H.D. for $29 bucks each - CDN. I also bought 12 Natural Sunshine (5000k) bulbs and altenated these with the Daylight bulbs in the two rows of fixtures above my benches and machines. These were expensive at $4 each, but I have a more natural balance of light on the one side of my shop I am in most.

:)

[Kermit Hodges]

Case prices at any of the Borgs are usually pretty competative.

You may all ready know this, but make sure your ballasts will work with T-8 bulbs. I don't believe just any ole ballast will fire a T-8.

[Byron Trantham]

If my memory serves me, I think T-8 sockets are different than the T12 sockets.

[Aaron Beaver]

When I was at HD two weeks ago, the guy there said I couldn't just switch out my T12's for T8's. I don't remember exactly why but it had to do something with wattage or the ballast in the light wasn't the same. Maybe someone here knows.

[Allen Bookout]

T8 fixtures with electronic ballast.
Daylight bulbs.
HomeDepot was as good a price as I could find them.

[Rennie Heuer]

Another vote for the daylihgt lamps - you will not be sorry!

[Jim O'Dell]

businesslights dot com. Best prices I've seen on bulbs. Case price of 25 bulbs was about 65.00. West German built bulbs. Packaged very well for shipping, none broken. Work great.
But you need to change out your fixtures. You could do just the ballasts and the connectors, but it would probably cost you more than the new fixtures. Different daimeter bulbs on the sockets, and different ballasts. Jim.

[Wilbur Pan]

For those of you who have gone with daylight bulbs, could you comment on how that affects perceived color? My understanding is that daylight bulbs have a color temperature that is close to 6500, whereas your average incandescent light bulb will have a color temp around 3000. I would think that objects finished under daylight bulbs would wind up looking much different when placed in an environment that would not have the same lighting.

I recently tried out some "daylight" compact fluorescent bulbs in a lamp in my living room. Although the light that this bulb gave off was certainly more like outdoors daylight, the difference in color temperature was enough that I wound up returning it. I realized that due to the difference in color temperature, I would have to replace all the lights in my house, otherwise the living room would have looked much different than the other rooms in the house.

[Allen Bookout]

Wilbur,

You are right, things are going to look different. I have seen the argument before that if you do your finishing under daylight bulbs it will look different when under another type of light. So I say if you do your finishing under cool white it is going to look different outside or under daylight bulbs or under blue tinted bulbs or under any other kind of light so I say ------ so what. I think that the only way to get it like you want it is to test pieces and look at them under whatever kind of light that they are going to be displayed under but have the best light you can to work with.

I guess that I like the daylight bulbs because I am a all or nothing type of personality. I either want it dark or light. When I want it light than means daylight to me, especially when I am working and need to see real well.

After I installed the daylight units in the garage and I looked down the hall into the kitchen and saw that dim, yellow dingy light I went right out and got daylights for the kitchen and office and everywhere else I needed to see.

To each his own I suppose.

Allen

[rodney mitchell]

Oh heck!! That ruins my plan. I thought I could just change out the bulbs. Now I guess I need to see how much the T8 fixtures cost. :mad:

Thanks for the responses and everyone have a good holiday...............

RM

[Al Willits]

Maybe not Rodney, seems my fixtures I just bought say for either T-8 or T-12.

Just went and checked online, here's what mine say..

"Uses 2-40watt T12 or 32watt T8 bulbs, sold separately"

May want to buy a couple bulbs and check.

There old eyes are just looking for white and bright..

Al

[Jim O'Dell]

At HD the 4 foot 2 bulb units are about 25.00 ea, and the 8' 4 bulbs units (still 4' bulbs) are around 43.00. I've got some of both. Even thought they are electronic balasts, there is still a little hum, but not near like th old 8' T12 that is temporary light in the future finish room.

[David G Baker]

Oh heck!! That ruins my plan. I thought I could just change out the bulbs. Now I guess I need to see how much the T8 fixtures cost. :mad:

Thanks for the responses and everyone have a good holiday...............

RM
Rodney,
I priced the 8' T8's at Home Depot yesterday. The 8' is actually 2 four footers fastened together without a reflector. The fixture alone was just under $43. Two of the Phillips daylight 6500K bulbs were a little over $6. The 10 in a case price was $29.
$43 for the fixture and around $12 for the bulbs adds up to around $55 plus tax.
Earlier this year I put 8 lights in my pole barn I paid $48 plus tax each for my 8 foot T12s with reflectors. The T12s buzz like crazy take a while to warm up and the color of light isn't very close to daylight.
If I had it to do all over again I would go with the T8s with the daylight bulbs.
I have another building that needs light and am going to put up 4 of the eight foot T8s. The building is not heated while not in use and the old T12s won't turn on at all until the building warms up in the Winter so I have added a few tungsten bulbs so I can see until the T12s light up.
David

[Al Willits]

I got my fixtures at Lowes, under $8 for a 2 bulb 4' with small reflectors, they take either the 8 or 12 bulb.
Tried the Phillips high K bulbs and they had a blue tinge to them, musta got the wrong ones.

Had good luck with the Sylvania cool white plus, I think anout 4100k and has 3,000 lumens (?) and they say there for work/utility/etc area's.
Plus they work in the cooler temps, I keep my garage at 38 degree's normally and they'll light up enough to see, till it warms up.

Not sure how the K temp affects color or ? though.

Anybody think one of the other listed bulbs would be brighter and still work in the cooler temps?

Interesting post on lighting, thanks.
Al