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Thread: Any Experience with LED Panels

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
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    MYERSTOWN PA
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    34

    Any Experience with LED Panels

    Greetings All,

    My 24' x 36' shop is lighted by twelve (12) 2' x 4' 3-bulb T-8 florescent troffers. I'm considering replacing the troffers with 2' x 4' LED panels. Proper lighting seems like a very technical subject (Lumens, Degrees kelvin, color rendering etc.). My eyes aren't getting any better as I age, either. Also, there seems to be a wide range of LED panels and price points available on the net. I'm not a cheapskate and I'm not a low price point buyer, but what differentiates a high quality LED panel from a low quality one? I'm curious if any of those on the forum have completed a similar project? I'd be very interested in your thoughts and experiences. Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Shenandoah Valley in Virginia
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    919
    Do not know the difference in quality, etc for the price...
    I was at HD 1 1/2 years ago and they had 3 (2'x4') panels they were discontinuing on sale. Bought them and replaced the kitchen T-8 florescent troffer and put the other 2 in our bath / laundry room.
    Good investment and great lighting..

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    El Dorado Hills, CA, USA
    Posts
    208
    LED shopping is tricky mostly because there are so many brands and they are hard to differentiate. In my case, I do not tend to buy the low end, and became comfortable with the build quality of Hyperikon products. They are nice robust lights, with a 10 year warranty. LED lighting is cheap, Hyperikon is 1.5-2x the low end.

    How much is another question. I'm 62yo, and have the same need for pretty bright lighting. I ended up with 100 lumens per square foot, measured at my 10ft ceiling. That is real bright, and I've come to really like being able to be out there even at night with that much lighting.

    The CRI on my Hyperikons is 84+, which to my understanding is pretty good (more is better) though I can't say I spent much time researching for better CRI.

    Color temp is a bit of a personal choice, but generally a whiter light is recommended for a shop as opposed to inside home lighting. Mine are 5000K, and my only real suggestion here is to make sure all your lights are the same temp (all in the shop, I mean).

    Most LED's will not be dimmable, so if that's something you're looking for, make sure you find it before you buy.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,282
    I find LED lighting harsh. The cooler the temp (the higher the kevin number) the bluer it is and the harder on my eyes. I personally like to be under 5000k. But finding LED lighting with a lower k isn't always easy and is usually more expensive. I notice it with headlights on cars. Their headlights always seem to be too white and I just don't see the detail as well. I think 4000k to 4500k (4500k is about where daylight is) works well for a shop.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,551
    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    I find LED lighting harsh. The cooler the temp (the higher the kevin number) the bluer it is and the harder on my eyes. I personally like to be under 5000k. But finding LED lighting with a lower k isn't always easy and is usually more expensive. I notice it with headlights on cars. Their headlights always seem to be too white and I just don't see the detail as well. I think 4000k to 4500k (4500k is about where daylight is) works well for a shop.
    That color temperature works for me too. I find 6500K too bluish. For whatever reason I don't find 6500K LED as annoying as 6500K fluorescent but prefer 4000K.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Fargo North Dakota
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    352
    I’m in the process of putting these in my shop with the surface mount kit. https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...00k4000k/5564/ It’s about 24’x24’ and the plan is to put 4 in as that’s how many existing fixtures I have. I installed one and it works really well and I like the diffused light a lot. The 4000k color is really nice. My ceiling is really low so with the surface mount kit they are only 2 1/4” high. I was planning on a post when I got it all done as my shop is due for some remodeling but I’ve got to find some time.
    My woodworking theory: Measure with a micrometer, Mark with chalk, Cut with an ax.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio
    Posts
    1,346
    Started years ago using incandescent 300w lamps (3) mixed in with fluorescent lamps (12) to get the color I like along with the lighting level I needed. Changing fluorescent lamps out for leds and now using less incandescent lamps to stay happy with the color
    Ron

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Collegeville PA (30 min west of Philly)
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    Very helpful thread, thanks guys. I'm about to swap over all my old lights for LED units and didn't know about the whole "k range" that much... I informed our electrician what I learned here and he completely understood, told me Sawmill Creek saved us both a bit of time on the thought process.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
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    7,551
    A quick search came up with this.

    https://www.larsonelectronics.com/bl...t-applications

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Tampa Bay, FL
    Posts
    3,895
    I fitted my shop with all Hyperikon, CRI 90+, 4100K bulbs. Couldn't be happier. Yes, more expensive than the cheap stuff, but the light quality seems much better to my eyes. My lights are 15-1/2' up on the ceiling, so need a boatload of fixtures.

    Only area that was different is my finishing room, since the furniture I build goes into houses (usually mine) with 2700K bulbs, my finishing room has Cree 2700K, CRI 90+ bulbs.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  11. #11
    I bought inexpensive LED bulbs, and rewired all my 4' fluorescent fixtures for LED. Happy, and the light is much better.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
    Posts
    2,546
    I put 10 of these in my 30 x 56 shop with 14' ceiling. I couldn't be happier. My eyes also aren't getting better with age. 148 CP at waist level. It's the best lighting I've worked with.
    https://www.menards.com/main/lightin...641535&ipos=14

  13. #13
    I have been slowly replacing my fluorescent lights with LED’s as they go out and need new ballast. I have just been picking up the 5,000 lumen kits that Walmart sells and they seem to work great for the price. They are on sale for $18 right now too. They are 4ft fixtures. I figure if they go out 3-5 years from now I will have gotten my money’s worth!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Nashville, TN
    Posts
    1,544
    I just replaced a 4” recessed light in the house with an LED lamp. The lamp had controls that allow you to adjust color (2300-5k) I think. I wonder if any of the “shop-style” fixtures have that?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Phoenix AZ Area
    Posts
    2,505
    I've spent way too much time researching lighting. First, most people are aware of color temp. Color temp is important. When people say they don't like whatever color temp they mention it's most likely because the light sources they have seen at that color temp do not illuminate all colors with the same intensity. This is crudely measured with Color Rendering Index or CRI. Old school fluorescent lights had terrible CRI. Daylight is perfect or CRI=100. Interestingly the human brain can adjust for light color temp pretty easily and it can adjust for color inaccuracy also. But adjusting for terrible CRI is fatiguing. Also, with florescent and LED you trade off efficiency for color accuracy. High CRI LEDs are available, as high as CRI=99. But they are expensive and lower efficiency. In general with lower CRI, reds look dull and washed out.

    Digital cameras adjust for this by adjusting what they call white balance. You can do this after the pic is taken in photo editing if the SW has a tool for it. You would take a sample pic of a white or grey card and then the software would use that to create a custom adjustment for that photo situation.

    In WW'ing the toughest thing I do is to match finish. I think color accuracy is critical for this so I searched for high CRI LED fixtures. I could not get high enough CRI in the fixture type I wanted so I ended up having some custom made in China.

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