Shop Lighting

[btfarm]

If, like me, you've wanted to do SOMETHING in the way of better lighting, here's a suggestion: LED.
Menards (like Lowes) had $70 LED fixtures on sale for $40. I bought 10 of them to replace the 12 overhead double 4 foot fluorescent fixtures that were not getting it done any more. Each one puts out (immediately regardless of temperature I might add) the same as 2 1/2 of the original fluorescent fixtures (when they were new) and draws a paltry 32 watts.
Here's some pics of them and one that shows a side by side of old and new but the difference is WAY more dramatic in person. Yes they're pricey so I tapped into my gun stash to finance the update. $ well spent!

 

[NVW]

Cripes Mike, they hurt my eyes even in the pics. I bet they make a huge difference.

 

[3500GMC]

Ya know $40 a fixture is not a bad deal at all. The light looks good and white, no too blue-ish. Well played, grasshopper.

 

[BoostN]

LED is the way to go. Looks good Mike.

 

[ak diesel driver]

I have 20 4' fixtures in my shop I'd loves those but cough that'd be expensive!

 

[btfarm]

I have waited for many years to finally do this. These don't weigh any more than a glass of milk. Les, 10 of those would put out more light than your 20 and use less than 1/4 the wattage. Makes them much more attractive. Just find the right sale price. Only problem is everyone else decided to take advantage of the deal so I had to do the deal in 2 weekend trips to different stores. I'm still 1 short. Sale ends 2/27

 

[Will L.]

A few years ago a company I worked for replaced all their fluorescent lighting with led, and got a huge tax deduction for "green". Those of you owned by a business (yes I used to be and I didn't own it) might benefit from that. Also check with your local power company for rebates.

Thanks for the tip on that, it is on my asap list.

 

[Mad Maxx]

Looks nice!

 

[ak diesel driver]

I actually took mine and converted them to cfl. I put 6 keyless bases on them. Didn't change the wattage but it was way brighter.

 

[WarWagon]

Be cautious of this new lighting. Some of it flickers - bady. The Stupid SOB that installed flickering LED lighting in the elevators to the Epilepsy study floor in a hospital is #1 on my s#it list for sure. These people are the most affected by flickering lights aka strobes. The cheaper the bulb the more likely it flickers.

The high frequency florescent lights IE electronic ballast tube fixtures or the spiral lights you screw in to the old sockets generally don't flicker unless they are defective or going bad. IMO this is the safest cheap lighting to have is "flicker free" electronic ballast florescent. The safest is the incandescent bulbs as their thermal inertia prevents flicker. Aka the banned 100 Watt glowing filament lamps the eco nuts banned.

The old magnetic ballast fluorescent lights flicker at 60 HZ aka go on/off 120 times a second. Cut in half if the bulb is going bad and becomes a diode lighting up only half the time. Most people can see the bad bulb flicker - the suffering see the thing flicker all the time.

If you start getting headaches from working under LED lighting it may be flickering on you. Same with old magnetic ballast florescent lamps.

http://lightsickness.com/