The Best Light Fixture Ever!

[Thescreensavers]

Got the fixtures bulbs in.

So the CNSUNWAY Bulbs did not match their label claims at all, supposed to pull near 22 watts I was only seeing 15.5 Watts(30% less), they also tout those bulbs a " 100-110lm per watt " So that's looking like 1630 Lumen not 2400. Also to note these bulbs are aluminum and plastic construction. I reached out to the manufacture and they just said to return them for my money back. I got them on amazon so was not worried.

So I went and purchased https://www.1000bulbs.com/fil/products/211953 "TCP-10195B 4 ft. LED T8 Tube - 2400 Lumens - Ballast Bypass - 5000K " which with shipping are a little more expensive but, these bulbs are rated at 130 lm per watt.

I also had to buy non-shunted tombstones as the Thomas fixtures came with shunted ones(which worked with the CNSUNWAY bulbs).

I got the TCP bulbs in and they are completely made from glass with plastic end caps. The LED strip is mounted on the back side of the glass tube.

I tested the TCP bulbs and they pull 16.4 watts which is 11% down on label claims but, at 130 lumens per watt that should be 2132 Lumens.

Crudely using a lumen App on my phone in the same position and angle, I was measuring 30-40% more Foot Candles with the TCP bulbs which is inline with the power draw and specs.

As for color temperature the TCP bulbs are every so slightly less blue but, either bulb is fine in that department.

 

[Chris_P]

Lithonia CPHB

Anybody used the Lithonia CPHB high bay lights, specifically the one Lowe's stocks?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lithonia-Lighting-12000-Lumen-4000-K-LED-High-Bay-Light/5000183171

https://www.acuitybrands.com/produc...-high-bay/compact-pro-industrial-led-high-bay

Seems to be a good price for a 12000 LM high bay - wondering if there is a reason it is never mentioned here?

RP

The 18,000 lumens version of these is what I am planning on going with.

 

[iSpark]

I'm in need of some high bays as well. What's the go to brand and place to get these? Searching through the posts in this thread only yielded a couple of mentions to high bay lights and only one part number, which is not on sale right now.

I went with 15 of these. https://www.primelights.com/collect...-highbay-fixture-88-watt-clear-pl-4srhbld88fm
They're not installed yet but hopefully soon!

 

[cmandp]

I wanted to thank Platonic Solid for posting this info. I just ordered two Maxlight fixtures and LED tubes from Green Light Depot to try out and replace two old T12 fixtures that aren't working in my garage. I figure I can see if I like them for when I get to the point of doing a proper fixture layout in the garage.

 

[rantapawan]

I went with 15 of these. https://www.primelights.com/collect...-highbay-fixture-88-watt-clear-pl-4srhbld88fm
They're not installed yet but hopefully soon!

Found this comparison of LED high bays with Metal halides on this page. Are all the metal halide lights non-IP rated? Why can't a metal halide be water/dust protected?

 

[ckanderson]

Looking for some help here, I've tried using the visual light tool but Im not sure im doing it right....

I have a 20x11 shop ceilings are about 12 feet high, with 8 5k LED can lights and its just not bright enough....suggestions on LED tubes to buy? kind of confused if I need shades either? the walls and ceiling are drywall

 

[aallison28]

Looking for some help here, I've tried using the visual light tool but Im not sure im doing it right....

I have a 20x11 shop ceilings are about 12 feet high, with 8 5k LED can lights and its just not bright enough....suggestions on LED tubes to buy? kind of confused if I need shades either? the walls and ceiling are drywall

I just installed some lights from amazon. Started with a B. 8' and 4'



They are fantastic for light output

 

[bradpac]

I just installed some lights from amazon. Started with a B. 8' and 4

That's awesome, the light output is good, and putting them along the framing adds a nice style touch as well.

 

[ckanderson]

I just installed some lights from amazon. Started with a B. 8' and 4'



They are fantastic for light output

Thanks! Ordered the 4 foot version

 

[gamp945]

Does anyone have any experience with these GE "hybrid" bulbs that can be used with a ballast OR direct wired? They are listed as a Lowes "exclusive" and have very few reviews:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-LED-32-Watt-EQ-49-61-in-Cool-White-Linear-LED-Tube-Light-Bulb-10-Pack/5000762887

I am going to direct wire fixtures so and acquired a 10-pack of these bulbs for cheap (enough to do my shop). I may as well try them out, but thought I'd ask here first if anyone else has used them.

 

[cybrdyke]

Gamp945-
Combo tubes are pretty common and they function quite well. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is if you are going to keep using the existing ballast. Although the box and the website say that they work with the ballasts, the truth is that they only work with SOME ballasts. There is a list of ballasts that they will work with at this site:
gelighting.com/tubes-ballast-compatibility
If your ballast is not on the list, then it wont work.
Good luck,
CD

 

[gamp945]

Thanks, cybrdyke. I don't have existing fixtures and am planning on buying the direct wire fixtures listed in the first post in this thread, so the ballast issue doesn't apply to my case.

I was planning on buying some high CRI and/or dimmable T8s, but since I happened on the GE bulbs for less than $2 each, I might as well give them a try and see how I like them.

 

[ojh]

It is time to replace my halogen with some LED, I went with the round 500w LED highbay lamps and then got a 'bright' idea. put them inside them old green warehouse shades I had layin around:
Heres the new fixtures and the old warehouse shades

I removed the mounting bracket and made adapters and a 2' conduit:

Then I just slipped the shade over the conduit (it rests on the shoulder of the adapter bracket) and topped the conduit with the fittings from the halogen fixtures:

And here it is:
One problem is that I spliced the pigtail in the fixture to run up the conduit, the LED fixture is wicked hot! After discovering how much heat there is I am in the process of taking each one apart and wrapping the wires/splice in a insulation blanket. When I do the rest of my shop I'll use 16" conduit won't need a splice, the pigtail will reach the junction box.
These lights are a big improvement, thats a fact.

 

[boyerstyle]

Quick question! I love this thread and have spent a ton of time browsing the pages. I am curious what is the big box store equivalent of this recommended 2 tube setup? I know it will be a little more expensive but:

“The best (big box) light fixture ever” is: ?

And is there a great 4 tube version of whatever the answer is to that?

Wanting to install lighting this weekend or I’d just order what’s recommended here.

 

[buildyourown]

Does anyone have any experience with these GE "hybrid" bulbs that can be used with a ballast OR direct wired? They are listed as a Lowes "exclusive" and have very few reviews:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-LED-32-Watt-EQ-49-61-in-Cool-White-Linear-LED-Tube-Light-Bulb-10-Pack/5000762887

I am going to direct wire fixtures so and acquired a 10-pack of these bulbs for cheap (enough to do my shop). I may as well try them out, but thought I'd ask here first if anyone else has used them.

I used these a couple years back. My issue is that the ballasts eventually fail and then you have to take them apart and direct wire anyways.
Of course one fixture dies every 3 months so its just a constant annoyance.

 

[Evident]

I am redoing a finished 2 car garage with drywall ceiling, with one area that is lower than the rest due to some HVAC ductwork for the room above garage, with two electrical boxes in place above each car bay with screw in bulb. I want to replace each car port with 3 4ft fixtures as I am always working on my car, and maybe 2 or 3 more fixtures on the side closest to my worktop.
I am very reluctant to start drilling holes in my drywall ceiling as this would be extremely time intensive, would screw up my insulation and make a huge mess, so the idea of linkable lights are really nice to me.

But I am looking for something where I can direct wire new fixtures to where my existing junction boxes where the screw in bulbs are and then wire inside a raceway conduit or something to link to the others as I already have a ton of raceways for outlets and such in there. Has anyone tried anything like this? any suggestion on what unit i should look at? Many of the units at the big box costco stores are either plug into an outlet or a direct wire, but it's so flush mount that I wouldn't be able to chain them.

 

[mcglynnonmaking]

I’m tempted by the Barrina 8’ fixtures mentioned above. The price is great, but is see in the amazon Reviews there are complaints about them “burning out” over time. Anyone have any firsthand experience with that? For my shop I probably need 25 fixtures. That’s pretty affordable, unless they start randomly failing after a few months of usage, then it’s a giant hassle.

 

[FrostDesigns]

I’m tempted by the Barrina 8’ fixtures mentioned above. The price is great, but is see in the amazon Reviews there are complaints about them “burning out” over time. Anyone have any firsthand experience with that? For my shop I probably need 25 fixtures. That’s pretty affordable, unless they start randomly failing after a few months of usage, then it’s a giant hassle.

I purchased a set just recently and for $42 to my door in 2 days I’m impressed with them. They come with multiple linking options and are decently bright. I plan on ordering 4 more sets. My garage is 25x50 with vaulted ceilings. Cant speak to longevity yet tho, they seem very simple to swap out and if I remember correctly they have a decent warranty.

 

[aallison28]

I’m tempted by the Barrina 8’ fixtures mentioned above. The price is great, but is see in the amazon Reviews there are complaints about them “burning out” over time. Anyone have any firsthand experience with that? For my shop I probably need 25 fixtures. That’s pretty affordable, unless they start randomly failing after a few months of usage, then it’s a giant hassle.

I've had them for a few months and they are great so far. Mine do not get hot and I understand heat is what kills them. Very happy so far.

 

[truckin-on]

As an alternative to strip lights, I'm lighting a 40' octagon barn with 10' ceiling. I decided to go with 6 standard sockets, spaced about 12' apart, using LED deformable "UFO" lights. Simple, cost effective, and lots of light. I recently tried about 5 different variations of these lights, 80W to 140W, and found these to be the ones I like the best. Not the cheapest, but best light in my opinion, ~$30/ea, 12000LM, and 80W: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XDBJ3M4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

There are literally hundreds of variants out there, so I'm sure there are equivalent or better. But I didn't like the cheaper ones I tried. I used 6 of these similar lights (12500LM) in a 40x60 steel building with a 14' ceiling and was very happy with them for general lighting.

 

[Evident]

As an alternative to strip lights, I'm lighting a 40' octagon barn with 10' ceiling. I decided to go with 6 standard sockets, spaced about 12' apart, using LED deformable "UFO" lights. Simple, cost effective, and lots of light. I recently tried about 5 different variations of these lights, 80W to 140W, and found these to be the ones I like the best. Not the cheapest, but best light in my opinion, ~$30/ea, 12000LM, and 80W: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XDBJ3M4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

There are literally hundreds of variants out there, so I'm sure there are equivalent or better. But I didn't like the cheaper ones I tried. I used 6 of these similar lights (12500LM) in a 40x60 steel building with a 14' ceiling and was very happy with them for general lighting.

I think this is a great idea. especially if you are a homeowner who just moved into a house with a 1 to 3 car garage with a single dingy incandescent bulb screw above the car. I wish these were around when i moved in. but i swapped mine out to fluorescent fixtures and now again to LED after redoing my entire space.

 

[DPG]

I just installed some lights from amazon. Started with a B. 8' and 4'



They are fantastic for light output

Those things are great! I put them 4’ oc in my 9’ ceiling and it was like looking into the sun. I unplugged every other row!

 

[lukel99]

Are there any affordable direct wire fixtures that work with regular (triac) dimmers? I have smart dimmers installed throughout the house and we love them, I'd love to add those same dimmers to the workshop as well so it's all on the same app. I'd like to avoid a 0-10V dimmer if possible.

 

[raffaelli]

I installed the Barrina 8' fixtures this weekend. 22x24 garage with 10 foot ceilings. The clips are a bit touchy. They are in 5 rows of 2 at 48" oc. I will complete the wiring in the next couple of days but so far very happy with them. Nice and bright.

 

[cybrdyke]

Are there any affordable direct wire fixtures that work with regular (triac) dimmers? I have smart dimmers installed throughout the house and we love them, I'd love to add those same dimmers to the workshop as well so it's all on the same app. I'd like to avoid a 0-10V dimmer if possible.

The lighting industry has pretty much settled on 0-10V as the standard protocol for controlling lights. There are only a few exceptions and they are residentially oriented. For instance, wafer lights tend to be 120v only and triac dimming. Also, most screw base lamps (incandescent replacements) are triac dimming. Other than that, pickin's are slim.
CD

 

[lukel99]

The lighting industry has pretty much settled on 0-10V as the standard protocol for controlling lights. There are only a few exceptions and they are residentially oriented. For instance, wafer lights tend to be 120v only and triac dimming. Also, most screw base lamps (incandescent replacements) are triac dimming. Other than that, pickin's are slim.
CD

Yeah, I've been doing a ton of research and came to the same conclusion. Instead of dimming I think I'll just add extra zones for increased brightness as needed. Thanks!

 

[brownbagg]

i bought the 18000 at home depot. 2ft led for $99
i really like them

 

[BlueMultipod]

Does anyone know if Platonic Solid still provides lighting layouts for members? It doesn’t look like he’s been active since May of this year.

I apologize if this has been addressed already in the thread above.

 

[Jagmandave]

The lighting industry has pretty much settled on 0-10V as the standard protocol for controlling lights. There are only a few exceptions and they are residentially oriented. For instance, wafer lights tend to be 120v only and triac dimming. Also, most screw base lamps (incandescent replacements) are triac dimming. Other than that, pickin's are slim.
CD

What are wafer lights?

 

[cybrdyke]

What are wafer lights?

Disc lights in 4", 6" or 8" diameter that snap into the ceiling. They dont need an electrical box or a nail-up can.

 

[Jagmandave]

Oh, those are interesting - haven't seen them before. Is that the official name? can I find them at HD under that name? Guess I'll go look.....

Edit: yes, that's how they're listed. Looks like they have a separate transformer that has to be wired up too

 

[cybrdyke]

Oh, those are interesting - haven't seen them before. Is that the official name? can I find them at HD under that name? Guess I'll go look.....

Edit: yes, that's how they're listed. Looks like they have a separate transformer that has to be wired up too

Yes, they have a separate driver box, which is where you make your electrical connection. The wire from the driver box to the wafer is included.

 

[ojh]

It is time to replace my halogen with some LED, I went with the round 500w LED highbay lamps and then got a 'bright' idea. put them inside them old green warehouse shades I had layin around:
Heres the new fixtures and the old warehouse shades

I removed the mounting bracket and made adapters and a 2' conduit:

Then I just slipped the shade over the conduit (it rests on the shoulder of the adapter bracket) and topped the conduit with the fittings from the halogen fixtures:

And here it is:
One problem is that I spliced the pigtail in the fixture to run up the conduit, the LED fixture is wicked hot! After discovering how much heat there is I am in the process of taking each one apart and wrapping the wires/splice in a insulation blanket. When I do the rest of my shop I'll use 16" conduit won't need a splice, the pigtail will reach the junction box.
These lights are a big improvement, thats a fact.

As a followup to my post, I bought 6 of those fixtures and 3 of them have burned out! I contacted the sellers and offered to send the failed ones back at my expense to see whats wrong with them, was it my fault? He didn't want to see them and offered to replace those 3, I offered to cover the shipping and they said they would just send them. They dragged the conversation out to a point where Ebay wouldn't intercede and have quit responding to my emails.
I purchased them from a place in New Jersey, theres more than one seller of them on Ebay but they all come from the same address.
In brief I installed them at the end of August and they quit working in October.

 

[sanddan]

I currently have 8’ two tube HO fluorescent fixtures mounted at 12’ from the floor. Three fixtures per ea 12’ x 36’ bay. This is in a pole building shop. I would like more light in this area but can’t add more fixtures to these circuits so I’m thinking of switching to led bulbs in the existing fixtures. Too hard to change fixtures unless I hire an electrician as I can’t work on a ladder at that heights, 69 and 2 metal hips so not worth the risk.
1. Would the leds give enough light?
2. Where to get them?
3. I can re-wire the fixtures to bypass the ballast.

 

[cybrdyke]

Sanddan,
8' HO LED tubes will not give you a good increase in light.
Your options are to use one of the myriad of retrofit kits that are out there, or to put in new fixtures. Most of the retrofit kits wont give you a large boost in light, either.
The reason for that is because your HO lamps are pretty bright. LED replacements for them are only designed to give the same amount of light as the originals. Retrofit kits are usually designed to replace 4' lamps and those dont put out what your HO lamps do.
There are retrofit kits that will increase your light level. They'll include several components that will need to be installed in the old fixtures. Since you cant be up on a ladder, working overhead, the retrofit kits would be just as much work as hanging new fixtures.
Other options might include just adding supplemental fixtures to your existing lights or using task lighting in the work areas.
CD

 

[dave*99]

As a followup to my post, I bought 6 of those fixtures and 3 of them have burned out! I contacted the sellers and offered to send the failed ones back at my expense to see whats wrong with them, was it my fault? He didn't want to see them and offered to replace those 3, I offered to cover the shipping and they said they would just send them. They dragged the conversation out to a point where Ebay wouldn't intercede and have quit responding to my emails.
I purchased them from a place in New Jersey, theres more than one seller of them on Ebay but they all come from the same address.
In brief I installed them at the end of August and they quit working in October.

The LED units you bought appear to have a finned black heat sink on their topside. By covering that up with the green shade, the airflow would be cut off. And the LED units overheat and burnout. You mentioned they get very hot..... yup..... heat is the enemy of most electronics.

 

[FTG-05]

Anyone know what happened to PS? He hasn't posted since last May.

 

[twelvexs]

Hi folks. Quick question/opinion.

Installing 4' fixtures, 2-tube housings with diffusers: https://www.thomaslightingshop.com/Resp.ProductSheet.aspx?pid=395009

Considering switching to LED since it's in the build out phase and I'm just starting to mount things up to the ceiling. I have 8' ceilings.

Question is, if I convert to LED, should I look for CLEAR tubes or FROSTED tubes since the fixture already has a diffuser?

Thanks for opinions or ideas in advance!

 

[bradpac]

Hi folks. Quick question/opinion.

Installing 4' fixtures, 2-tube housings with diffusers: https://www.thomaslightingshop.com/Resp.ProductSheet.aspx?pid=395009

Considering switching to LED since it's in the build out phase and I'm just starting to mount things up to the ceiling. I have 8' ceilings.

Question is, if I convert to LED, should I look for CLEAR tubes or FROSTED tubes since the fixture already has a diffuser?

Thanks for opinions or ideas in advance!

You should be fine with clear tubes with a fixture diffuser, it should be a little brighter.

 

[twelvexs]

You should be fine with clear tubes with a fixture diffuser, it should be a little brighter.

@bradpac Thanks for the feedback! Think clear bulbs are what I'll go with.