4ft 2-Lamp LED Retrofit Strip Fixture Reviews

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Kyle from PRO Lighting generously provided the following fixtures and lamps for this review:
(Manufacturer’s part numbers are linked to their respective PDF spec sheets)

• Maxlite 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Strip Fixture LSS2XT8USE4803
Maxlite PROLight page link.

• Straits Lighting 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Strip Fixture SL913TK
4' Straits Lighting PROLight page link (unable to locate)
8' Straits Lighting tandem PROLight page link w/o lamps - link w/lamps.

• GLLUSA 4' 5000K Lamps GL07103-3M
GLLUSA PROLight page link.

All items arrived securely packed with no damage via FedEx Ground.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review
(most images linked to larger views)

Assembled fixture Weight without lamps = 3.97 lbs.

Measured Housing = 48.12 x 3.32 x 1.67 (not including lamp holders) 2.92 (with lamp holders)

Housing material: 24 Gauge (0.024) Cold Rolled Steel finished in white baked enamel. The paint job is thorough and there are no sharp edges or burrs.

Housing back and bag contents.

Since the fixture ID and UL labels are on the back, once you surface mount the housing you will no longer be able to see them. This could be an issue with building inspectors as they are supposed to be visible after fixture installation. It’s OK if a cover has to be removed, but you shouldn’t have to remove the entire fixture. I did bring this to Maxlite’s attention. They had no comment.

The housing back has 2 “U” shaped cutouts with holes in the center. They’re intended as a wire management feature. The idea is to bend the tabs into the housing and ty wrap the wires to it.

There are four 7/8” Dia. conduit knockouts. 1 on center back, 1 on center side and 1 on center each end. Ends and cover retaining straps are attached with pop-rivets.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp Continued

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

The cover is secured to the housing with 2 simple but effective captive quarter turn clips. The cover only fits one direction, so you’ll want to put the unpowered lamp holders on the end to coincide with the “No Voltage this end” cover label.

Tombstone snap-in lamp holders are a Chinese brand that I’ve never heard of = HUNPOOL TC-05K3 (link)
They are G13 Medium Bi Pin, unshunted, rotary lock, bottom push-in wire entry with wire release. “Wire release” is a common feature that permits you to insert a small tool – like a straightened paperclip – in the bottom to release the wire.

Above picture shows a standard lamp holder on left and Maxlite lamp holder on right. Top front to back lamp holder thickness = 0.46”. Most common snap-in tombstone lamp holders are 0.344” thick. Should you need to replace one you'd have to contact Maxlite as using standard lamp holders would result in excessive lamp slop. This is a minor issue, but worth being aware of.

The pair of prewired lamp holders are clearly labeled L/N (Line/Neutral) and come with an impressive 6 feet of 18AWG stranded wire with slightly tinned ends. It’s better to have too much wire than not enough. The ground lead is secured to a threaded flush head press stud via hex nut and ring terminal. After spending 5 minutes unraveling the ground lead, it measures almost 7 feet long!

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp Continued

Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

Mounting:

Maxlite Operating & Installation Instructions (link)

It comes with 2 plastic drywall anchors and screws for surface mounting via the keyhole slots in the housing.

Unlike traditional fluorescent strip light housings, there are no side slots provided for “V” hook and chain mounting. Their spec sheet mentions a cable kit. I requested a picture of this kit but only received the following description: “This is a slot nut cable hanging kit. The nut with the cable would go through the surface mount holes and get bolted on the inside of the housing. It has an adjustable grip to adjust length.” This method of hanging via 2 centered cables sounds unstable as there’s nothing to prevent side to side wobble.

The housing sides have 4 small holes – 2 on each side. These are for the optional wire guard. If you want to hang these fixtures from cables and don’t want to drill holes for “V” hooks or Y-Toggle cable hangers, the 4 small side holes could be used to fabricate something with more stability than their cable hanging kit option.

Below pictures shown with GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M Lamps installed (not included).

Conclusion:

The Maxlite LSS2XT8USE4803 is a sturdy well-constructed fixture for this price range. Suitable for surface mounting to drywall, wood or steel. If you need hanging fixtures, you might want to find strip light housings with more mounting options. The damp location UL Listing is nice, but doesn’t mean much if using dry location listed lamps such as the GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M. If you ever have a failure of the off-brand lamp holders, you can always rewire it to the 2 non-powered sockets.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

Assembled fixture Weight without lamps = 3.05 lbs.

Measured Housing = 48.56 x 3.23 x 1.67 (with 0.20 tall rear spacers) 2.93 (with lamp holders)

Housing material: Measures 0.026 with paint. So it’s either 25 Gauge (0.021) or 26 Gauge (0.018) Cold Rolled Steel finished in white baked enamel. Noticeably thinner and lighter than the Maxlite housing. The paint job is thorough and there are no sharp edges or burrs.

No print on the Straits Lighting box, just the ID label.

Fixture comes in a plastic bag to prevent finish damage from cardboard box transit vibration.

There are four 7/8” Dia. conduit knockouts. 2 on center back and 1 on each end.

Hardware bag contains 2 rotary lock Tombstone AAG Stucchi 3249-9-H/S-SN-U-PBT (link) snap-in lamp holders. They are industry standard 0.344 thickness G13 Medium Bi Pin, unshunted, rotary lock, bottom push-in wire entry without wire release.

Ground lead is 1ft long secured to housing via screw, hex nut and ring terminal. Wired lamp holders come with 26 inches of 18AWG solid wire plus Wago 873-902 Lumi-Nut Pushwire Connector and a 7 inch wire pigtail. This would be a nice perk if it wasn't installed incorrectly from the factory. The 4 hole side is supposed to be for line-in and to daisy chain to the next fixture. Instead 2 pigtails leads are installed on the output end and the lamp holder feeds are connected to the line-in terminals. Ironically, it would actually be cheaper for the manufacturer to install it correctly as then there would be no pigtails.

These are the only labels on the fixture. No UL Label. Their literature states “UL Certified”, but there is no record of the SL913TK part number in the UL online certification directory. Whether a housing of this nature needs to be UL Listed is debatable. As long as the electrical components and lamps are UL Listed (which they are) and there are no major safety violations, this isn't a huge deal (unless your building inspector calls you out on this). The notable safety violations are the missing Caution labels.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp Continued

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

Stamped end housings are spot welded to housing.

Housing cover is grounded via screws, nuts and convenient spade connector. This fixture may not be UL Listed, but the grounded cover makes it an electrically safer enclosure than the Maxlite which does not have a grounded cover.

Housing comes with 3 preinstalled plastic wire management clips.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp Continued

Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

Mounting:

Straits Lighting Installation Instructions (link)

The literature makes no mention of any hanging options and there are no side slots for “V” hangers. The rear mounting holes (0.54” x 0.22” obround) might be big enough to accommodate Y-Toggle cable hangers. I’m sure ProLighting can confirm fit as they sell Y-Toggle cable hangers (link) also.

It comes with 4 plastic drywall anchors, washers and screws for surface mounting.

The slots on the ends of the housing are for the 8ft variant’s locking bracket (see PROLighting 8ft link in post 1). I believe the 4 plastic snap-in spacer feet are only required when using the 8ft variant’s locking bracket.

Cover is attached with 2 thumb screws. Hardware package came with 3. Not sure if that is just an error or to make up for the increased loss potential of non-captive hardware.

Conclusion:

The Straits Lighting SL913TK housing is quite thin, but it gets the job done. The name brand lamp holders fit securely and I’d expect them to provide reliable long term service. The missing UL Listing and caution labels are issues that need to be corrected. Since the Wago connector isn’t required, the incorrect wiring of it doesn’t add or subtract anything from its functionality.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

Maxlite / Straits Lighting Review

Here are a couple head to head Straits Lighting / Maxlite comparison pictures:

Straits Lighting on top

Maxlite on left

This image really shows the metal thickness difference. Maxlite left, Straits Lighting right.

.

Platonic Solid · Apr 15, 2018

GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M Lamp Review

GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M Lamp Review

Lamps were packaged in basic nondescript white boxes with no markings or labels. Not much point posting a picture of a white box. Lamps came package with typical plastic pin protectors.

Wiring diagram on lamp label shows option to use with fluorescent ballast or as ballast bypass with opposing end wiring. Label does not show a single end wiring option which is how the enclosures are prewired. Both GLLUSA website and PROLighting both state "Direct Wire Single End or Opposing End". The lamps function just fine installed in the single end wired housings.

Lamp SKU on ProLighting website: GLL GL07103-3M which = GLLUSA Lamp Code: ST-TL-003-18W-B(5000K) per spec sheet (link). The Lamp Code corresponds to below DLC listing which shows the manufacturer as SHENZHEN GCL ELECTRONICS.

Part No. on label of supplied lamp = 56-T8QL-120-18W-50K-F-B. Below DLC listing shows the manufacturer as ETERNAL SHINE TECHNOLOGY. (Caution - I got a Norton Virus Warning when I attempted to go to the ETERNAL SHINE TECHNOLOGY website - so I chose to stay safe and leave it alone).

Edit: Checked again and now I see "Builders Pack" on GLLUSA website:

Rating specs are identical for both DLC listings and both companies have active ETL files referencing their respective correct part numbers. I'll chalk this up to the near impossible task of determining who really made any product.

I'll post more on this lamp later - like actual power consumption and measured color temperature. I can't measure lumen output so we'll just have to accept the DLC listings.

Astross89 · Apr 15, 2018

I was ready to order the maxlites, but i need chain hanging.

padstack · Apr 16, 2018

You need more products for review? I might be able to hook you up.

Firebrick43 · Oct 13, 2018

Would you say these maxlite fixtures are better than the metalux? I installed a bunch of them in my basement and converted them myself. While thrilled with the light out put,(hyperkon 5000k led frosted tubes) the fixtures seam to have been painted before stamping and sharp edges have tinges of rust. I was hoping for a fixture with heavier metal and no sharp edges and better paint. Led ready would be a huge plus to boot. To bad you can't get them wired for dual ended bulbs(shunted sockets)

Platonic Solid · Oct 13, 2018

Firebrick43 - I haven't seen the Metalux housing, but if they're using prepainted stock and leaving exposed unfinished edges - that's pretty cheap. The Maxlite is definitely much better than that = thoroughly finished after assembled, heavy gauge sheet stock, no sharp or bare metal edges.

cybrdyke · Oct 15, 2018

Firebrick43 said:
Led ready would be a huge plus to boot. To bad you can't get them wired for dual ended bulbs(shunted sockets)

You can. Double end bulbs are the standard now and so almost all fixture makers offer them. Usually it's just a suffix to the part number, like -WBE (wired both ends). Sometimes it can be harder to find them on internet sites, but keep digging...you'll find them.
Good luck,
CD

FlavortownPublicWorks · Dec 7, 2018

Potentially stupid question:

When installing these fixtures (or any tube fixtures) do you just run the romex through the knockout in the back? According to NEC, is there any sort of strain relief device needed?

jrsavoie · Dec 7, 2018

FlavortownPublicWorks said:
Potentially stupid question:

When installing these fixtures (or any tube fixtures) do you just run the romex through the knockout in the back? According to NEC, is there any sort of strain relief device needed?

I used to install a box and run stranded wire to the fixtures. I never installed a fluorescent fixture that I didn't have to replace. After about 5 or 10 years, I started mounting a receptacle and just plugging them in.

69supercj · Dec 7, 2018

Astross89 said:
I was ready to order the maxlites, but i need chain hanging.

I'm in the same boat and what I was going to do is just bend the U-shaped tabs that are intended for wire management upwards instead of inwards, that way you can put an S-hook through the tab. If you really need wire management inside just use some good gorilla duct tape to secure.

Platonic Solid · Dec 7, 2018

For better stability, drill holes in the sides of the housing and use "V" hooks.

69supercj · Dec 8, 2018

Hey Platonic, what do you know about Lithonia Lighting's 8 foot integrated LED fixture? CMNSL962LLMVOLT840. 8200 lumens. Should I shy away from the integrated fixtures? They have a 5 year guarantee and a 50K hour life.

FlavortownPublicWorks · Dec 10, 2018

Sorry maybe my question was unclear. Is it required to use a clamp like this in the knockout: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sigma-Elec...ce-Entrance-Connector-Conduit-Fitting/3152587

Or can you just run your romex through the knockout without any strain relief?

cybrdyke · Dec 10, 2018

69supercj said:
Hey Platonic, what do you know about Lithonia Lighting's 8 foot integrated LED fixture? CMNSL962LLMVOLT840. 8200 lumens. Should I shy away from the integrated fixtures? They have a 5 year guarantee and a 50K hour life.

There's a few differences in the components between an LED tube and an Integrated fixture. They'll both have LED strips running the entire length with a similarly frosted lens. Neither are dimmable, which isn't a big deal. Both have similar warranties.

Pros of Integrated Fixture:

It's tiny.

Pros of LED tubes in a no-ballast fixture:

It's cheaper
You can get more lumens by using LED tubes
It's alot more efficient at around 120-130 lumens per watt
You can replace a tube if it fails.
More choices of CCT (color temp of tubes)

Also, I'd shy away from 8' products. They're too much of a pain to handle and shipping is an issue. Plus, you dont usually gain anything photometrically. Unless you have installation issues, 4' fixtures are much easier and can be spread out to give you more even results.
Good luck,
CD

Falcon67 · Dec 10, 2018

Cons of an integrated fixture - you'll need a plug nearby and have to deal with excess cord because there's no way to direct wire it.

cybrdyke · Dec 11, 2018

Falcon67 said:
Cons of an integrated fixture - you'll need a plug nearby and have to deal with excess cord because there's no way to direct wire it.

You must be thinking of some other fixture. The one the OP referred to is hard wired.
CD

Innovate1 · Jan 16, 2019

FlavortownPublicWorks said:
Sorry maybe my question was unclear. Is it required to use a clamp like this in the knockout: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sigma-Elec...ce-Entrance-Connector-Conduit-Fitting/3152587

Or can you just run your romex through the knockout without any strain relief?

I am fairly sure you are to use some sort of strain relief. You can use the type you posted or there are plastic variations that you can use such as this
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-3-8-in-1-2-in-Knockout-Non-Metallic-Push-In-Connector-100-Pack-75105B/100150300?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal3_rr-_-203803782-_-100150300-_-N

There are also plastic parts available that just cover the hole edge and have a large hole so don't grip the cable at all. These seem like a poor idea to me and doubt they meet code.

If I was doing a bunch of lights I would go for the plastic grips.

nastorino · Jul 5, 2019

Re: Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp Continued

Platonic Solid said:
Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp LED Ready Utility Single End Powered Strip Fixture Review

Mounting:

Maxlite Operating & Installation Instructions (link)

It comes with 2 plastic drywall anchors and screws for surface mounting via the keyhole slots in the housing.

Unlike traditional fluorescent strip light housings, there are no side slots provided for “V” hook and chain mounting. Their spec sheet mentions a cable kit. I requested a picture of this kit but only received the following description: “This is a slot nut cable hanging kit. The nut with the cable would go through the surface mount holes and get bolted on the inside of the housing. It has an adjustable grip to adjust length.” This method of hanging via 2 centered cables sounds unstable as there’s nothing to prevent side to side wobble.

The housing sides have 4 small holes – 2 on each side. These are for the optional wire guard. If you want to hang these fixtures from cables and don’t want to drill holes for “V” hooks or Y-Toggle cable hangers, the 4 small side holes could be used to fabricate something with more stability than their cable hanging kit option.

Below pictures shown with GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M Lamps installed (not included).

Conclusion:

The Maxlite LSS2XT8USE4803 is a sturdy well-constructed fixture for this price range. Suitable for surface mounting to drywall, wood or steel. If you need hanging fixtures, you might want to find strip light housings with more mounting options. The damp location UL Listing is nice, but doesn’t mean much if using dry location listed lamps such as the GLLUSA 4' 5000K GL07103-3M. If you ever have a failure of the off-brand lamp holders, you can always rewire it to the 2 non-powered sockets.

Just to confirm when using the Maxlight LSS2XT8USE4803 and the GreenTek GT-T8-18W1200 BIXX-1-F-50K LED bulbs there's no need to remove the ballast from the fixture correct? Simple wire the fixture to your power source, and pop the bulbs in, no bypass necessary.

Platonic Solid · Jul 5, 2019

Re: Maxlite LSSXT8USE4803 4' 2-Lamp Continued

nastorino said:
Just to confirm when using the Maxlight LSS2XT8USE4803 and the GreenTek GT-T8-18W1200 BIXX-1-F-50K LED bulbs there's no need to remove the ballast from the fixture correct? Simple wire the fixture to your power source, and pop the bulbs in, no bypass necessary.

Correct

nmk_61802 · Dec 14, 2020

Can anyone with the Straits light fixture tell me if the back knock-out has one centered in the fixture and one slightly offset, or are they both centered about the fixture?

I have roughed in my wiring with the assumption I will be coming thru the center of my fixtures and use them as the junction point.

RonRock · Feb 3, 2021

Nice review. It is getting a little dated, are these still a good choice? Or are there better ways to go?

Trying to figure out a lighting plan for a 24x24 garage that I'm building for my daughter.

Parking and light hobby garage. Girls stuff.

I know not correct these days to say that but it gives an idea of the use of the garage.

I'm thinking 9 of these in 3 rows.

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