A little history on "shop lights"....
Fluorescent lamp manufacturers, long ago, started making a very cheap, inferior grade, shortened lifespan flourescent lamp that would run on a standard ballast. Since it had reduced lumens and short life, it wasn't very useful for typical commercial applications. All it was really good for was task lighting, ie: mounted over work areas, under cabinets, etc. The thinking was that these task lights wouldn't be on all day like the overhead lights. They would only be on a couple of hours each day. This justified the short life-span and lower lumen levels. This lamp was a hit in work shops and so they quickly acquired the nickname "shop lights".
Shop lights were certainly the cheapest, most inferior grade, worst performing lamps that you could find. But they were cheap. And the lamp manufacturers made no apologies for making them because they felt that they filled a niche market.
Today, "shop lights" are still the lowest quality, most inferior grade product that the manufacturers make. And they're still not really intended to be used light up entire shops, although many folks have had success doing just that.
Just remember that if you are googling "shop lights", you'll likely not get a chance to see any lighting fixtures of good quality. That might be OK for you in your own garage and I dont mean to put anybody's choices down. It certainly wouldn't fly in any commercial lighting project.
Good luck in whatever choice you make.
CD
