LED-integrated vs. LED-ready fixtures

[jives]

Somewhere this may have been discussed, but I cannot find any thorough discussion of the benefits or disadvantages of a fully integrated LED luminaire versus a fixture with replaceable LED tubes/bulbs.

Considering a blank slate, that is, no old florescent tube fixtures to retrofit with LED, what are the advantages or disadvantages of one versus the other?
I understand the price comparisons may be a bit unfair due to different manufacturers and overall fixture quality, but what am I missing about the tube fixture?

For example:
This 6 LED tube fixture is about 12,000 lumens (depending on specific tube specs), and with tubes is about $145:

In contrast, this luminaire is about 14,000 lumens, costs about $85.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Outside of the obvious difference that replacement bulbs will be easier to find than replacement LED arrays for the integrated fixture in the future, the big difference between the 2 is the integrated fixture has 1 higher wattage independent LED driver vs the multiple low wattage drivers (1 inside each bulb) of the retrofit tube fixture. It's easier to make high efficiency drivers at higher wattages, thus you can get much higher efficiency integrated LED fixtures.

Edit - More:

Larger surface area of (some) integrated fixtures provides better heat sinking which extends LED life. Moving the driver away from the LED arrays extends the life of both LED arrays and the driver.

 

[cybrdyke]

The cost you cite of the tubed fixture is too high. You should be able to get that fixture for well under $100, tubes included. The LED luminaire should have a longer L70 life rating than the tubed one. The LED luminaire is controllable, the tubes arent.
You can make the tubed fixture into a 15,000 lumen fixture just by changing tubes to 2500 lumen tubes.
Just some thoughts to confuse you even more...
CD

 

[Smithclarck]

There are a couple of things to consider when deciding which fixture is the best choice for your house. First, need major repairs to your current equipment? Sometimes it is worth simply replacing the whole fixture with a built-in LED while comparing repair costs with the expense of LED lamps.

Second, which building codes are required to meet your light fixtures? The U.S. Energy Department has codes which require higher performance standards. Such codes will vary from county to county, so please be sure you know what your county needs.

You're finally looking for discount opportunities? A non-profit group funded by a variety of energy companies, the Design Lights Consortium (DLC).

Installing eligible DLC fittings will result in discounts in your wallet. The DLC 4.0 performance criteria were introduced this year. For each type of movement or light bulb and Kelvin color temperature,

CRI and hours of life, these requirements require a minimum efficacy rate. In a previous post, you can find out more about the DLC qualifications. Community rebates may also be eligible, so watch out.

 

[theoldwizard1]

LEDs are not manufactured as tubes. They are a plastic strip with a "chip" every few inches and then placed in a empty, non-sealed plastic tube. LED "ready" is a scam.

Why do you need so much light in one place ? Buy 2 or 3 cheap "shop lights" (around $20) make a bracket so that they all hang together and your done.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Wow, this thread went south quickly.

Smithclarck - Rather than copy and pasting a web page, just post a link to it. Plus it doesn't answer the OPs question.

LEDs are not manufactured as tubes. They are a plastic strip with a "chip" every few inches and then placed in a empty, non-sealed plastic tube. LED "ready" is a scam.

"LED ready" = a fluorescent fixture housing with lamp holders, that has no ballast, intended for use with LED retrofit tubes.

Why do you need so much light in one place ? Buy 2 or 3 cheap "shop lights" (around $20) make a bracket so that they all hang together and your done.

Why juryrig $60 worth of cheap shop lights to reach 15000 lumens when you can buy one $60 15000+ lumen fixture ?

 

[exranger06]

I used to have a 4 ft integrated LED shop light. It broke after only 2 years or so. I replaced it with a fluorescent fixture and hard-wired it in, removed the ballast, and installed LED tubes in it. Cost about twice as much as another shop light, but should last at least 10 times as long. If one of the tubes fails, it costs only $10 to replace it, not $35.

 

[jives]

OP here. Assuming the LED tube fixture can be had for the same price (lumens or watts per dollar), is there really a preference? Will one inherently fail sooner or have poorer photometrics? Granted, a difficult question based on fixture quality and design. It seems to me having tubes creates more chances for failure.

BTW, there is a practical side to this. At some point I'll be replacing the 'temporary' plug-in 225W metal halide high bays in my garage. The garage has a vaulted ceiling, about 20' at the peak, 14' at the sidewalls. Fixtures will eventually be placed at about 19' and 17' heights. Yes, high lumen fixtures are a must.

 

[GRB]

Clearly not one answer for everyone. The tube version of that High Bay Light in the first pic is overprices so not a good comparison.

It does seem like Integrated Fixtures are going to be better for a new install in High Bay installations. We don't know if the OP is completely ignoring the fact that these are High Bay lights. The first step in designing lighting should be to figure out what is reasonable for that specific space and your needs.

So, are these going to be mounted above 12' where lights like the ones in the OP are appropriate?

 

[Platonic Solid]

Assuming the space gets regular use, at 18' mounting height I'd consider an integrated linear highbay with a longer life like this Maxlite BLHE2-135DUF-50 with L70 of 100,000 hrs. (that's 32 years @ 60 hrs/wk), for $117.50.

 

[jives]

Assuming the space gets regular use, at 18' mounting height I'd consider an integrated linear highbay with a longer life like this Maxlite BLHE2-135DUF-50 with L70 of 100,000 hrs. (that's 32 years @ 60 hrs/wk), for $117.50.

Yeah, those look nice, but I'm not sure the added quality is worth the prices. I'll be long dead before 100,000 hrs is up. . . .

 

[Platonic Solid]

Here's a better comparison LED retrofit tube fixture: Maxlite BLHT6XT8USE4815 (with tubes) L70 50,000 hrs. for $107.19.

Still, that can't beat the el-cheapo $60 integrated fixture (link to GJ thread)