LED Shop Lights

[walt460]

OK, so my new 1000 square ft garage is done. It is my project workshop, not a garage for parking.

I had the builder out in some can lights, on a dedicated switch, just so I could see if I was coming in just to get something.

But I also had the builder put in 18 of the 110V plugs in the ceiling, on two separate switches, so I can install shop lights in the spots I want them once I get my garage set up to work.

So now it is time to buy some shop lights, some 4' and some 6' lights, at least 10 and maybe as many as 18. I am interested in LED shop lights, but confused as to which models by which manufactures are the best for a garage.

Anyone got any recommendations for LED shop lights?

Thanks,

Walt

 

[Pronk]

Not trying to be rude, but check out the 'Lighting & Electrical" section of this forum. There is tons of great info about all different types of LED lights.

There's also a member on here named Platonic Solid, who is extremely knowledgeable on everything to do with lighting and gives a good unbias opinion and has done a lot of light fixture layouts for guys on here.

Good luck on figuring out the right lights for your shop!

 

[theoldwizard1]

But I also had the builder put in 18 of the 110V plugs in the ceiling, on two separate switches, so I can install shop lights in the spots I want them once I get my garage set up to work.

Too late now but that was a waste of money ! If your are going LED (and why WOULDN'T you) you could have run a complete string off of one ceiling duplex outlet mounted in the middle of each row.

So now it is time to buy some shop lights, some 4' and some 6' lights, at least 10 and maybe as many as 18.

No such thing as a 6' long "shop" light. 4' is by far the most common. 8' florescent fixtures are expensive.

I am interested in LED shop lights, but confused as to which models by which manufactures are the best for a garage.

You are over thinking this ! The "best bang for the buck" in recent years has been the 4' FEIT light when the go on sale at Costco. Less than $20 each. They come with chain to hang them, but you could probably crew them directly in plasterboard (I would use plastic wall anchor) because they are so lightweight. The come with a plug in cord but they have outlets on the end so the can "daisy chained". They also have a pull chain switch.

 

[ezover]

a lot of folks on here installed these, https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345685&page=13

I bought 10 and like them a lot. I noticed they are on sale online and plan to order 6 more.

 

[walt460]

Not trying to be rude, but check out the 'Lighting & Electrical" section of this forum. There is tons of great info about all different types of LED lights.

There's also a member on here named Platonic Solid, who is extremely knowledgeable on everything to do with lighting and gives a good unbias opinion and has done a lot of light fixture layouts for guys on here.

Good luck on figuring out the right lights for your shop!

Thanks Pronk!
I did search for LED lighting and several threads came up but I did not think to check the Lighting and Electrical section-----getting old I guess!

 

[58Yeoman]

I have a 24x40 shop, and I divided it in half with my light switches. The half with the man door is the first switch, and half of the building. Works for me.

 

[xyster101]

Check the "Lighting and Electrical" section of the forum.
Tons of ideas there.
The Costco lights mentioned above are great. I installed 3 outlets in the ceiling on a switch and ran 28 of those LED lights off the switches.
Lots of light, cheap to do, easy to install. Just screwed them to the ceiling and threw out the little chains.

 

[gemniii]

Check the "Lighting and Electrical" section of the forum.
Tons of ideas there.
The Cosco lights mentioned above are great. I installed 3 outlets in the ceiling on a switch and ran 28 of those LED lights off the switches.
Lots of light, cheap to do, easy to install. Just screwed them to the ceiling and threw out the little chains.

Careful - don't confuse Cosco (China Overseas Shipping Company) with retailer Cosco Products (https://www.coscoproducts.com/eng/About-Us) and Costco (the discount retailer formerly known as Price Club).

 

[BD1]

The Costco 4' LED shop lights work for me. Can't beat the $20.00 price as other mentioned.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Thanks Pronk!
I did search for LED lighting and several threads came up but I did not think to check the Lighting and Electrical section-----getting old I guess!

I'll be moving this thread to the Lighting and Electrical section.




I bought 8' strip light fixtures that use 4/48" bulbs. They are all hard wired with no outlets to plug in. I'm using Sylvania drop in LED 5000K bulbs and am quite happy with them.

 

[JCQuick]

I installed 8 of the costco fiet in my 1000sf shop. They light the place up just fine. But I did just recently have a problem. Came into the shop and when i turned the lights on I heard a loud pop. 1 of the lights was ot and then I got a wiff of electrical burning. 1 light out of the 8 went bad. No big deal i'm sure it will be covered under warranty and it was. only problem is they don't make those lights for costco any more. So now in order to have the same light I need to replace all of them.

 

[cybrdyke]

OK, so my new 1000 square ft garage is done. It is my project workshop, not a garage for parking.

I had the builder out in some can lights, on a dedicated switch, just so I could see if I was coming in just to get something.

But I also had the builder put in 18 of the 110V plugs in the ceiling, on two separate switches, so I can install shop lights in the spots I want them once I get my garage set up to work.

So now it is time to buy some shop lights, some 4' and some 6' lights, at least 10 and maybe as many as 18. I am interested in LED shop lights, but confused as to which models by which manufactures are the best for a garage.

Anyone got any recommendations for LED shop lights?

Thanks,

Walt

Shop lights are not for lighting up the whole shop. They're called shop lights because they were originally designed to be used in shops for task lighting, like over benches and machines.
Do yourself a favor and skip the el-cheapo big box ****. If it's your workshop and it's brand new and you intend to be in there working on projects and things, get yourself some GOOD lights. It doesn't need to cost you an arm and a let.
Get a lighting layout from someone. It will let you determine how many lights you need, how they should be spaced and where you want the light to be. You'll be much happier in your new workshop if the lighting is good.
Good luck,
CD

 

[James E]

I got something similar to the Cosco ones, but from Home Depot. The light they throw is awesome and they pull almost no current at all.

In addition, the ones I got have small pigtails on them that allow one to be plugged in and several more to be plugged in in series off of the first.

The drawback is that because of the way they are built, they cannot be mounted directly to the ceiling, but have to be hung from a chain. That's not a problem in my shop but I would have preferred to flush-mount them.

Mine are 3 or 4 years old. With the rate of change in LED technology, I am sure they make even better ones now.

 

[tonyciambrone]

Just listen to whatver cybrdyke says. He is always on the money.

I like strip light fixtures with direct wire LED tubes for typical pole barn height fixtures. Depends on your layout, but you can do the 4x48" tubes in a 8ft arrangement, or strings of 4x48 in the 4ft length as needed.

LED will probably keep advancing, and using T8 style tubes seems to be the most adaptable solution. Did I mention direct wire? Don't mess with ballasts if you don't need to.

 

[69supercj]

I just bought 20 of the Maxlite LSS2XT8USE 4803's from Bee's Lighting that were mentioned in the sticky at the top of this page. They are easy peasy to assemble and hang and put out some great light. Right at 30 bucks each including the bulbs but they're not the integrated units so you can replace bulbs if needed without chitcanning the entire unit. Nearly all the ones you find at the big box stores are the integrated style which I didn't want. Highly recommend!!

 

[xyster101]

Shop lights are not for lighting up the whole shop. They're called shop lights because they were originally designed to be used in shops for task lighting, like over benches and machines.
Do yourself a favor and skip the el-cheapo big box ****. If it's your workshop and it's brand new and you intend to be in there working on projects and things, get yourself some GOOD lights. It doesn't need to cost you an arm and a let.
Get a lighting layout from someone. It will let you determine how many lights you need, how they should be spaced and where you want the light to be. You'll be much happier in your new workshop if the lighting is good.
Good luck,
CD

Cybrdyke,

This might be true, but your advice is not advice. You do not recommend a place to get a lighting layout. You don't offer options on "non shop" lighting that is better then my cheap $20 lights. Where can I get better lighting for a shop?
My "big box ****" has been running for 5 years now and throws a ton of light. How many garages of friends do you enter with 3 old school CFL lights installed and you can't see ****?
Show me some lighting options to illuminate 1,200 sq/ft which is what the OP is asking.
If you can do it for $600 like my Costco lights, bonus, heck points if you can do it for double that.

 

[GRB]

Shop lights are not for lighting up the whole shop. They're called shop lights because they were originally designed to be used in shops for task lighting, like over benches and machines.
Do yourself a favor and skip the el-cheapo big box ****. If it's your workshop and it's brand new and you intend to be in there working on projects and things, get yourself some GOOD lights. It doesn't need to cost you an arm and a let.
Get a lighting layout from someone. It will let you determine how many lights you need, how they should be spaced and where you want the light to be. You'll be much happier in your new workshop if the lighting is good.
Good luck,
CD

Fabulous advise. These Costco Feit lights are some of the best of the cheap **** TASK lighting but they are still **** if used to light a shop as GENERAL lighting.
OP clearly should have had some good advise before wasting the money on a bunch of outlets in the ceiling. At this point he perhaps should just go ahead an use the Costco Feits and then trash it all and replace when they are done. If the shop doesn't get heavy use that may be long enough to forget the initial mistake.
Read the sticky on lighting BEFORE you build the shop, guys.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Cybrdyke,

This might be true, but your advice is not advice. You do not recommend a place to get a lighting layout. You don't offer options on "non shop" lighting that is better then my cheap $20 lights. Where can I get better lighting for a shop?
My "big box ****" has been running for 5 years now and throws a ton of light. How many garages of friends do you enter with 3 old school CFL lights installed and you can't see ****?
Show me some lighting options to illuminate 1,200 sq/ft which is what the OP is asking.
If you can do it for $600 like my Costco lights, bonus, heck points if you can do it for double that.

Without X,Y,Z garage dimensions making any recommendation is futile.

As has been posted many times, you can do your own layout using the Visual Photometric Tool (link to basic instructions). Or buy the fixtures from Prolighting (links below) and they'll do the layout for you.

I still don't see any benefit to buying shop lights (intended for workbenches) and using them for area lighting.
Compare with 4ft 2-Lamp strip light housings and retrofit tubes from post #1 of best light fixture ever sticky.
$16 Maxlite Housing (link)
$18 for 2 GLL 48" 18W LED T8 - 2,605 Lumen Lamps (link)
$31.62 Total (after garagejournal 7% discount) for 5200 Lumens, 36W, 144 Lumens/Watt, 164 Lumens/$ and bulbs that can easily be replaced.

Compare with Cosco/Feit (link)
$24.00, 4000 Lumens, 42W, 95 Lumens/Watt (very poor efficiency), 167 Lumens/$ and toss the fixture when it dies.

Nothing says pride like installing the cheapest lighting known to man-kind in your new garage.

 

[txvwnut]

I just replaced all the fluorescents in my shop with these and am quite happy.

https://primelights.com/shop/items/the-bolt-2-lamp-led-shop-light-5700lumens-pl-blt44wcl

 

[walt460]

Thanks everyone for your advise and recommendations.

What I decided to buy are Sunco LED Industrial 4 ft Shop Lights. I found them at Amazon, so I got 8 for $189. ($23.63 each) These are 4000 Lumens, 40W and daylight 5000K. They look like they have two T8 bulbs but the tubes are not replaceable. (50,000 hour rated)

I put 6 of them up this afternoon, and I think 8 will be plenty to light up my 1000 sqft garage. I am going to buy 2 more to put above my 2 work benches.

 

[ozyborn]

Just do not buy led shop lights. Check the kelvin temps and fund what you prefer before spending a cent. I liked the 4000K far more than the 6500k. Those felt like my eyeballs were burning.

 

[xyster101]

Without X,Y,Z garage dimensions making any recommendation is futile.



I still don't see any benefit to buying shop lights (intended for workbenches) and using them for area lighting.
Compare with 4ft 2-Lamp strip light housings and retrofit tubes from post #1 of best light fixture ever sticky.

Thanks for this. I did a lot of research here which is how I found the Costco lights and seemed that everyone here recommended them. Hence why I chose that option. I read through that sticky, but must have missed those lights. Oh well. I will replace the Costco ones when they fail. Argh.

 

[Marctrees]

Nobody seems to talk about these on GJ, yet Youtube has plenty on them.

Marc

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q49DNGS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JVXLQ8R/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDGLX86/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[CJ7VFR]

...Compare with Costco/Feit (link)
$24.00, 4000 Lumens, 42W, 95 Lumens/Watt (very poor efficiency), 167 Lumens/$ and toss the fixture when it dies....

There, I fixed it for you.

Jim

 

[CJ7VFR]

...Compare with 4ft 2-Lamp strip light housings and retrofit tubes from post #1 of best light fixture ever sticky.
$16 Maxlite Housing (link)
$18 for 2 GLL 48" 18W LED T8 - 2,605 Lumen Lamps (link)
$31.62 Total (after garagejournal 7% discount) for 5200 Lumens, 36W, 144 Lumens/Watt, 164 Lumens/$ and bulbs that can easily be replaced....

When I click the link for the light housings, the website says they are discontinued.

Is there a newer version or replacement version of this housing? Or did the company stop making them?

If there is no replacement, please take down the link. If there is a replacement, please fix the link in the sticky to reflect that.

Jim

 

[CJ7VFR]

...I still don't see any benefit to buying shop lights (intended for workbenches) and using them for area lighting....

All depends on what you want.

In my basement, the ceiling is low (7'-4") with open framing, so putting in the open area light fixtures would cause me to go blind, having the lights literally in my line of sight. So shop lights, with shorter deflectors, placed where I want them, are the way to go.

Now, in my garage, which has a higher ceiling (10'-6") also with open framing, the open area light fixtures work better for lighting up the entire area. And they are not right in my line of sight, so they don't cause problems there. There is some light loss due to the light fixtures 270 degree spread into the dark open framing, but I don't mind that.

To compensate for the light loss into the dark areas in the ceiling I have several 4 foot LED "shop lights" with deflectors to use as task lighting over my two work benches, over the area where I have my storage shelving, as well as where I park my vehicles when I am working on them. Specifically over where I have the hood open to do tune-ups.

Like you've mentioned before, it all depends on the size and shape of the space, the ceiling height, if the ceiling is open or closed in by sheeting, the color of the room and ceiling, and where you want/need the light.

So yes, there are benefits to having shop lights, with deflectors, to light some spaces.

Jim

 

[Dodge]

Nobody seems to talk about these on GJ, yet Youtube has plenty on them.

Marc

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q49DNGS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JVXLQ8R/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDGLX86/?tag=atomicindus08-20

My son bought these, the second one on your list, and they are Awesome!!! He has a 40X60 shop. 16' ceiling and all white tin inside. Highly recommend.

 

[clubairth]

Just found great 4000 Lm LED shop lights at Walmart for $8 a fixture!!!
These are 2 bulb 4' long standard shop lights.

Short time sale as those flew off the shelves!
I got 9 before they were gone.
.
.
.

 

[GarageDog]

My son bought these, the second one on your list, and they are Awesome!!! He has a 40X60 shop. 16' ceiling and all white tin inside. Highly recommend.

Nobody seems to talk about these on GJ, yet Youtube has plenty on them.

Marc

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q49DNGS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JVXLQ8R/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDGLX86/?tag=atomicindus08-20

My neighbor just completed an 1,800sf shop with 12'-16' ceilings. Installed this product as well. Great lighting, clean, easy install.

 

[Marctrees]

So, speaking to all and Platonic - The old school idea of sheet metal formed fixtures w replaceable lamps, such as in "Post #1" in the Sticky is partially going the way of all plastic integral ones.

We are witnessing yet another change in evolution of lighting.

Logically, ASSUMING for the moment same longevity / reliability components in formed steel vs plastic - Plastic will be much cheaper to manufacture, AND ship.

Also, the method of fixt - fixt "chain" hookup and physical clip mounting speeds install.

SO - I am asking if we can not be knee jerk reaction automatically against ALL molded plastic integral disposable fixtures.

There seems to be a recent continuing growth of these like I linked in above Post #23 above.

Heavily available like at Amazon, AND shown in MANY Youtube videos.

Now, it seems many of "These" may have poorer lumens/ watt, AND we do not know yet how their longevity is... Of course all the glowing Youtube videos ONLY show new installs... We have yet NO idea about longevity as we know about the steel trough replacable lamp ones.

I'm kinda rambling but I think this is a VERY important topic to explore... BECAUSE of the apparent LOW price of these "Newer" fixtures AND simplicity of installing.

Thoughts ???

Marc

 

[kbuhagiar]

So, speaking to all and Platonic - The old school idea of sheet metal formed fixtures w replaceable lamps, such as in "Post #1" in the Sticky is partially going the way of all plastic integral ones.

We are witnessing yet another change in evolution of lighting.

Logically, ASSUMING for the moment same longevity / reliability components in formed steel vs plastic - Plastic will be much cheaper to manufacture, AND ship.

Also, the method of fixt - fixt "chain" hookup and physical clip mounting speeds install.

SO - I am asking if we can not be knee jerk reaction automatically against ALL molded plastic integral disposable fixtures.

There seems to be a recent continuing growth of these like I linked in above Post #23 above.

Heavily available like at Amazon, AND shown in MANY Youtube videos.

Now, it seems many of "These" may have poorer lumens/ watt, AND we do not know yet how their longevity is... Of course all the glowing Youtube videos ONLY show new installs... We have yet NO idea about longevity as we know about the steel trough replacable lamp ones.

I'm kinda rambling but I think this is a VERY important topic to explore... BECAUSE of the apparent LOW price of these "Newer" fixtures AND simplicity of installing.

Thoughts ???

Marc

Marc,

Very well said.

 

[GRB]

Thoughts ???

Marc

You have fallen for all their marketing **** and peer pressure from others that have fallen for the ****.

The fact that you focus on Amazon and Youtube indicates that you just don't get it. Lots of useless **** on both.

They will always fool the majority while a small minority will be capable of actually understanding the ramifications of each choice.

In other words, follow the advice of experts instead of wasting time asking "how about this?". Because the **** mongers will constantly be creating new pseudo-brands and there will always be a new **** "This".

 

[cybrdyke]

Thoughts ???

Marc

Those of us in the lighting industry wouldn't use any of those products that you linked. They're just garbage. I do, however, understand the temptation of an $8 fixture. And if it was my garage, and I just wanted some cheap lights, and I didn't know any better, then I can see why someone might be excited about getting them.
The people I feel sorry for are those who use them to light up their business shops or the garage that they spent tens of thousands of dollars to build. Those folks have truly wasted their money.
Putting all of that aside, there are some things in your comments that bear discussion.
The "professional" version of these linear lights are only moderately popular...about a 4 out of 10. They're far brighter, have more features, last longer, etc. Linking together with cords isn't a big deal. It's better to hard wire them traditionally. Linking wires are too ugly to be used on a commercial job, plus they're unreliable.
As far as plastic fixtures goes, there are plenty of them out there, in all sorts of varieties. You can even get plastic recessed troffers now. Once upon a time, you needed metal to cool off the diodes. That's not so much true today. So, yes, we are seeing more plastic alternatives. Outdoor fixtures are an example of this. LED wallpacks are commonly found in plastic now. Unfortunately, disposable fixtures aren't sustainable and dont fit into today's eco-correct energy agendas. And plastic's not really cheaper to use in manufacturing nor is it cheaper to ship as the weight difference is negligible.
We DO know the longevity of fixtures. Today's quality LED fixtures have L70 life expectancy over 100,000 hours routinely (twice as long as the Amazon ****), with many, many fixtures rated well over 200,000 hours.
What people dont know about cheap LED fixtures from ebay or Amazon is just how bad they are. They'll say 4000 lumens, but after just a thousand hours or so, they'll be half that. And they'll continue to decline. Failure rates are very high. Drivers are **** and wont make it to the "rated life". Non-visual flicker rate is off the charts. Color is incorrect and inconsistent. You have to understand that these manufacturers buy the defective diodes that the quality companies wont use.
So, just because we're seeing a flood of these cheap no-name fixtures being advertised doesn't mean we're seeing a quantum shift in the lighting industry. They're not selling as well as you might think, at least not commercially.
CD

 

[Platonic Solid]

Thoughts ???

Marc

Caveat Emptor. Try finding any of the below listed criteria for the selected product.

• Manufacturers name
• Manufacturers website
• Manufacturers address
• UL, ETL or CSA Listing Logo on product
• UL, ETL or CSA Listing File number
• Does Listing File number category match product **
• LM-79 photometric data
• IES photometric file
• TM-21 Lifetime data
• DLC Listing

** Retrofit bulbs are intended to be installed in UL Listed enclosures and housings. The enclosure/housing provides a secure means of connecting power. It is common for retrofit bulb manufacturers to improperly use their UL retrofit bulb Listing file number on these “fixtures”. The connection method used on these fixtures (actually lamps without housings) is not UL Listed, thus not NEC compliant.

Odds are you won't be able to provide a decent response to even 1 of the above listed items.

I would only consider using the angled arrays with the clear lensed bulbs previously linked to light the upper warehouse shelves in a personal (non-commercial) application. Even then, I'd opt for a frosted lens to reduce glare and even out light distribution. The frosted version might be usable for low ceiling garage application, but you need an IES file to confirm that.

 

[Menifee Valley Speed Shop]

Platonic, your level of knowledge is impressive and somewhat overwhelming for the likes of me! lol So, because there is so much info, would you still suggest the same lights at beginning of this thread? Sorry to bug, I read so much on the threads about lighting that Im on sensory overload

 

[GRB]

The "lights" he suggested are mostly a metal channel to hold wiring and the tombstones at each end. There are some subtle things in them that makes things easier when you are installing huge numbers of these.
The great idea behind this is that when the LED wear out or you decide you want different ones, you just change the light part of the fixture in seconds.
My local electric supply has LED ready fixtures for $13.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Menifee Valley Speed Shop - 4ft 2-lamp strip lights yielding around 5000 lumens are a good option for workshops with ceiling heights below 11ft. In the 11 to 13ft area consider 3-lamp strip lights or integrated LED fixtures around 8000 lumens. You can use higher lumen fixtures if you find a good deal, but you'll want to put them on dimmers and follow spacing criteria rules to maintain even illumination. Though not all fixtures have the same spacing criteria, it's generally safe to assume a spacing criteria of 1.25 for a medium distribution fixture.

Calculation works like this:
(Ceiling height - workplane height) x spacing criteria = max center to center fixture spacing

Example with a 10ft ceiling:
10' - 2.5' = 7.5' x 1.25 = 9.375' (Max center to center fixture spacing for even light distribution in a garage with 10' ceilings.)

Edit: Note calculation assumes fixtures are surface mounted to 10ft ceiling. If fixtures are hung below 10' ceiling - like at 9', then you'll have to redo the calculation. As fixtures are lowered, max center to center fixture mounting distance is reduced (to maintain even distribution).

 

[bczygan]

Without X,Y,Z garage dimensions making any recommendation is futile.

As has been posted many times, you can do your own layout using the Visual Photometric Tool (link to basic instructions). Or buy the fixtures from Prolighting (links below) and they'll do the layout for you.

I still don't see any benefit to buying shop lights (intended for workbenches) and using them for area lighting.
Compare with 4ft 2-Lamp strip light housings and retrofit tubes from post #1 of best light fixture ever sticky.
$16 Maxlite Housing (link)
$18 for 2 GLL 48" 18W LED T8 - 2,605 Lumen Lamps (link)
$31.62 Total (after garagejournal 7% discount) for 5200 Lumens, 36W, 144 Lumens/Watt, 164 Lumens/$ and bulbs that can easily be replaced.

Compare with Cosco/Feit (link)
$24.00, 4000 Lumens, 42W, 95 Lumens/Watt (very poor efficiency), 167 Lumens/$ and toss the fixture when it dies.

Nothing says pride like installing the cheapest lighting known to man-kind in your new garage.

This is what I did. Plus I went and picked them up, so no shipping!

Bill

 

[My Old Tools]

Those of us in the lighting industry wouldn't use any of those products that you linked. They're just garbage. I do, however, understand the temptation of an $8 fixture. And if it was my garage, and I just wanted some cheap lights, and I didn't know any better, then I can see why someone might be excited about getting them.
The people I feel sorry for are those who use them to light up their business shops or the garage that they spent tens of thousands of dollars to build. Those folks have truly wasted their money.
Putting all of that aside, there are some things in your comments that bear discussion.
The "professional" version of these linear lights are only moderately popular...about a 4 out of 10. They're far brighter, have more features, last longer, etc. Linking together with cords isn't a big deal. It's better to hard wire them traditionally. Linking wires are too ugly to be used on a commercial job, plus they're unreliable.
As far as plastic fixtures goes, there are plenty of them out there, in all sorts of varieties. You can even get plastic recessed troffers now. Once upon a time, you needed metal to cool off the diodes. That's not so much true today. So, yes, we are seeing more plastic alternatives. Outdoor fixtures are an example of this. LED wallpacks are commonly found in plastic now. Unfortunately, disposable fixtures aren't sustainable and dont fit into today's eco-correct energy agendas. And plastic's not really cheaper to use in manufacturing nor is it cheaper to ship as the weight difference is negligible.
We DO know the longevity of fixtures. Today's quality LED fixtures have L70 life expectancy over 100,000 hours routinely (twice as long as the Amazon ****), with many, many fixtures rated well over 200,000 hours.
What people dont know about cheap LED fixtures from ebay or Amazon is just how bad they are. They'll say 4000 lumens, but after just a thousand hours or so, they'll be half that. And they'll continue to decline. Failure rates are very high. Drivers are **** and wont make it to the "rated life". Non-visual flicker rate is off the charts. Color is incorrect and inconsistent. You have to understand that these manufacturers buy the defective diodes that the quality companies wont use.
So, just because we're seeing a flood of these cheap no-name fixtures being advertised doesn't mean we're seeing a quantum shift in the lighting industry. They're not selling as well as you might think, at least not commercially.
CD

You industry guys can shout all that all day long, but our real world experience is that the Costco lights perform just fine. I have used 40 of them in a couple of shops. The shop is daylight bright. Zero failures, zero degradation after 5 years, if they fail Costco replaces them for free. And the price most of the time is $19.95.

 

[Marctrees]

The MOST important meaningful comment from above is "5 Years"

End result, Rest of Story it seems.

Listings, Approvals, Lab test validations, etc etc

The above speaks to me.

DID I MISS something ?

Marc