Good lighting isn't done with opinions, it's done with data, experience and facts. There definitely are hazards when you have too much light. I know that it's fun to say that you can "never have too much", but actually you can, and it can be unhealthy. Working under 162 fc for long periods of time is not cool.
There is an organization of lighting scientists that have identified the optimal amount of lighting for every kind of space that you can imagine, so there is no need to guess or to get info from your cousin's sister's aunt.
A professional auto shop should be just over 90fc. That's pretty damn bright. If you're doing that kind of work in your garage or home shop, then shoot for that. Going over that is just wasting your money on buying too much light, dimmer or not.
BTW, a dimming control wasn't invented so that you can install way too much light and then dim it down to a normal level. They're made so that you can lower the lights when you're not doing the task that the space is designed for.
Most people dont know anything about different foot candle levels. It's just not something that they've ever dealt with. That's why the work has already been done for them by others that do know.
Just for reference:
A typical school classroom should be around 45fc. Same for an office building. That's normally plenty for a residential garage.
If you're just parking cars in your garage, then 25-30 is more than enough to let you work on the lawn mower from time to time.
Warehouses are around 10fc. Parking lots at night are typically under 2fc.
Even more important than the foot candles is that the space is evenly lit with good reflectance and limited shadows. That's where fixture spacing comes in. A good photometric report will help immensely in figuring out where to place your fixtures. This is also the reason that those "screw-in" deformable LED lights or corn lights are such a travesty.
The process should be:
1. Determine how much light, in foot candles, that you want or need. Dont guess. Find a reference. And ffs, DONT use lumens/square foot
2. Determine which type of fixture that you like aesthetically or that is the best solution for you, or that you can afford.
3. Using a layout tool, find the correct lumen package from that fixture that will satisfy #1 with good spacing to avoid contrast and shadowing
3a. Determine if there are any large un-movable objects that need to be designed around.
4. Do your best to fit these into your budget.
