T-8 Bulb Choice

[Dave Nelson]

I have 8 8' Lihtonia channel lights that take 4 bulbs each. They are going in new garage 23x21 with a 12' ceiling. What would be a correct bulb for this application? I will have a 4 post lift, and will do light maintenance and detailing on own vehicles.
32 watt 6500K Day Light
32 watt 6500 Natural Light
32 watt 3500 Bright White
32 watt 4100 cool white

 

[nh_yota]

Me personally, I like Bright White because it's the most neutral of the options.

 

[cybrdyke]

Of those 4 choices, the 4100 would be best. But since you haven't installed them yet, do the right thing and bypass the ballast and put in 4 LED tubes, 2000 lumens each at 5000K.
good luck,
CD

 

[sparky 1971]

I would use 18 watt 50k frosted ballast bypass led lamps myself. If limited to the above choices, 41k. 65 is too blue and 35 too yellow for my liking.

 

[Bert_]

Ignore words like soft white bright white, they mean nothing exact.

Pay attention to the color temp, listed in degrees Kelvin. 4100 is the color temp. 4100* or 5000* are good choices.

 

[s14kev]

Most prefer 4100K. I love 6500K. Blinding bright and so white that it's almost bluish is perfect if in a workshop for me. The whiteness keeps me awake and alert an I am never struggling to see fine detail. I greatly dislike yellow, soft hues. You need adequate foot-candles pull off 6500K well though. Nothing worse than 6500K with inadequate foot-candles of light.

If you are detailing however, you probably don't want 6500K due to color definition. 5000K is likely more appropriate.

 

[oldmachinenut]

I used 4100k in my shop, I am very happy with the light output and color. I have reduced vision from a stroke and the 4100’s are a vast improvement over the 3500’s they replaced.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, you will enjoy the color rendition of the 4100 Kelvin lamps.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I like 4500 to 5000k for workspace lighting.

6500 is too blue for my liking





In the last year, I’ve refit all the 8’ strips in the shop with LED tubes, and removed the ballast. Had to change the sockets too (they’re cheap and easy)

In a 40x40 space w 12’ eave height, there are 10 fixtures, and it is well lit.

I have a T5HO operating room light above my workspace should I desire more light, and an additional strip above the workbench. (It was a sample from a job a few years ago, I got it before it was tossed into the dumpster)



*rant*There is a lot of misleading marketing like mentioned above with light color buzzwords. They’re all ridiculous, and why anyone would want the sickly yellow light in their space, is beyond me. I have no interest in lighting the color of candlelight.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau