The Best Light Fixture Ever!

[milner351]

Can anyone in this thread give input on placing lighting around a lift in a 2 car garage? I'm thinking of having rows of 4 4ft lights spaced between the lift and near side wall (approx 4' from lift to wall, so 2' from wall) and equal spacing on the far side wall (2' from lift) and another row around 2' from far side wall. Then have a single or pair of lights perpendicular to the rows over a workbench in front of the lift. Thoughts?

Yes - I'd be interested in this as well.

I'm going to try running LED self adhesive lights on the hoist columns to provide under car light - but spacing the ceiling fixtures around the vehicles on the hoist to prevent from making tons of shadows is an interesting subject.

I have put a single 8ft fixture between overhead door tracks to provide light when the doors are up. A similar strategy could be used for the hoists - but it's more fixtures....

 

[dontlifttoshift]

I have 17ft+ ceilings and had the same problem with the layout and lighting choice threads so I started this for LED High Bay. I received feedback from one person telling me I shouldn't use High Bay's, but the modeling shows otherwise. I am not sure the LED's are really considered High Bay like the T5HO are. I wouldn't use the 18w bulbs due to the cost and number of fixtures you would have to run to get the same lumen output. I am using 6 2x2 luminaires.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337137

Yes, I have been through that thread but thanks for bringing it back up.

My concern with some really big lights vs a lot of small lights is shadows. Without getting too far into the layout in this thread, my thinking is that I would rather have a light above me where ever I am in the shop.

Regarding cost, according to the visual3D tool, I am between $1800 to $2000 to get 100fc in this space whether I use the 18w bulbs and maxlite fixtures or the 160w highbays.

 

[spencerb]

If anyone is interested in alternatives to the james magic or diva lites T8 4' LED tubes that does not have a large quantity order I found the following below. They are about 250 lumens less than the james bulbs, $10.49 each with free shipping.

https://www.earthled.com/collection...llast-bypass-dlc-qualified?variant=4099636484

I have ordered from earth led before and got my bulbs fast. I found them to have the best pricing for vintage filament style leds for my outdoor lamps.

 

[soonerbrink]

If anyone is interested in alternatives to the james magic or diva lites T8 4' LED tubes that does not have a large quantity order I found the following below. They are about 250 lumens less than the james bulbs, $10.49 each with free shipping.

https://www.earthled.com/collection...llast-bypass-dlc-qualified?variant=4099636484

I have ordered from earth led before and got my bulbs fast. I found them to have the best pricing for vintage filament style leds for my outdoor lamps.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Lower min quantity. Where did you order the fixtures from?

 

[jav]

Just place an order for 15/30 of the recommended LED combo from Bee's. Can't wait to get them!

 

[lqchar]

Good info - thanks. Unfortunately some of the links no longer work. And some of the discussion on this thread is a bit too technical for me. Looking for 4 ft. LED 2 lamp linkable shop lights for a very reasonable price. Suggestions?

 

[SB440R/T]

Finally had the Bee's lights installed, just waiting to get some doors and get the power run to the house before I can see how well it lights up.

This is the work area

And the whole garage.

 

[SiGmA_X]

Good info - thanks. Unfortunately some of the links no longer work. And some of the discussion on this thread is a bit too technical for me. Looking for 4 ft. LED 2 lamp linkable shop lights for a very reasonable price. Suggestions?

The Costco Felt's are on sale currently, ending today. In store in singles, online in 2 packs. They very likely aren't the best, but they're reasonably priced and work well, and have both the Costco return policy and a 5yr mfg warranty.

http://www.costco.com/4’-Linkable-LED-Shop-Light-with-Pull-Chain,-2-pack.product.100284402.html

 

[RaskyR1]

Finally got my lights up! I went with the Diva lights from Bees and couldn't be happier! Thanks Platonic for putting this thread together!!!

26 fixtures, 24' x 40' x 11' garage.

 

[builthatch]

^ congrats!

 

[revamped]

The name brands in lighting these days are
Philips, Sylvania, Cree, Acuity (Lithonia), Cooper, Hubbell, and to some extent, GE. Philips, Sylvania and Cree make their own diodes and drivers, so they can control quality better.
2nd tier manufacturers are Satco, TCP, Maxlite, TechBrite and a few dozen others.
When you start going further down the ladder, you'll start finding that they use blemished diodes, cheaper drivers, lesser materials, poor designs and less honesty about performance. This is the area where you see hundreds of "new" manufacturers pop up. And you also see hundreds of them die off every day. These are the folks that sell on ebay. I'd never be able to recommend any of them.
If you MUST buy material online, you can get name brand stuff from Amazon.
Good luck,
CD

It appears that with the volume of people choosing the James Lighting solutions, and the lack of significant complaints on quality and longevity, that James Lighting is a viable solution. I have been testing one high bay, but I have not pulled the trigger on ordering the other 5. But of course they could fail 5 years down the road and that would be unacceptable if they should last 10.

 

[wsf0817]

I installed the Bees fixtures / earh LED combo this weekend. They showed up much faster than anticipated and are great. Very happy, thanks for the reco!

 

[wsf0817]

@Rasky - do you have to wear sun screen when you're in there?!!?!?!

If not, you probably will once you get some rock/paint on those walls.

 

[smalltown]

knucklehead did your fixtures arrive yet ?

 

[RaskyR1]

^ congrats!

Thanks Jared!

@Rasky - do you have to wear sun screen when you're in there?!!?!?!

If not, you probably will once you get some rock/paint on those walls.

LOL! It's definitely bright! I have 20 of them on one circuit and 6 on another so I don't have to have them all on. When I'm working on a car it's perfect though.

 

[Qyota]

I stumbled upon a great deal on these Hyperikons from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ENQPXQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I payed about half what they are asking now. Not sure how that happened, I guess I searched for them on the right day! Anyway, these are fantastic. My garage is 20 X 40, and I have 8 of these, lined up in two rows of four the length of the room. Bright, nice color (3000K), 38W apiece, for a total of 300 watts to completely cover the space. Instant on, no issues with cold weather, and silent. The mounting hardware is high quality, adjustable, and versatile. Thumbs up!

I don't know that I would pay what they are currently asking, but not because of the quality...I'm just cheap.

 

[knucklehead]

knucklehead did your fixtures arrive yet ?

yes, finally.
they shipper had the bill of lading screwed up.
it took me about 15 calls between the shipper & redaway trucking to unscrew it.
so far only 2 of the 70 fixtures have damage. i installed about 30 of them so far. 40 more to go.

 

[mybadz28]

I have a question on mounting the 2 bulb light fixtures to the ceiling. What are you doing with the electrical to not have any wires showing? Are you mounting a single box under every light?

I want a nice clean look and would like to know what you have done.
Thanks

 

[smalltown]

knucklehead glad to read things are coming together for you. Looking forward to photos.

 

[reader2580]

Is there a reason not to use the instafit T8 bulbs like the Philips ones I can get for $5.97 each if I buy more than 10 at Home Depot? These are a fair bit cheaper when I am looking at buying 24 LED tubes.

I bought a whole bunch of Metalux wrapround T8 fixtures at Menards the other day for $12.44 each. My original plan was to remove the ballast and use ballast bypass LED tubes. I looked closer at the design when I got home and realized they may no longer be code legal if I remove the ballast. They require a box and cannot be direct wired.

I would like to get better wraparound lights, but they are double the price of these. 1000bulbs.com has LED ready wraparound fixtures for $20, but they charge $9 each for shipping.

 

[SB440R/T]

The power was finally turned on for my home build. I have to say I am really happy with the bees lighting fixtures and led lights. I have 10 set up in a 25x35 garage with 12 foot ceilings.

 

[samarcus77]

Thanks for the detailed discussion of lighting fixtures!

 

[sierradmax]

How have the deliveries been with purchases from LEDlightingwholesaleinc?

 

[revamped]

How have the deliveries been with purchases from LEDlightingwholesaleinc?

It really depends on the model. Contact them and ask about availability before you order. I bought 3 different lights from them to test in my build. The James 165W LED HB came in about a week, one faux can LED came in about 1.5 weeks, and the last faux can took almost 3 weeks.

 

[sierradmax]

I did in early October. They said the fixture was their most popular and they were getting a delivery on the 25th. I ordered on the 28th but I guess they had sold out. I contacted them on the Nov. 7th and was told they'd ship in a week.

 

[slodat]

I just installed 24 of the 105W 6500K cfl's from 1000bulbs.com in 1200 sq ft. The lighting is amazing and the install with surface EMT was easy and looks great. I'm about 130 lumens/sq ft.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[L5wolvesf]

I just came across this post and have read most of it. It is beyond my technical knowledge of lighting systems. it is very interesting and informative none the less.

I want to improve the lighting in my shop – used mostly for auto related work. I am on a “budget” (in the loosest definition of that word), which means I will be doing this fixture by fixture most likely. Upgrading fixtures is probably within that budget and my skills. And doing this will increase my knowledge base. So can someone tell me if I understand the following correctly? Better lighting – meaning brighter, “clearer” and more efficient (power wise) can be had by upgrading to LED bulbs/tubes (including the ballasts) in existing florescent fixtures.

Are LED fixtures less problematic (flickering for instance) than fluorescents?

Do LEDs use less energy, hence less energy costs, than fluorescents? By how much – roughly?

Can I upgrade the fixtures I have – currently 2 bulb 4 ft fluorescents, using some of the non functional fixtures I have stored, by changing out the ballast to an LED type ballast?

Do I have to change the mounting type, 2 pin is what my fixtures have, to accomplish this? Do I have to rewire anything besides installing the LED ballast?

Last, I’m pretty sure I need to change the layout of my fixtures, is there a simple way to figure out where lights “should” be? Is parallel to the cars “best” or is perpendicular?

Thank you to the OP and all who have contributed here.

 

[MJockey]

I just came across this post and have read most of it. It is beyond my technical knowledge of lighting systems. it is very interesting and informative none the less.

Are LED fixtures less problematic (flickering for instance) than fluorescents?

Do LEDs use less energy, hence less energy costs, than fluorescents? By how much – roughly?

Can I upgrade the fixtures I have – currently 2 bulb 4 ft fluorescents, using some of the non functional fixtures I have stored, by changing out the ballast to an LED type ballast?

Do I have to change the mounting type, 2 pin is what my fixtures have, to accomplish this? Do I have to rewire anything besides installing the LED ballast?

Last, I’m pretty sure I need to change the layout of my fixtures, is there a simple way to figure out where lights “should” be? Is parallel to the cars “best” or is perpendicular?

Thank you to the OP and all who have contributed here.

Are LED fixtures less problematic (flickering for instance) than fluorescents?
Yes, no flicker, no hum, plus there are no cold start issues

Do LEDs use less energy, hence less energy costs, than fluorescents? By how much – roughly?
About haft the power consumption of fluorescent bulbs

Can I upgrade the fixtures I have – currently 2 bulb 4 ft fluorescents, using some of the non functional fixtures I have stored, by changing out the ballast to an LED type ballast?
Yes, if you get direct wire led tubes you don't need a ballast

Do I have to change the mounting type, 2 pin is what my fixtures have, to accomplish this? Do I have to rewire anything besides installing the LED ballast?
No, your current bulb sockets will be reuesd

Last, I’m pretty sure I need to change the layout of my fixtures, is there a simple way to figure out where lights “should” be? Is parallel to the cars “best” or is perpendicular?
you want enough fixtures that the light hits you from all sides so you don't get shadows.

 

[L5wolvesf]

Are LED fixtures less problematic (flickering for instance) than fluorescents?
Yes, no flicker, no hum, plus there are no cold start issues

Do LEDs use less energy, hence less energy costs, than fluorescents? By how much – roughly?
About haft the power consumption of fluorescent bulbs

Can I upgrade the fixtures I have – currently 2 bulb 4 ft fluorescents, using some of the non functional fixtures I have stored, by changing out the ballast to an LED type ballast?
Yes, if you get direct wire led tubes you don't need a ballast

Do I have to change the mounting type, 2 pin is what my fixtures have, to accomplish this? Do I have to rewire anything besides installing the LED ballast?
No, your current bulb sockets will be reuesd

Last, I’m pretty sure I need to change the layout of my fixtures, is there a simple way to figure out where lights “should” be? Is parallel to the cars “best” or is perpendicular?
you want enough fixtures that the light hits you from all sides so you don't get shadows.

Thank you for the confirmation and info . Looks like I have another project. I didn’t know there were “direct wire led tubes”. I’ll probably have another question or two in a while.

 

[cybrdyke]

I just came across this post and have read most of it. It is beyond my technical knowledge of lighting systems. it is very interesting and informative none the less.

I want to improve the lighting in my shop – used mostly for auto related work. I am on a “budget” (in the loosest definition of that word), which means I will be doing this fixture by fixture most likely. Upgrading fixtures is probably within that budget and my skills. And doing this will increase my knowledge base. So can someone tell me if I understand the following correctly? Better lighting – meaning brighter, “clearer” and more efficient (power wise) can be had by upgrading to LED bulbs/tubes (including the ballasts) in existing florescent fixtures.

Are LED fixtures less problematic (flickering for instance) than fluorescents?

Do LEDs use less energy, hence less energy costs, than fluorescents? By how much – roughly?

Can I upgrade the fixtures I have – currently 2 bulb 4 ft fluorescents, using some of the non functional fixtures I have stored, by changing out the ballast to an LED type ballast?If your fixtures are currently T8, you can simply install LED tubes into the sockets without changing the ballast or re-wiring them. Easy peasy. You can get these tubes at Home Depot or at an electrical supply house. If your fixtures are T12, you can bypass the ballast, which requires some re-wiring.

Do I have to change the mounting type, 2 pin is what my fixtures have, to accomplish this? Do I have to rewire anything besides installing the LED ballast?If your fixtures are T8, and you want to bypass the ballast, you will most likely need to change the sockets to rapid start (non-shunted) sockets.

Last, I’m pretty sure I need to change the layout of my fixtures, is there a simple way to figure out where lights “should” be? Is parallel to the cars “best” or is perpendicular?

Thank you to the OP and all who have contributed here.

Good luck,
CD

 

[smalltown]

Now that a few if not more have ordered, and installed the Maxlite fixture http://www.ledlightingwholesaleinc....ady-Linear-Utility-Strip-p/lss2xt8use4803.htm would anybody care to comment on the quality of the fixture, and or should it be from Bees or Led lighting wholesale ? I was tempted to go with whomever would deliver them to my door with the least cost.

I have seen posts in other locations hinting the fixture was rather cheaply made, but I trust opinions on here.

 

[Dynomike75]

Ok, I've been reading through this thread and am about to bite the bullet and get lights for my new shop. I've been lurking here for about 6 months to get ideas. I currently have an open ceiling (to the trusses) at 12' height, but will hopefully finish it off next year sometime. My shop is 32x40 and has 2-10x10 doors and an entry door on a 32' end. I'm just finishing up the hydronic heating this week. I am planning on about 36 fixtures, T8 with led bulbs.
Should I go with a reflector housing at that height, or none? Also, I could hang them down a foot or so if necessary. What/where should I pick up? Any help would be great. Thanks!

 

[D-n-Tyke]

Getting ready to place our lighting order. Pretty sure we are leaning towards the 2-pack from Costco as at $30 a fixture seems like the best for our budget. But I keep getting hung up on the "best bang for the buck" suggestion of this thread. Is there really that big of a difference between these two fixtures? Anyone with the Costco fixtures want to chime on and give me their review on them?

Garage is a 24 × 30 with open trusses. Planning on going with 13 fixtures in there so there is probably $150- $200 difference total between the two set ups (and this is a VERY budget conscious build so......)

 

[Whichamatuzit]

....

 

[Whichamatuzit]

Does anyone know of any black Friday or cyber Monday sales for 4 foot fixtures and bulbs?

 

[70Chevy]

Getting ready to place our lighting order. Pretty sure we are leaning towards the 2-pack from Costco as at $30 a fixture seems like the best for our budget. But I keep getting hung up on the "best bang for the buck" suggestion of this thread. Is there really that big of a difference between these two fixtures? Anyone with the Costco fixtures want to chime on and give me their review on them?

Garage is a 24 × 30 with open trusses. Planning on going with 13 fixtures in there so there is probably $150- $200 difference total between the two set ups (and this is a VERY budget conscious build so......)

These are on sale now...Costco website is at $40 for the pair - in the store they are $20 each - maximum purchase of 10. I just bought 10. I like that they are "link-able."
Kid at the store said they are discontinued.

Makes the "bang for the buck" a little better.

 

[mybadz28]

The power was finally turned on for my home build. I have to say I am really happy with the bees lighting fixtures and led lights. I have 10 set up in a 25x35 garage with 12 foot ceilings.

How is everyone wiring before the drywall was done? Did you just add a 1 outlet box? Then install the light fixture over the junction box?

I am looking to run my wires tomorrow and i want to know what everyone has done before i add drywall and insulation.

 

[SB440R/T]

How is everyone wiring before the drywall was done? Did you just add a 1 outlet box? Then install the light fixture over the junction box?

I am looking to run my wires tomorrow and i want to know what everyone has done before i add drywall and insulation.

Wish I could say I knew exactly how they did it, mine was just part of the construction of the house.

 

[JohnnieMo]

How is everyone wiring before the drywall was done? Did you just add a 1 outlet box? Then install the light fixture over the junction box?



I am looking to run my wires tomorrow and i want to know what everyone has done before i add drywall and insulation.

Use octagonal boxes. I prefer deep ones. Each box is fastened to a roof rafter. Box is typically located in the center of where you want the fixture to be. Make sure there is wood to attach the fixture on either end (typically the fixture spans 3 rafters). The fixture covers the box completely.

Boxes sit "proud" of the rafter to account for drywall thickness. (Typically 1/2")

If you are installing into an external attic (ie. A cold zone) ensure that you put a vapour guard around each box. Also staple the wire within 6" of each box. Leave 8" of wire inside each box.

 

[John T]

Whats everyones opinion on the costco/home depot/bjs club style LED shop lights...

compared to the LED tube light replacements/retrofit ?

Seems to me, the shop lights are a better deal... Am I wrong?

I have (crusty old beatup) T12 fixtures and have been slowly buying the LED shop lights (with the pull chain) to replace them...



the shop lights are roughly 35 bucks each at BJ's ..... listed as 4500 lumens
http://www.bjs.com/lights-of-america-led-utility-shop-light.product.287663

And the retrofit LED bulbs are almost 20 bucks each... (18.90 if you buy more than 10)
and they are listed as only 3000 lumens...

https://www.eledlights.com/led-lamp...-uhl-4ft-led-light-dlc-3762.html#.WEQd8n1uVVc