The Best Light Fixture Ever!

[reader2580]

You can get retrofit LED tubes for way less than 20 bucks each, but they will be 2200 lumens, not 3000 lumens. Check beeslighting.com

You normally use two led tubes together so that would be 6,000 lumens with the bulbs you found.

 

[John T]

You normally use two led tubes together so that would be 6,000 lumens with the bulbs you found.

OK, yeah that make sense... 2 bulbs.

didn't see any T12 retrofit bulbs on bees.

 

[kbuhagiar]

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

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

I can only speak to the one-piece LED fixtures...I have replaced a few of my old T12 fixtures with the Costco/Feit shop light fixtures, and the difference is like night and day. I am VERY pleased, these fixtures are BRIGHT! Can't wait to replace all of them and work in blissful brigtness!

 

[Reit38]

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[cgd]

Costco has the 4’ Linkable LED Shop Light with Pull Chain, 2-packs on sale for $39.99 right now through 12/24/16.

http://www.costco.com/.product.100284402.html

I'm going to pick some up and see how they work.

 

[gasgas17]

I just installed 5 of the Metalux 4CWPLD4040C fixtures in my new bay and they are super bright. You can see stuff down at floor level no problem without shadows.

 

[John T]

Costco has the 4’ Linkable LED Shop Light with Pull Chain, 2-packs on sale for $39.99 right now through 12/24/16.



http://www.costco.com/.product.100284402.html



I'm going to pick some up and see how they work.

I've got about six of those now and while they are much brighter than the T 12
I don't like that they cast shadows above where the light is hanging.
Because of the shrouds they only cast light down and not to the side.

I actually thought about modifying them to remove the side shrouds

I still need more lighting but I think I am done with the Costco lights

Gasgas
Those look great.
Looks like they are $99 at Lowe's


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[shellback]

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.

I'm sort of in the same situation.
First, I do not need 30 light bulbs. I just want 9 fixtures and 18 bulbs...
I liked the recommended fixture.
Can I use the home depot bulbs? My needs are simple: Enough light in a 2 car garage for basic tinkering on cars.

 

[SB440R/T]

I'm sort of in the same situation.
First, I do not need 30 light bulbs. I just want 9 fixtures and 18 bulbs...
I liked the recommended fixture.
Can I use the home depot bulbs? My needs are simple: Enough light in a 2 car garage for basic tinkering on cars.

Email them and they might work with you. Bee's lighting was really easy to work with and I really like those lights. I got the 5k version.

 

[shellback]

Already did. The best hey can do is a box of 25.

 

[SB440R/T]

Already did. The best hey can do is a box of 25.

Man, that is no good.

 

[cybrdyke]

I'm sort of in the same situation.
First, I do not need 30 light bulbs. I just want 9 fixtures and 18 bulbs...
I liked the recommended fixture.
Can I use the home depot bulbs? My needs are simple: Enough light in a 2 car garage for basic tinkering on cars.

Those are great lamps. Make sure your fixture has T8 ballasts.
Good luck,
CD

 

[bdresch]

Has anyone tried these Sylvania bulbs? Specs appear as good as more expensive bulbs unless I'm missing something.

http://www.menards.com/main/electri...6889156845-c-7482.htm?tid=3064674770643122129


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[mrstop]

Anyone find any good, economical 4' wrap around fixtures for use with LED tubes?

I have a basement garage/workshop with ~8 foot ceilings. It's my understanding I could use exposed LED tubes as they won't break as easily and their frosted design will help with glare. However, I think wrapped will be better for aesthetics and bulb protection.

I have considered the Costco FEIT (actually already have a couple), but want to go with a more traditional fixture for longevity and maintenance.

Here's what I have found so far:

LED ready fixtures
MaxLite Lamp Ready Linear Utility Strip Wrap, 4 Foot, 2 Tube (LSU2XT8USE4806) ~$30

Florescent T8 fixtures
Metalux® WN 4' White 2-Light T8 Narrow Wrap ~$27

Lithonia Lighting 2-Light Utility Light #3348 ~$23

Lithonia Lighting 4 ft. Wraparound Fluorescent (SB232) ~$33​

Any other suggestions? It seems kind of wasteful to buy the fluorescent models and toss the ballast, but it seems to be the most economical.

Lastly, any pros/cons of using 4000K versus the 5000K? I'm doing detailing, general auto repairs and woodworking in my shop.

 

[Defender Chassis]

I want to say thanks to the OP for the info in this thread. I just ordered seven high bay lights and eleven 4' T8 style LEDs for my new building. Links below:

High Bay

4' T8

 

[ww_big_al]

I'm going through this now. I'm wiring lights over my work benches, about 40', in the barn. I want LED but I am leery about the reliability of the 4' fixtures. I have read to many bad reviews about failures soon after installation. At ~$40/fixture I can't afford having them fail when I'm buying 8-10 units. So, I decided to go the old fashion way. A standard light bulb socket with a 100W LED bulb. The cost is about $7 for Bulb (Philips brand on Amazon), electrical box, and socket. So its $21 for 4500 lumens vs $40 for 4200 lumen 4' fixture. If a bulb fails, changing it is easy. I going to wait a few more years for the market to shake out on the 4 footers before I start replacing my old lights.

 

[sierradmax]

I thought I would share my $.02.

I purchased 30 fixtures from LED Wholesale Inc. back in October. The Maxlite 4' LED ready fixtures in the OP's link and 4' LED tubes. The tubes came within a week. I wasn't in a rush for the fixtures. I called BEFORE placing the order to ask about availability as I've read elsewhere that the fixtures took some time to come in. They, in fact, did not have any in stock but were taking orders. The new order delivery would be within a week. Fast forward two months, emails & phone calls later, the fixtures finally arrived mid-December. I was told several times they would "ship out next week" but never saw them. In any event, I'm not sure if I would do business with them again. I would however, purchase the fixtures again, if need be from another vendor. Installation was simple and I'm impressed with the light emitted. Here's an interior picture of my 30x30 with 20 fixtures.



I ordered 30 figuring I may add additional light elsewhere, later on and have enough "spares" on hand should I run into maintenance issues. But, the fixture itself is just the housing, cover, bulb sockets and cover clips. I doubt I'll be doing any maintenance besides bulb replacement, in hopefully the claimed 50,000 hour lifespan. We shall see.

 

[smalltown]

sierradmax how did you connect between fixtures ?
I can't tell when I blow up the photo, but it looks like 1/2" conduit.

I'm thinking of using a small piece of 1/2" EMT conduit with connectors on each end into the fixture knockouts.

My plan was to use the 27 fixtures Platonic suggested. Originally I thought wow that's a lot of fixtures (32x30 garage), but yours is similar, and sure does look great.

 

[sierradmax]

sierradmax how did you connect between fixtures ?
I can't tell when I blow up the photo, but it looks like 1/2" conduit.

I'm thinking of using a small piece of 1/2" EMT conduit with connectors on each end into the fixture knockouts.

My plan was to use the 27 fixtures Platonic suggested. Originally I thought wow that's a lot of fixtures (32x30 garage), but yours is similar, and sure does look great.

The fixtures have 1/2" KO's but I had alot of 3/4" conduit and box connectors left over from a commercial job so a little unibit action and they worked. 3/4" connectors are the maximum size that can be used. The nut to the connector barely fits in the fixture housing.

 

[Group B]

I'm going through this now. I'm wiring lights over my work benches, about 40', in the barn. I want LED but I am leery about the reliability of the 4' fixtures. I have read to many bad reviews about failures soon after installation. At ~$40/fixture I can't afford having them fail when I'm buying 8-10 units. So, I decided to go the old fashion way. A standard light bulb socket with a 100W LED bulb. The cost is about $7 for Bulb (Philips brand on Amazon), electrical box, and socket. So its $21 for 4500 lumens vs $40 for 4200 lumen 4' fixture. If a bulb fails, changing it is easy. I going to wait a few more years for the market to shake out on the 4 footers before I start replacing my old lights.

I did the same, my garage isn't big enough to buy that many 4' strips. Best option is get the $2 socket Y-splitters so you can put 2 bulbs in one socket and make it even brighter! They have them at home depot and everywhere else. There's even 3 or 4 way splitters but I've only seen them online. 2x 100W* LED bulbs still isn't going to draw too much power compared to a 100w incandescent

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-660-Watt-Keyless-Twin-Socket-Lamp-Holder-Adapter-R52-00128-00W/100356967

 

[ENT]

Not sure if this is the place to ask but is anyone in the western Greater Toronto Area interested in ~10 of the James/Diva lights (@4000K) listed by the OP in the first post?

http://www.ledlightingwholesaleinc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ZY-T8-18W1200-BIXX&CartID=1

Cheers,
Ian

 

[cory58]

Has anyone tried these Sylvania bulbs? Specs appear as good as more expensive bulbs unless I'm missing something.

http://www.menards.com/main/electri...6889156845-c-7482.htm?tid=3064674770643122129


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It looks like those tubes require a separate ballast. Not a big deal if you are replacing t8 tubes in existing fixtures with the correct ballasts in place, but they are not "apples-to-apples" with the other tubes discussed in this thread that do not require separate ballasts.


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[CSFTN]

3 cents per lumen, CRI 92, 1 piece install, available in 3500, 4000, or 5000 Kelvin ...
https://www.shineretrofits.com/cree...luminaire-4000-lumens-dimmable-120v-277v.html

 

[sbarton]

I've got a 20'x20'x10' garage. 2 garage doors with doors pretty flush with walls. There is space in the middle between the doors for light fixtures, but there is not space between the doors and the walls. Walls/ceiling will be sheetrocked. I want wraparound light fixtures. I'm thinking of putting 16' of lights roughly were the garage doors end when they are up, and then 8' between the doors. Not sure if I want LED as I'm not sure how well they work in wraparound for spreading light to the sides.

Recommendations on light fixture and bulbs? Would like something that is instant on.
I read the first post, but the fixtures are not wraparound, and the bulbs have been sold out for a while now.

Edit: Also do you think I should use 2 bulb or 4 bulb fixtures? Main lighting will be 6 fixtures on ceiling. Assuming 4100k bulbs with about 2500-2800 lumens per bulb.

 

[bjl95mustang]

Dose anyone have a good recommendation for the 5k 2200+ direct wire bulbs? Bees and the other place listed on the main page have a 25 or 30 minimum and I only will need 18.

 

[CarlB]

I am getting ready to replace all the T12 lights in my 36X24 shop. I used the other thread to figure out how to arrange the lighting and I want to thank all the people who contributed. My current question is about Electrical interference in the radio. certain ballast in he T12 lights really cause a lot of interference with the radio. Do direct wired LEDs interfere with the radio?

 

[Defender Chassis]

I have a regular thread for updates on my shop project but the current update relates to lights that I bought based on this thread so I thought I might share it here as well. I ended up using the T8 replacement style bulbs under the office and in the bay for the truck/trailer but decided to go with James LED high bay fixtures in the working area of the shop. Thanks for watching.

New Shop Day 228 February 02 Lights, Shop Ceiling

 

[bjl95mustang]

If your on a budget try looking for a habitat for humanity restore. They sell the extra donated items to the public. I picked up the 8" wide lithonia t8 wraparound fixtures for $10, the regular un covered t8 fixtures were $5, and they had the vapor tight fixtures for $10 too. Everything I picked up looked almost brand new.

 

[roost3r]

very impressed with the OPs post. Nice job, very informative and much appreciated!

 

[ENT]

So I bought the lights listed by the OP in 4000K:
http://www.ledlightingwholesaleinc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ZY-T8-18W1200-BIXX&CartID=1

But... the installation instructions and diagrams on the tubes themselves only list usage _with_ a ballast.

The instructions listed on their website state that they can be used with or without ballasts.

Has anyone else run into this? Have they switched over to ballast only?

Cheers,
Ian

 

[nsula_country]

These cheap, Chinese LED tubes seem to not be internally driven/regulated. I would wire them to the ballast if retrofit. If stripping a fixture to use line voltage, they seem to be incorrect for the application.

Instructions clearly state the need for a ballast.

Website states, shunted with ballast, non-shunted line voltage, shunted line voltage... Interesting.

CT

 

[smalltown]

ENT I would be on the phone right away. The product page clearly shows that they can be wired without a ballast. Are there other instruction sheets? The product page indicates internal or external driver.

 

[ENT]

ENT I would be on the phone right away. The product page clearly shows that they can be wired without a ballast. Are there other instruction sheets? The product page indicates internal or external driver.

I will give them a call to figure out what happened.

My biggest concern lies in power usage with a ballast. I have a light switch that's controlled by my garage door opener and it can only handle a 300 Watt load. Based on 18W a piece, I was expecting to run 8 dual light fixtures in a single circuit off of it - (16 * 18W = 288W)

Interestingly, just ran a quick test on a fixture with with my meter at room temp and the current draw is less than expected...

I'm seeing .258A @ 120V, which is just about 31W for the fixture. That's 15.5W per lamp, including the overhead for the ballast.

Am I missing something? It sounds like these lamps are even more efficient than stated.

Cheers,
Ian

 

[Will S.]

Thanks to the OP for this thread, and all those who have contributed.

I have read many pages, and but have not seen (maybe missed) info on converting existing shop lighting from 8' 2-tube T12HO flourescent fixtures, to LED.

What would you suggest as the most economical, and what would be the least expensive. I understand that those 2 questions may have completely different answers.

My 7 y/o shop is 36x48, has 3 rows of 5 fixtures mounted end-to-end length-ways, surface-mounted to the sheetrocked ceiling. Ceiling height is 16', and flat for 18', then slopes down to 12' height where it meets the walls. Each row of lights is on it's own wall-switch.

Can I replace the tubes with LED 8' tubes, and leave existing fixtures in place? With or without the ballasts? Remove all the existing fixtures and replace with all new LED?

 

[heierlu]

The James/Diva LED tubes that the OP listed are no longer in stock at Bees. These are the closest comparable tubes I can find. The only difference is the original ones linked are 120* and the ones I linked are 230*. Anyone know if that's going to make a big difference on a 9' ceiling?

I'm also torn between the 4000K and 5000K tubes. I'm leaning toward 5000K. I realize it really comes down to personal preference. I just don't want to be disappointed with the color temp. What does everyone here prefer?

 

[heierlu]

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.

Which bulbs did you end up going with? Curious what beam angle and color temperature you went with and if you're happy with the decision.

 

[SB440R/T]

Which bulbs did you end up going with? Curious what beam angle and color temperature you went with and if you're happy with the decision.

I went with the 5k and the 120. I am really happy with the way everything turned out.

 

[heierlu]

I went with the 5k and the 120. I am really happy with the way everything turned out.

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. Much appreciated!

 

[SB440R/T]

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. Much appreciated!

No problem, good luck.

 

[tinysparky]

I did the same, my garage isn't big enough to buy that many 4' strips. Best option is get the $2 socket Y-splitters so you can put 2 bulbs in one socket and make it even brighter! They have them at home depot and everywhere else. There's even 3 or 4 way splitters but I've only seen them online. 2x 100W* LED bulbs still isn't going to draw too much power compared to a 100w incandescent

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-...t-Lamp-Holder-Adapter-R52-00128-00W/100356967

any pictures of the lit garage?


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