What's the best lighting?

[Silver Lexus]

What do people here like?

Fluorescent is cheap but I hear halogen is better...any thoughts on the best value products/brands?

 

[W-Cummins]

What do people here like?

Fluorescent is cheap but I hear halogen is better...any thoughts on the best value products/brands?

If I had silver lexus money I would get fluroescent T5 ho fixtures ( the best ) if not get at least t8 stuff ( better ) and leave the old t12 stuff alone. I wouldn't use the halogen stuff at all. I have metal halide lights in my shop but the t5 ho stuff looks like it makes more light per KW than the normal MH. The pulse start MH fixtures seem to be about the same as the t5 ho stuff in light output and operating cost, But I think that they are more $$ to purchase.


William...

 

[W-Cummins]

What do people here like?

Fluorescent is cheap but I hear halogen is better...any thoughts on the best value products/brands?

If I had silver lexus money I would get fluroescent T5 ho fixtures ( the best ) if not get at least t8 stuff ( better ) and leave the old t12 stuff alone. I wouldn't use the halogen stuff at all. I have metal halide lights in my shop but the t5 ho stuff looks like it makes more light per KW than the normal MH. The pulse start MH fixtures seem to be about the same as the t5 ho stuff in light output and operating cost, But I think that they are more $$ to purchase.


William...

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

depends on what your goals are.....

 

[W-Cummins]

What do people here like?

Fluorescent is cheap but I hear halogen is better...any thoughts on the best value products/brands?

If I had silver lexus money I would get fluroescent T5 ho fixtures ( the best ) if not get at least t8 stuff ( better ) and leave the old t12 stuff alone. I wouldn't use the halogen stuff at all. I have metal halide lights in my shop but the t5 ho stuff looks like it makes more light per KW than the normal MH. The pulse start MH fixtures seem to be about the same as the t5 ho stuff in light output and operating cost, But I think that they are more $$ to purchase.


William...

 

[Daryl]

It depends on what's going on in the space. If you're just doing repair or restoration work, it's hard to beat fluorescent in terms of lumens per watt. However, if you want the cars to look good, you have to watch the color temperature of the source. Even a "warm" fluorescent does not render warm colors such as red very well. That's why you always see incandescent line voltage or low voltage lights in museums and art galleries. Plus, incandescent is best for projecting a "punch" of accent light. My new garage is going to be exclusively incandescent track lights and down lights. That way the paint and chrome will really sparkle.

 

[MacTexas]

I have metal halide in my garage and they are bright.

 

[Steve_S]

I hate flourescent lighting. The really expensive stuff is ok, but still not as gentle on the eyes as incandescent.

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

What do people here like?

Fluorescent is cheap but I hear halogen is better...any thoughts on the best value products/brands?

I beg to differ with your generilization...
You can buy cheap flourescent lighting...and you will have cheap lights. And when you start the endless cycle of ballast and bulb replacements, and inadequate lighting, you will be bad mouthing flourescent lights.

Howeve: By spending more $$$$ wisely upfront, you will actually save TIME (More important than $$$) and $$$ in the long run.

I initially bought the infamous "4 foot workshop" specials at the local chain box store. I got EXACTLY what I paid for, and regretted it soon after.

Then I went to the local lighting center, looked at how they lamped their wharehouse and duplicated it. Did it cost more? Yep. Is it worth the extra cost. I think so

The pic shows 4 8' Metalux commercial fixtures and 2 box store cheapies. I wish I had a light meter to record the diff between installations
BANZAI

 

[Silver Lexus]

Very interesting.

My goals are to show paint imperfections as I am really into high end detailing. I need to see minor swirls and micro-marring...I also just want a bright garage overall.

 

[mikeyr]

I went with the higher end fluorescents, I forget which whatever was supposed to be the best 4 years ago, t5 or t8, i don't know I have not had to replace any lamps.

And I have one metal halide directly over where I detail my car, don't turn it often but when I want light, I hit that switch.

 

[imported_banzaitoyota]

Very interesting.

My goals are to show paint imperfections as I am really into high end detailing. I need to see minor swirls and micro-marring...I also just want a bright garage overall.

Then I suggest making some portable "task specific" fixtures to place the light where you need it. Over at Autopia there are several of the Q-Tip and Zaino crowd that can provide insite into what works best for that.


For General lighting, I am generally satisfied with my current arrangement, I am replacing the 2 4' fixtures with 8' the next time I erect scaffolding. And Future plans call for 4 8' fixtures running perpendicliar to the existing lights on each side of the shop.

 

[bmwpower]

T5 HO technology is still pretty new and certain brands can have issues, so spend wisely. These things run hot, so until ballasts become more resilient, I would suggest looking elsewhere. The output from these lights are really nice, however.

Metal halides have been in existence for some time. If you want a comparable product with great color rendering at a reasonable cost, these would be my choice. But I could be biased....

 

[tubeman]

Wow! That's alot of metal halide! Are they 400 watts each? How many do you have per sq ft?

 

[bmwpower]

Wow! That's alot of metal halide! Are they 400 watts each? How many do you have per sq ft?

175 watts each.

I have around 850sqft for 9 lights.

 

[Wardrum]

Metal halide is excellent for high ceilings, not so good for lower ceilings. I have (5) 400 watt MH fixtures in my 32' x 24' shop with a 15'-6" ceiling. With white walls and white epoxy floor, the light is reflected in every direction. I haven't used a drop light under a vehicle since putting the MH lights in. I have each fixture wired to its own switch so I only use what I need. With all 5 lit, it is like daylight in the shop. The MH fixtures were installed in 1994. I have yet to replace a bulb or ballast.