Shop lighting
 

What are you guys using for shop lighting?

Electrician is pulling my permit to upgrade the service from 100 amp.

Right now, there are a total of three (3) incandecsent light bulbs in the ceiling on the working side, so startng with a clean slate. Storage side is already worked out.

Guessing LED is the way to go. I have about 2200 square feet of work area. 17 foot ceiling.

Any suggessitons?

the 20 dollar LED shop lights from Costco, believe it or not are absolutely incredible. All the guys I work with use them.....

I got LEDs off amazon and looks like the sun is out in my old barn. Some can be pretty bright if you have to look right at them. I got the Hykolity 5000k daylight. Easy to hook up. they can plug together or I put an outlet between them to space them farther apart
4 pack was 90

Last winter I swapped out my 2 tube 8' flourescents fixtures for Metalux 8' LED model#8SL8040. Very happy with them. Swapped out fixture for fixture.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux-...8040/305053569

I have some of the costco fixtures but my main bay has honeywell 4500lumin LEDs I got from Samsclub. they have been more reliable than the feit fixtures I have used from costco.

Went with 5000k LED on dimmers.

Go with the LEDs; you'll never regret it. However, there are many choices out there, and a wide price range.
I have replaced all my 4' two-tube flourescent units with 5000 lumen LED units and the difference is dramatic. I caught them on sale at our local Farm & Home supply and replaced them over a 6 month period. Sale price was always under $20 each.
I have 12' ceilings in a 30' x 40' building and have 12 lights mounted at ceiling level, and four separate zones. With all of them on it's like a tanning room! (but as we age, light becomes more and more important.)

My only recommendation is for a color temp of 4000k. Closest to daylight. also for frosted lens. We have some clear glass lens at work and one glance and I see spots for twenty minutes.

I am with Dave I think mine are frosted

LED puts out great light, but my 8 foot bulbs are causing some problems. Several of them only work on one end. They have a 20 year guarantee, but I'm guessing that shipping will cost more than the bulbs. I ordered them from Amazon.

Lynn, these are now 59.00 as costco ....amazing and give off tons of light ,about an inch thick https://www.costco.com/skylight-flat...100526320.html

I like these but wish they were more in line with the 4' fixtures price wise.

They do have a 4' model that is about 1/2 of that cost if those work for you. I put the 4' version in an unfinished storage area of my basement and they work well in smaller areas. When I was looking it seemed most of the LED's I saw were the 4' version and when I found this fixture in an 8' model it was perfect for my application, I agree not inexpensive but I only needed 5 of them.

I would like to change out a 25,000 sf building with them. but don't want to spend that much to do it. kinda defeats the purpose of the money savings energy wise.

Around here the electrical utility company (ComEd) has generous incentives for LED lighting upgrades that significantly shorten the payback on a building that size - not sure if something like that exists where you are, but maybe worth checking into?

Just as everyone else, I replaced my 4' fluorescent bulbs with LED last year and love it. I have a 30 x 40 shop with 12 ceiling light fixtures. I did have to bypass the ballasts and left off the lenses to keep the dead bugs and dust from gathering in them.

LED's 4 foot in 5-6k color temp...
They put off about 5000 lumens.
I am converting my paint booth to LED next.
FROM 10- (4 bulb) 4 foot fixtures to 10 (2 bulb) 4 foot fixtures.

FWIW -
A standard 4 foot (4 bulb) florescent will put off about 8000-8800 LUMENS using the correct DAYLIGHT bulbs. (2000-2200 per light bulb)

2 - 4 foot DAYLIGHT LED's will put off 10,000 Lumens.

converted all lights
 

This place beat all the places I looked at converting to LED


https://greenlightdepot.com/

I was looking at the lights in my shop today and I now have 8 of the 20 8 foot LED bulbs that are only 1/2 working. I wonder if there is a way to get the other 1/2 to work again.