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Old 12-04-2014, 01:05 PM   #1
treessavoy
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Default Shop Lights

What type of lighting are you guys using for your shop? I need something that offers bright light...too many dark areas and shadows.

Thanks,

JimR
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Old 12-04-2014, 04:58 PM   #2
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Default Re: Shop Lights

Cheapest way to go will be florescent. The newer lamps that are smaller in diameter are much brighter and more efficient. Not sure how big your shop is. 8 ft 2 lamp shop type fixtures are available at the big box home improvement stores. That's what I have in my shop. I have more in the working bays than in the storage bays.
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Old 12-05-2014, 10:39 PM   #3
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Default Re: Shop Lights

In my "typical" attached 2 car garage I have 4, 4 foot Sylvania T-5 fluorescent. Purchased them from HD when I renovated the garage last year. Gives me plenty of light. I painted the walls and ceiling bright white from Sherwin-Williams to help with "bouncing" more light around the garage.
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Old 12-06-2014, 07:25 AM   #4
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Default Re: Shop Lights

Know you are in the south, but it gets cold. Get an 2 tube 8' HO (High Out put) fluorescent fixture. It will not flicker when it gets cold and plenty of light. They are more expensive, but well worth it....

Can be purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot...

Last edited by FrankChastain; 12-06-2014 at 07:28 AM.
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Old 12-07-2014, 03:36 PM   #5
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Default Re: Shop Lights

A lot depends on how high your ceiling and how much electricity you have. With high ceilings you can go with the quartz lites you see in warehouses and gyms. Some of them also have a wider area they light. They also will work on multiple voltage. The higher the voltage you hook the lights up to the lower your monthly cost. For the fluorescent light definitely get the T5 or T8. I like the 8 foot fixtures that take 4-4 foot bulbs. I have been told they are going to quit making 8 foot lamps. Skylights also help and provide the best kind of light- free.
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Old 12-07-2014, 04:48 PM   #6
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Default Re: Shop Lights

I have had some really good luck with CFL from 1000 Bulbs in TX https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/6...nt-grow-bulbs/ I have 23W,85W and 105W they are the best lights I have ever used.
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Old 12-07-2014, 06:44 PM   #7
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Default Re: Shop Lights

The company that sells "Big *** Fans" now has Big *** shop lights. They are LED.

I have not been able to find out much about them, especially how much they cost.

I have some LED lighting inside my house and I like it a lot. I would like to switch my shop florescent lights to LED as the ballasts fail.

Bill
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Old 12-07-2014, 06:51 PM   #8
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Default Re: Shop Lights

The lights that Painter is talking about are called H.I.D. (High Intensity Discharge) lighting. Metal Halide are the white lights. The big drawback for these types are the warm-up time and if you turn them off, it will take 15-20 min before they come back on. They have to cool down before they will light-up again. Stay with the T5 or T8 fluorescents. Also if you buy the polished reflectors you'll get 20%-30% more light on the floor area. They are worth the extra price.
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Old 12-07-2014, 09:00 PM   #9
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Default Re: Shop Lights

If you decide with fluorescent,go with the T-5 or T-8 electronic ballast fixtures. The HO magnetic stuff won`t be available much longer.
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Old 12-08-2014, 07:14 AM   #10
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Default Re: Shop Lights

I agree with most here on fluorescent lighting...probably the cheapest and most reliable in the long term. At a minimum at least have the ceilings painted bright white...wooden walls really kill lighting.


Cold weather ballast's are stupid expensive...I generally leave my lighting on 24/7 in the winter months. If it's that cold in your shop to require cold weather ballasts you are not going to do much work out there. Once the shop is warmed up there really isn't a need for special ballast's, right?
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