Shop Lighting Deals?

[NCTurner]

Anyone know who has the best deal going on some shop lights? 4 or 8'

 

[b4man]

Gary,
I just had to replace a couple of 4/ 40w surface mtd fixtures in my shop. I recommend you decide before you buy whether you want to go with the T12 lamps (reg. size) or the new T10 lamps.

The T10 is thinner and more energy efficient. Of course, more expensive too.

At the Borg you'll not find a very good selection of T12's.

Just a thought.


Barbara

 

[JackLeg]

I'd go with a good fixture, something from the industrial supply side if possible. Get low temp-high output ballasts and 8' if you have the room. Get daylight bulbs if possible. Makes changing the bulbs much simpler if they are all the same type and length.

:wsmile:

 

[Glennbear]

I do not have any knowledge of bargains just some advice, be aware that if you go with T-12 fixtures in the not too distant future manufacture of these bulbs is being discontinued. As Reggie alluded to, watch the type of light output of bulbs, CRI and Kelvin temps are the numbers to watch. :wsmile:

 

[dlrion]

Get good fixture... I cheaped out on mine and wish I hadn't. I replaced two of the original five within the first year...

:saw:

 

[scsmith42]

Nice avatar photo, dude!!!!

 

[Travis Porter]

I bought cheap T12 fixtures and regret it. In 6 years I have replaced every bulb in my shop at least 8 times..... Good fixtures are like good tools. Only buy them once.

 

[bobby g]

I've gotten really good service from the 4-light T-8 fixtures that I bought at Lowes for about $43 each. The fixtures are 8' long and the tubes are in a 2X2 configuration. I bought high quality "daylight" tubes. Going on 2 years now without a problem. I placed about 40 of these in the last Habitat store that we built in Pittboro. Same 2 year period and same good service.

Bob

 

[scsmith42]

I've gotten really good service from the 4-light T-8 fixtures that I bought at Lowes for about $43 each. The fixtures are 8' long and the tubes are in a 2X2 configuration. I bought high quality "daylight" tubes. Going on 2 years now without a problem. I placed about 40 of these in the last Habitat store that we built in Pittboro. Same 2 year period and same good service.

Bob

+1. I installed these same fixtures T8 in my new shop, with a mix of bulbs. Some are 5000K, which I like a lot. One fixture lost one bulb; other than that no issues out of about 30 fixtures.

I would stay away from T12's because they are energy hogs, and the bulbs dim and die after 3 - 4 years.

T5's are the most energy efficient of the fixtures, but also the most expensive. T8's seem to offer the best compromise between capitol cost and energy efficiency.

Another option is to use screw-in flourescents, and double-bulb the sockets. This works well for me in one of my barns. Cheaper from a capitol cost standpoint, and decent lighting (with the more powerful bulbs).

 

[McRabbet]

Like the others here, I recommend use of T-8 fixtures. I have an 8-foot ceiling so I didn't want to run the risk of busting exposed tubes. I bought eight 4-bulb 2' x 4' T-8 Troffers (designed for suspended ceilings) at the BORG for about $43 each. They come with the bulbs and a 6' whip for connection to a ceiling junction box. I placed five in an X-pattern in my main shop (15' x 25') and the other three in a longer section that is 12' x 32'. Seven have worked fine for four years -- I had to replace one electronic ballast last fall. And they provide great lighting!

 

[Bas]

Home Depot has T8 4' light fixtures for ~$20. They're not bad, but I don't recommend them because they don't have a center channel, making installation much more complicated. I like the ones from Lowe's better. If you have sufficient ceiling height, the troffers are a great bargain. If not, make sure you get something with a lens cover in case you smash a long board into them.

 

[Rob]

I must be living in the dark ages, I just use the $8 shop lights from Lowes and get daylight bulbs for them.

 

[Mark Anderson]

http://ncwoodworker.net/forums/f77/4-bulb-shop-light-fixtures-28646/

i got 6 of them in janualry still work great, the guy had a ton of them so maybe he has some left

 

[NCTurner]

Thanks for all the input guys, always appreciated.