Shop lights

[joeu235]

Anyone have any experience or recommendations for picking out shop lights?

40 x 40 area with 14 ft ceiling.

 

[RUSTBUCKET BRONCO]

I had a bunch of 8' t8 light fixtures (4 four foot bulbs not the 8 foot ones) I ordered replacement led light bulbs. Very easy to install, just make sure if you order them that you get the ones that can be used without the ballast. I installed 3 fixtures in each bay and its very bright, about twice as bright it seems compared to the old compact florescent. My ceiling is also 14'

Rust

 

[KennyG]

I have a 40 x 48 building with 12 foot ceiling. I have an array of about 23 (if I remember correctly) 4 foot shop lights (2 bulbs each). I set it up based on the criteria (assuming 40 watts per bulb, old T12 style) of a minimum of 1/2 watt per square foot for storage areas, 1 watt per square foot for general work areas and up to 2 watts per square foot for bench work areas. I actually have T8 bulbs which give more light with less wattage and if you go with LEDs, you will get even more efficiency, but the 80 watts per two light shop fixture works for calculating fixture requirements even if you are using less power.

I'd like to have LEDs but I buy the cheap T8 fixtures from Menards. Over the last 5 years, I've had three of them fail, but they are so cheap I'm still money ahead. Not that much hassle for me to replace them. Fluorescent bulbs seem expensive, but when you buy them by the case, they aren't very costly. I haven't burned any bulbs out except for a couple of used ones I put in to start with.

 

[Mendonsy]

For a new installation LED's are the best choice. They are more expensive to buy than a florescent but they produce more light, last longer, and use less power.

 

[aczlan]

I put lights in a 30x40x12 shop last year, I used 4x 50w 6000k LED on about 10' centers fixtures to light one side and they worked very well. I would do that again in a heartbeat.

Aaron Z

 

[TnAndy]

When I built my shop 20 years ago, LED technology wasn't near as developed as today....and given the energy savings, I'd probably give them a look for sure....LOVE the Cree LEDs we put in the house.

But for blazing white, near day lights, it's hard to beat metal halide. I put 4 of the 'low bay' versions in my shop, difference being the high bay (like 20'+) use a smaller, cone reflector, the low bay uses a 2' diameter, more shallow reflector...the transformer base is the same.

I put 400w bulbs in mine, and the first one burned out just a few weeks ago....so I got over 20 years out of the bulb. After seeing how much brighter that one bulb was compared to the other 3, I replaced them as well. Apparently, they degrade over time, not just go all at once.

The inside of the shop is Knock-your-eyeballs-out bright....I'd hate to think how many flourescent tubes it would take to do this. The shop is 35x64 in that part, the upper part of the flat ceiling is 24' across, sheetrock with gloss white paint on top.....that helps too.

They do take about 4-5 minutes to come up to 'full bright'....this photo is with them about 1/2 way:
(I also put a few regular can lights down the center on a different switch so if I want to just go in for something quick, they give me enough instant light to see my way around)

This is full bright:

 

[ovrszd]

TnAndy's shop lights are awesome!!!!!

I don't pay much attention to folks claiming exceptional lighting without posting pics...... Too much room for opinion.

Look closely at TnAndy's pic. Pay particular attention to shadows under the equipment. Don't see one do you...... That's quality lighting.

Here's a pic of my shop lighted with 4' T8s, 4 bulbs per fixture, 8 fixtures in a 42x50 shop.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

LED shop lights have come way down in cost.

 

[joeu235]

Thanks for the input. Anything will be better than my current lighting.

 

[ovrszd]

LED shop lights have come way down in cost.

Yep. They are crashing in cost so fast that what you buy today will be overpriced in a month!!!!

I think you should just buy what works for you. We each require a different level of light for the particular work we are doing and our personal sight. My shop works for me. But if I was building again today, I'd look real hard at LED.

The only thing I don't like about the metal halide is their slowness to come to full brightness. Small trade off for their exceptional light.