k0ua
Epic Contributor
In simple terms they are...
LED shop lights
- Thread starter Kernopelli
- Start date
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In simple terms they are...
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
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- 26,980
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- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
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- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
I have at least that many myself, well, fewer now that5some are going dead.
dragoneggs
Super Star Member
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- Seabeck, Washington
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- Kubota BX-25D, Kubota Z122RKW-42
That's discouraging. Mine are all Costco (Fein) brand I think.
KennyG
Elite Member
Like almost any new technology, LED lights have undergone an improvement as they became more common. I had a few early failures with cheap lights but the more recent ones have been excellent. I wouldn't consider going back to T8s. As far as the current quality, I supervised replacement of 92 4 foot fixtures in our church 3 years ago with Osram lights. They came with a 10 year warranty. One fixture failed within a month or so. The rest have been fine. these are in our day care facility. Most are on approximately 15 hours per day, 5 days a week. They are brighter than the original lights and resulted in a large reduction in electric costs. With the utility rebates, cost recovery was a little over a year.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
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- 26,980
- Location
- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
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- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
The build quality of SMD's (LED arrays) varies greatly depending on who builds them across the pond. Don't much care what the brand is because the brand don't denote who actually produced the SMD's.
I do, like to purchase CREE SMD's if possible but the LED shop lights I purchased did not specify what company built them. Obviously they are not CREE.
All my farm tractors as well as my vehicles employ SMD's wherever compatible and they are all CREE SMD's. You get (in service life and RF noise abatement) what you pay for. CREE is more expensive but the quality is also higher. I have not had one CREE SMD fail yet. No so with the shop lights.
The other issue with LED shop lights is, you cannot replace a failed strip, you replace the entire light fixture whereas with T8's, you can relamp.
I do, like to purchase CREE SMD's if possible but the LED shop lights I purchased did not specify what company built them. Obviously they are not CREE.
All my farm tractors as well as my vehicles employ SMD's wherever compatible and they are all CREE SMD's. You get (in service life and RF noise abatement) what you pay for. CREE is more expensive but the quality is also higher. I have not had one CREE SMD fail yet. No so with the shop lights.
The other issue with LED shop lights is, you cannot replace a failed strip, you replace the entire light fixture whereas with T8's, you can relamp.
Which T8's are you referring to florescent tubes or LED tubes?
k0ua
Epic Contributor
I have been using these with great success. I have never had to replace any of course. The ones in the garage have been in about 3 years I think. They are used a lot. I used the existing t12 fixtures and just chopped out the ballast. These are direct connect to the 120 volts single ended. Of course if they do need replacement, they will only take seconds to replace into the existing fixtures
Hyperikon 4 Foot LED Tube, T8 T1 T12 4 Watt Replacement (18W), Single End Ballast Bypass, Clear Lens, UL, DLC, Crystal White, 4 Pack - - Amazon.com
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Here are some in the 4000 deg Kelvin color temp.
Hyperikon 4 Foot LED Tube, T8 T1 T12 4 Watt Replacement (18W), Single End Ballast Bypass, Clear Lens, UL, DLC, Daylight White, 4 Pack - - Amazon.com
Hyperikon 4 Foot LED Tube, T8 T1 T12 4 Watt Replacement (18W), Single End Ballast Bypass, Clear Lens, UL, DLC, Daylight White, 4 Pack - - Amazon.com
k0ua
Epic Contributor
here is another little part to the puzzle.. The ballasts themselves consume power as well as the bulbs. The magnetic ballast will consume from 8 to 10 watts in a 2 lamp fixture itself. The electronic ones somewhat less, but these operate at 40 khz, and can produce a lot of RFI. If re-lamping with LED tubes, you should buy the kind that requires you to disconnect the ballast otherwise your savings will not be as great. Chop out that nasty ballast to save energy, save having to replace it every few years and to save RFI.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
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- 26,980
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- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
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- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
As a rule, I prefer not to patronize Amazon for anything because of who owns it and... If the seller don't say what SMD's are used, you can bet they aren't CREE. Interestingly, even Harbor Freight's 'Roadshock' series of lights and bar lights are all CREE SMD's and HF states that in their ad blurbs. I think the trade name 'Roadshock' sounds kind of stupid but I didn't dream it up.
Electricity use, LED versus fluorescent in my shop is inconsequential. My machine tools and welders pull a heck of a lot more power and are usually running every day.