Shop lights

[dragoneggs]

I'm really impressed with my Costco 4ft LEDs. Mounted them close to a year ago and love them. Installed 6 in my 2+ bay shop and just bought two more for grins because they are now only $20ea. Should buy a few more as I plan to expand my shop and really like the light output vs. wattage, instant on, and bulb life.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I cheated. I got 20 of the old fashioned 8 foot fluorescent double fixtures, with bulbs and spares, for FREE. They were old, but they work fine.

Then I got 10 of the 2x4 foot surface mount 4 bulb (T8) fixtures, BRAND NEW, with bulbs and yes, spares. Free.


I love Craigslist!

 

[KennyG]

OK, here are some photos of my arrangement, showing the storage area and the bench area. I may have overdone it a bit but my old eyes like a lot of light. I went with the fluorescents when I did it 5 years ago but I would probably bite the bullet and go LED today.

 

[Ehanson]

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

40 x 40 area with 14 ft ceiling.

A friend of mine bought a bunch of the Snap-On Work Lamps and wired a plug receptacle into the ceiling box and screwed the lamp to the ceiling and plugged it in. He was able to aim the beam where he wanted and custom place the lamp where he wanted it, with the length of cord on the Work Lamp.

 

[dstig1]

For that height T5 fluorescents can be a really good way to go. That is what I did for my 13' ceiling. For the "shop" side of the building I put in 9 8' T5 fixtures, each of which is essentially a pair of 4' fixtures stuck end to end. 4x 4' T5 bulbs for each. The shop is 32' wide and 50' long. Light are oriented along the long axis, in a 3x3 grid. It is not burn-your-retinas bright, but I am very pleased with the results. I got mine from a commercial lighting supplier that is partly owned by a friend of a friend. I got much better pricing than HD, for example and that included the bulbs even. Better quality ballasts too. I have no need for additional lighting unless I am doing something practically microscopic.

You can see 6 of the 9 in this photo.

 

[RNeumann]

This is what you need to calculate the lighting. The internet is full of guidelines for amount of lumens per sf. It will depend on if you want general lighting, task lighting etc. Once you get an idea of how much light you want use this tool-

Visual Interior Tool

This doc will provide a good understanding of the amount of light you will want. Focus on indoor section starting about the middle of the doc.

https://www.noao.edu/education/QLTkit/ACTIVITY_Documents/Safety/LightLevels_outdoor+indoor.pdf

 

[ultrarunner]

I converted to the Costco LED bulbs...

Garage is 24 x 30 and had four 3 bulb T12 fixtures that were circa 1960.

Popped in 2 48" Costco LED and the light level is fantastic... sometimes I turn them on just to impress myself.

I also have a single 8' T12 over the bench in a glass diffuser... thought it was two 48" until I opened it up.

 

[mapper]

I don't think you can beat the $20 costco led shop light fixtures. Come on to full brightness instantly no matter the temperature, easy to install flush on the ceiling and very light weight. I did have one partially fail a couple of months after installing it, costco reimbursed my purchase cost and the replacement was $10 less.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The only thing that beats my $35 Costco LED lights are the $20 ones now.

 

[cat fever]

OK, here are some photos of my arrangement, showing the storage area and the bench area. I may have overdone it a bit but my old eyes like a lot of light. I went with the fluorescents when I did it 5 years ago but I would probably bite the bullet and go LED today.

View attachment 492953View attachment 492954

KennyG;
Nice set up; I'm wondering, can you even cast a shadow in there.
That place is well lit.

I wanted to try out the 4' LED lights so I put a couple over my work bench. Here is a night time shot.