LED T8 shop light bulbs

I just replaced some 4 foot fluorescent bulbs with LED bulb. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! With 6 new bulbs it's like daylight inside my shop

Recently I've been having trouble seeing in my shop - it seemed like things were just getting dimmer. After some research I figured out they were getting dimmer. Fluorescent bulbs start loosing brightness after 90 days. Some of my bulbs are 5 - 10 years old.

It turns out there are 3 different ways to power the LED T8 bulbs. I opted for the one that eliminated the expensive, unreliable, noisy shop light ballasts. A little re-wiring is required, but easy.

Here's a link to a good explanation of the types of bulbs http://www.premierltg.com/should-you-replace-your-t8-fluorescent-lamps-with-t8-led-tubes-2/

There are other choices: Clear, if your light has a diffuser or frosted, if it doesn't. There are color choices. I got the whitest ones I could find 6000K. Here's the label from the ones I got.



I found prices for T8 from $15 the $28. Some have more LEDs than others, some have a 3 year warranty, some 5 year. Higher K seems to cost more.

Wow, that's a new one on me, I didn't know they made LED bulbs to replace 4' bulbs. I was buying those $10-15 dollar "shop lights" that you get at wally world, I have a couple of places they're hanging, over my tool boxes, work table, etc. I had one also for the main light, it went out one day, I grabbed an old 4 light holder from a old ceiling fan and stuck it up there with 4 squiggle lights in it, wow, it lights up the whole carport and then some. Much better than the two and four 4' bulbs ever did.

I might have to look into those LED's. I know they make screw-ins in LED, I might just go with some of those later.

Good tip, thanks i'm going to look into this. The older i get the more light i need to see things [P

Those are cool, if they work like everything else LED be a good replacement.

soltz said:

Good tip, thanks i'm going to look into this. The older i get the more light i need to see things [P

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Me too.

DJ3100 said:

Recently I've been having trouble seeing in my shop - it seemed like things were just getting dimmer. After some research I figured out they were getting dimmer. Fluorescent bulbs start loosing brightness after 90 days. Some of my bulbs are 5 - 10 years old.

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Good to know because my fluorescents seemed dimmer but I just thought I was losing my mind!?

BoB

Well you could be...losing your mind Tripper.....kidding....

Tripper said:

Good to know because my fluorescents seemed dimmer but I just thought I was losing my mind!?

BoB

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guess my question is .....will the cost difference vs output vs lifespan be enough to warrant the expense and or changes? I know that LED's last longer, run cooler, are brighter and draw less power...but at 15 to 28 bucks a bulb is it cost efficient for the average guy who is only in their shop for short times or a day here and there? Guess I might be skeptical unless I was running a business where the lights were on a significant amount whereas I could recoup the cost over time....Just being the devils advocate i guess....[ddd

sgtpontiac said:

guess my question is .....will the cost difference vs output vs lifespan be enough to warrant the expense and or changes? I know that LED's last longer, run cooler, are brighter and draw less power...but at 15 to 28 bucks a bulb is it cost efficient for the average guy who is only in their shop for short times or a day here and there? Guess I might be skeptical unless I was running a business where the lights were on a significant amount whereas I could recoup the cost over time....Just being the devils advocate i guess....[ddd

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I didn't consider a cost savings. My shop lights have a very minimal effect on the electric bill. I really just want to be able to see. The fluorescent bulbs start getting dimmer after 90 days and keep getting dimmer until they burn out. My problem is that they get so dim that I need a flashlight to operate my milling machine.

I also have had a lot of issues with ballasts. Some don't work below 40 degrees, or above 100. Some of the cheap solid state ones are intermittent. The 2 led bulbs are cheaper than buying one industrial ballast.

"The 2 led bulbs are cheaper than buying one industrial ballast."
There's the answer to the real question^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I think LED's will be in my shops future.

power company rebates.

I haven't seen any rebate info yet. My son is an electrical contractor in another state and a couple years ago there were rebates for commercial installations. We are building a smaller retirement duplex, we will live in 1/2. Our power company had a $ 20 rebate for can light conversions. Std can was $ 7, bulb ,$5, trim ring $ 10 to $15, average for old bulb cans was $ 25 total cost for parts . with the new led can with conversion after rebate was $ 12, and we will use less energy.

sgtpontiac said:

guess my question is .....will the cost difference vs output vs lifespan be enough to warrant the expense and or changes? I know that LED's last longer, run cooler, are brighter and draw less power...but at 15 to 28 bucks a bulb is it cost efficient for the average guy who is only in their shop for short times or a day here and there? Guess I might be skeptical unless I was running a business where the lights were on a significant amount whereas I could recoup the cost over time....Just being the devils advocate i guess....[ddd

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Run time is run time. Fluorescent tubes start losing power relatively fast. Something much more noticeable with older eyes. Fluorescent was cutting edge tech in 1939. With LED getting asa much as 70,000hrs run time it is just silly to cling to the past.

Some thing I consider running a Business with 15,000 of floor space, is the labor tine costs on repairs. Of course home isn't a business but, our time has value to us. I only have 8 hrs a week budgeted to my car, everything I can do to protect those hours is a plus.

Years ago I started switching to CFLs in my house. Those are slowly being replaced by LEDs. I switched out 156 watts of fluorescent for 36 watts of LED on my Aquarium.

The little savings do added up. I'd rather have those $$$ for my Car.

i have been changing to led every chance i get. i have 2 par38 led flood lights one is 19 watts 2700k (warm white) and the other is 20.3 watts 3000k both are equal to a 150 watt halogen bulb. i also have a 78 watt high bay that is equal to a 250 watt metal halide light. go to home depot they have a bulb called cree they are 9 and 9.5 watts equal to a 60 watt bulb and have a 10 year warranty. the best part is led's are getting cheaper everyday.

I prefer the square halogen flood lights, but only in the winter.
LEDs are the way to go.

I put a LED in an old screw in trouble light - works great and don't have to worry so much about every little vibration killing it.

I agree that LED's will be common place before long..

If I had a business per se....I'd switch as DTE our electric provider is given out credits to people who switch over....our building is currently under major renovation and we are switching out to LED's...but the cost is expensive...I used a crap ton of the lower cost (not the cheapest) shop type lights in my barn...and if they start lowering the cost of the LED's (as I'm sure they will over time) I'm sure that I'll be switching as well...I agree that commercial ballasts are expensive but replacing an entire shop light is still cheap right now....I've got some that are 7 years old and work fine....the five or six commercial 4 bulb lamps I've got in there are 15 years old or older and still work but are slow to start when cold....so for what it's worth.... that my story and I'm sticking to it.....

sgtpontiac said:

If I had a business per se....I'd switch as DTE our electric provider is given out credits to people who switch over....our building is currently under major renovation and we are switching out to LED's...but the cost is expensive...I used a crap ton of the lower cost (not the cheapest) shop type lights in my barn...and if they start lowering the cost of the LED's (as I'm sure they will over time) I'm sure that I'll be switching as well...I agree that commercial ballasts are expensive but replacing an entire shop light is still cheap right now....I've got some that are 7 years old and work fine....the five or six commercial 4 bulb lamps I've got in there are 15 years old or older and still work but are slow to start when cold....so for what it's worth.... that my story and I'm sticking to it.....

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if you want to stay with florals, go with a t5 ho. a 4' 6 bulb unit is equal to a 400 to 600 watt hid light. my old t12 lights don't like the cold and take forever to get bright.

Sound decrease

Apparently one or more of the ballasts I removed was buzzing a lot. I noticed a kind of eerie silence in the shop yesterday. I am so used to the buzzing it took me a while figure out what was different.

I have a couple 8 foot fixtures that I was thinking about converting to LED. bulbs are $100 +- each. I have six, 4' fixtures with dead ballasts. I'll replace the 8 footers with those at some point. I want to give these LEDs a while just to make sure they keep working.

Yes, I think a cheap shop light is still cheaper than a couple LED bulbs and good ballasts do last quite a while. My hope is that 6 months, 1 year, 2 years later the LEDs will still be just as bright as they are now.

I started replacing the lights around my place a few years ago with the cold start small tube type bulbs and fixtures , much cheaper, run better start when I flip da switch.

Good info DJ3100. My wife has been after me for the last couple of months to fix the "dim light issue" in my basement. I kept blowing her off saying "it's just a couple of bulbs out." After I read you r post I went downstairs and took a good look around. Yeah I had a couple of lights out but the ones that were on were very dim. All of my shop and basement lighting were sourced used units from commercial building rehab projects. Even the bulbs were stock piled used units! I replace 4 florescent fixtures in the laundry room with 3 recessed LED can flood lights. Big difference! Now I told the wife "hey, I can see now, and it needs cleaning in here." [cl (P.S. I don't recommend sarcasm to the wife...)