shop lighting

[Burnt hands]

MAC702,

I already had the sleeves covering my T12 tubes to help them start in cold weather.
Was thinking of switching to the HO (High Output) fixture before my accident.
I really am a klutz.

Sometimes I wonder how I have survived so long with all the dumb mistakes I have made over the years.

[MAC702]

...hit my work light and I was rewarded with a nice shower of broken fluorescent tube glass.
Still picking up pieces in the nooks and crannies...

$2 each for plastic shields designed for just that reason:



https://www.lightbulbsurplus.com/lig...QaAgQCEALw_wcB

That said, you'll love the upgrade to LED.

[Burnt hands]

I recently switched from fluorescent lighting over my work table to LED work lamps.

My needs are much simpler since I work in my garage.
The main reason I switched was due to my stupidity.

My main work light used two F96-T12 fluorescent bulbs.
Gave me plenty of light and worked well but not much room over the weld table.

About 2 months ago I was moving a piece of metal around the garage
to get it in place on the weld table.

It hit my work light and I was rewarded with a nice shower of broken fluorescent tube glass.
Still picking up pieces in the nooks and crannies.

So I went to my local Home Depot and found these 4 ft LED versions for $35 each.

Got 4 to replace my old 8 foot light.

Better suited for an idiot like me and no glass to break.

The display at Home Depot was helpful as it had T5, T8 and the LED
fixtures set up side by side to compare brightness and color.

[HemiAJ]

I am looking at hanging an LED over my 4x8 welding table located in a barn that has fluorescent lighting. The hanging point is about 20 ft above the floor. I have been looking at a 160 watt (20800 Lumen) dimmable LED or a 240 watt dimmable (30000 Lumen) LED with a 60 degree beam angle. Any suggestions which would be best?

I have also added a Millermatic 252 but can't seem to update my profile.

[DDA52]

Another vote for T-5's. I have four, four bulb units in my 35x24 bay of my shop mounted at 17' aff. I have yet to have any lighting issues. They are brighter than anything else I have ever seen. IIRC, my Stonco fixtures were about 145 clams each without bulbs.

[bubba9459]

They were about 175 ea


Or, If you need to do the math, About $ .25 per month on a 30 year mortage.

[Pass-N-Gas]

T-5's are great
The fixtures were pricey to buy, but the bulbs last a long time.

Pricey as in ?? fess up buddy how much are they..

[bubba9459]

http://www.aeilighting.com/pdf/T5VM-454-654-854-FC.pdf

[bubba9459]

T-5's are great

I have hanging T-5 fixtures with 8 bulbs each, they have polished reflectors around each bulb. One fixture is equal to 2 - 400 watt MH high bays.

I have 8 of them in a 20x20 garage, Super bright, if you ever need to turn all of them on.

The 6500k bulbs make a big difference too. Almost daylight.

The fixtures were pricey to buy, but the bulbs last a long time.

[nfinch86]

Also where do you guys buy T-5's ? I don't recall seeing any of those before
T-8's Yes , Not T-5's ?

......... Norm

[nfinch86]

Norm,

Lighting is really measured in Lumens so the Wattage rating on Lighting can be misleading.

and since he said he is drawing 4amps per light the real Power(watts) used is only 4amps x 120v = 480watts but puts out the equivalent of a "400watt" lamp.

Easier for the Manufacturer to just state the Lamps in Watts than Lumens.

That is why you see the Comparison on FL Lamps "150 watts @ 43 watts!!"

We grew up on 60,75 and 100 watt Tungsten bulbs so we are just used to those terms.



Also his 2 400watt lights equal your 6 Lights
2x400= 800watts
6x129watts= 774watts

But again it is hard to just Compare watts to watts because Watts is Power not how Bright it is.

Ed;

Where do you get 6x129 watts ?
I have 6x43 watts = 258 watts, not 774 watts . the way I see it !

........... Norm

[theweldor]

Install the T-5's you will be very happy with them.

[Frank Motoweld]

My 2 cents!

Once thing that may or may not have been addressed also is the location of the lighting.I dont know for others,but i absolutely hate getting reflections in my hood from a lamp behind me when i'm trying to get work done.To me,it's worth taking some time to place the lighting carefully so as to avoid that,let alone hitting a lamp that's in a vulnerable spot,Frank

[bretsk2500]

All I know is for the past 3 or 4 years, every time we do refit work in a building, the metal halides come out and are replaced with T5 fixtures with huge energy savings for the end user. I wouldn't consider anything other than the T5 bulbs for my shop (if I ever manage to get one). Those skinny little bulbs are BRIGHT...

[Broccoli1]

A 400watt Metal Halide will pull 4 amps on 120 volts per light, Lumens is 40,000 per light.
average bulb life 20,000 hours

**** I thought you had said 2 amps Shouldn't read before coffee