A dream is coming true for me. We are in the midst of building a new studio for me outside of our home. I'm so thrilled. Converting our garage.
I am making decisions on flooring and wall colours and lighting etc now. I will have recessed cans above my computer area, and florescents above my work tables. What is the best light to have in a workspace? I was thinking the natural light, but tend to favour warmer over cooler bluer light. Still, I want to have the best for a work environment such as ours where viewing details and colour is important. I can never remember what is recommended.
My workspace now has track lighting, and it isn't really the best light at all. Not very bright and rather blueish.
We have not purchased any lighting yet, so I thought I'd pose the question here. Are flourescents the best choice for above a work table, and if so, ... which type of bulb?
Thanks a bunch! ~nettie
-------------------- "When Love and Skill Work Together ... Expect a Masterpiece"
posted
There are lots of choices, Nettie; but our city is building a new shop/garage for employees' to work in. They have 14 foot ceilings in it; and have put in these new T5 4-bulb fixtures. I was totally amazed at the amount of light they provide.
Yes, I believe they are fluorescent, 4 footers.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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t5 high intensity........4 ft single or dual.......will provide more light then a 8 ft 2 bulb T-12!!!!!! go to home depot and see for yourself. ask the electric guy there to show you the T5 HIGH INTENSITY. you will love it. i would use these for large work area. there is also the T8, little bigger then then the T5, but the T8's have bulbs like GROW LIGHTS....... if you want color correct lighting. not sure if the T5's have that. shirly...... the GROW LIGHT bulb is the most color correct....these are what restaurants use in the SALAD BAR LIGHTING.....
[ March 14, 2014, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
In our shop we have used fluorescent tubes four the last ten years. I'm tired of the constant hum and replacing bulbs and ballasts. The new thin tube fluorescents with electronic ballasts are better but still old technology.
When we built our new house last year we went all LED lighting. I'm sold - even though it was an expensive option to install. We put in about 180 feet of valence lighting and 125 spotlights through the house. I'm told they will pay for themselves in about three years in energy savings. The light is FABULOUS!
At my work desk I have switched from Halogen spots to LEDs and like it for working light. there are seven spotlights above my twenty foot long desk. I use a warm light and not that cold bluish light.
We have three fixtures out in the shop in the last couple of weeks and the electrician is coming today to work on the lighting. We are switching one of the four banks (32' long in total) of eight foot fluorescents to LED lighting. The fixtures and bulbs will be changed out.
LED lighting is definitely the future and LED lighting is still an emerging technology with prices still on the high side. With new developments constantly coming down the line all of that will change for the better and most likely in a fairly tight timeline. But for us I like to be on the front side of the curve and not a follower.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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A couple years ago when white LED's were coming down in price I thought the way to go with a new house would be 12 volt wiring for LED's for all lighting with solar collector on the roof and a few rechargeable batteries for completely free lighting. The next step would be to have the 12 volt option for TV's, radios, computers, and even a few small appliances. You only need the big AC voltage for big appliances; washers, dryers, stoves, fridges, air conditioning, etc. What a reduction on the grid if this became widespread.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5396 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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these T5 florescent are such a big improvement in power usage, heat and amount of light produced....over older T12 or any other lights. EX. Based on 12 hour operation per day, a single T8 system would cost $25.52 per year to run, and $13.45 for T5. ($0.14 kwh is used in calculation)
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I'm using T8's with Lithonia Lightings Model 1278B fixtures. These are polished aluminum with a mirror finish. Seems a waste to have bulbs incased in white and then have a frosted cover on them. Mine are exposed.
I have the lighting of an operating room in my basement shop. I have 4 two bulb units on a 4 x 13' table with white drop in ceiling. It is awesome.
LED's are awful for shop lighting and will cost you a bundle.
Edit: Tried to find my exact fixture, but I don't think they make it any more. The closest thing to it is here. I like the open fixtures best.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I used to have reef aquariums, to properly grow most corals, you need a LOT of light. One thing I learned was using high quality individual reflectors for each bulb can increase the light output by massive amounts. Unfortunately the reflectors are very expensive, fortunately you only buy them once.
[ March 26, 2014, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: David Thompson ]
-------------------- David Thompson Pro-Line Graphics Martinsville, NJ
I'm not this dumb, it's just the paint fumes talkin' Posts: 396 | From: Martinsville, NJ | Registered: Oct 2001
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Just for grins, I was watching Jay Leno's garage program yesterday, and he was talking to some lighting expert, after converting his garage to LED's.....like fluorescent tube-type.
The guy said the 4 footers were $73 EACH! Obviously, they last a l-o-n-g time; but the new T5's and T 8's would do me just fine, for a long time too....for a lot less money.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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[ March 26, 2014, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I was just looking around a ballastshop.com, and they said the T-5's can put out more light, in a smaller fixture/space than the T-8's. Maybe that's why they sometimes cost more.
For information sake, the T stands for "tubular" and the 5 means 5/8" diameter. The 8 means 8/8 or 1" diameter. Good math, guys.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I have been using 8300 white 13mm neon tubing in old 4' T-12 fixtures that I did myself, for over 14 trouble free years. Can't be beaten for my money! Cheaper to buy, maintain and operate, than the leading stuff on today's market.
-------------------- Donald Miner ABCO Wholesale Neon 1168 Red Hill Creek Dobson, NC Posts: 842 | From: North Carolina | Registered: Apr 2006
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The thread on the link you posted is three years old. That was the case then for sure.
But things in the LED world are changing fast. In the next Two weeks we are testing the various systems currently on the market. We have decided on LED highbays for the center raised portion of the shop. They provide equal or better light than our old burned out halides and only cost a hundred bucks more. The halides are not very efficient and so it won't take long to offset that little extra cost. No more noisy buzzing and now we have instant on too. The fluorescent tubes vs LEDs in the rest of the shop still being tested.
I did a lot of searching on the net for information but quickly found much of what was being said was old news. By doing research locally through electricians, suppliers and end users I got much more current information. I also got to see current technology in place and use.
Quality of light, longevity and efficiency are major considerations. Locally we know the cost of our power is going up 28% in the next four years. The lighting in our shop is outdated and failing. It is time for a major upgrade and we want to do it right. We also only want to do it once.
Are the solutions I come up with right for anyone else? That is for them to decide.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Hiya nettie, Regardless of what type of bulb or fixture you buy, your concern should be more about the color temperature of the lights you install.
Generally speaking, the higher the color temperature the bluer the light.
Although I'm still not a fan of LED lighting - yet - due to many failures in the past, they've come a long way in recent years and definitely deserve a closer look.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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that what i was saying with "grow lights." Natural daylight has a high color temperature (approximately 5000 K) so staying in that range.......you have almost true color as seen in sunlight. A 28W T5 produces about the same light output as a 32W T8 and a 54W T5HO produces close to twice the light output of T8 and T12 lamps when these lamps are operated as part of a ballasted lighting system. The nominal light output of a four-foot 54W T5HO lamp is 5,000 lumens, compared to 2,900 lumens for a 28W T5 lamp and 2,850 lumens for a 32W T8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kelvin_Temperature_Chart.jpg http://www.lightingtaxdeduction.org/technologies/t5.html
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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Converting our garage. 
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