LED shop lights?

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Greg_Lewis
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LED shop lights?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

I think that as the fluorescent tubes in my shop lights go out I'm going to replace them with LEDs. I replaced a couple of the complete fixtures when the ballasts died and the LEDs are much brighter. I also see that there are ballast bypass LED tubes (Type B), wherein I can use the existing hardware, cut out the ballast, and run the tube straight from the 120-volt input.

But when I snoop around the internet I see at least a thousand different offerings for either a complete fixture or the bypass tubes, and prices ranging from $17 for a complete fixture (Horrible Fright Tools) to at least $100 for the premium units. And I see the bypass tubes for anywhere from $7 per tube to $25 per tube.

I'm thinking that the bypass tubes would be easier than pulling down the existing hard-wired fixtures. Budget is an issue — I'd rather keep the cost per fixture to less than $25.

So have any of you been through this and what did you end up with?
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
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GlennW
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by GlennW »

Glenn

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Greg_Lewis
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Thanks, Glenn. I'm looking at those. There is a 20-pack for $100 which makes it only $5 per tube and $10 per fixture. That's not much more than the old fluorescent tubes. Have any of you tried these?
Greg Lewis, Prop.
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John Hasler
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by John Hasler »

I bought a case of LED tubes and a supply of sockets from 1000bulbs.com and made my own fixtures a couple of years ago. I'm quite satisfied with them. Their 1800 lumen tubes are about $4.00 each.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Thanks, John, but it looks like the 25-pack would be the same $100 with $60 shipping. I just realized that with the veteran's discount, the Lowes tubes would only be $4.50 plus tax each if I buy the 20-pack. That looks like the best deal so far.
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Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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GlennW
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by GlennW »

Greg_Lewis wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 8:50 pm Thanks, Glenn. I'm looking at those. There is a 20-pack for $100 which makes it only $5 per tube and $10 per fixture. That's not much more than the old fluorescent tubes. Have any of you tried these?
Yes. These were the easiest to use.

The first ones I tried were direct replacement, which still use the ballast. Then I tried some others that bypass the ballast, but you needed non shunted tumbstones for them to work, so I had to order and install them as well as the tubes.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Oh.... Thanks for mentioning the tombstones. I wouldn't have thought of that. I have no idea at this point what is in the fixtures. There is a mix of brands in the shop so I'll have to check. Some of them have been in there for 40 years.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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Bill Shields
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Bill Shields »

I just cut out the ballasts and wire the tombstones up direct and use direct wire LED GE lights from Lowe's. I think they are $100 for a case of 20. Same bulbs recommended above.

Simple matter of power to one end of fixture, neutral to the other.. shunted or not.

Takes me about 15 minutes to convert a fixture. Some are 2 bulb, some are 4.

I now have a couple of large trash cans full of 48" tubes (80 and counting) and a large box of ballasts.

Been at the project for a few weeks off and on

While I am at it, I am putting in ceiling based occupancy sensors to control lighting in areas of my shop not frequently used since I am getting tired of pulling on chain switches.

Once I am done -> need to make a run to the hazardous material dump area to rid myself of the bulbs.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Thanks, Bill. Mine are all hard wired into wall switches. The GE ones from Lowes are what I'm looking at now. The price looks to be the best, and I'd think GE would be a decent brand. Dunno if I'll bother to pull the ballasts. If I set the old tubes out by the road with a "free" sign, they'll be gone before sunset!
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Patio
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Patio »

Shunted or non shunted fixtures, that is the question. Or get one that does both. On shunted fixtures you will find one wire, connected to both the pins, on one end of the fixture. The other end will have two wires, one for each pin. Non shunted, you will find a wire for each pin.
Bypass LED tubes connections are 120V line power to the tubes. Ones used in shunted fixtures will have the line on one end and the neutral on the other. It does not matter which goes to which end. Ones used in non shunted fixtures will have line on one pin and the neutral on the other pin, of the same end of the tube. No wires are connected, to the other end.
Non shunted fixtures are the easiest to wire, as it is all done in one end of the fixture. The ballast can be removed or left in place.
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Bill Shields
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by Bill Shields »

Curb alerts and free with large numbers of tubes can problematic.

All you need is some idiot to smash the lot and you have a real problem on your hands.

Idiots with pickup trucks toting baseball bats seem to be pandemic where I live.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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ctwo
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Re: LED shop lights?

Post by ctwo »

Bill, you can stand under the HV lines and have lightsaber duels. :P
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