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Low profile LED shop light suggestions?

Started by Dakota, May 20, 2023, 05:53:07 AM

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Dakota

My wife and I have just moved to the Ft Worth, TX area to be closer to our kids and grandkids.  I now have a large garage/shop space to play in (roughly 2 cars wide by 2 deep).   The prior owner installed 6 "can" lights in the finished ceiling as part of using the area more like a home theatre.  That setup is not nearly bright enough for my needs.  Please let me know what experience you've had with surface mount LED shop lights.  I see lots of different packages advertised online but past experience suggests some of this stuff is crap.  I would prefer ones that can be easily linked together so they can be expanded in case the first update is still inadequate.

cuda hunter

You get what you pay for.
My garage is little bittie so I installed some of the cheap 20 dollar 4' long led's and they light up the garage quite well.
  However, on several of the homes I have built I have installed 2'x2' led lights that were way bright.  Like they light up the shop and you don't wanna look up at them but it is like working on your car in the sunlight.  Really well worth the extra cash to get the expensive set ups. 
  You can also upgrade the lights in the cans to led and that would also work for the short term.
"All riches begin as a state of mind and you have complete control of your mind"  -- B. Lee

Brads70

I bought fixtures from this seller ( also in Texas) One to test in the garage , it has 4 led bulbs 4ft long , they are super bright, you don't want to look up at them. I was curious to see how they would last in the cold, they have been in there now 5-8 years? I lost count with no issues. I also bought a 3 bulb 4ft fixture for the kitchen above the sink and wow too bright I removed one bulb and still too bright for me but the wife likes it. First thing in the morning is a little " violent" for me, I usually go for the light in the vent hood above the stove. LOL
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=longhorn426&store_cat=8638476015&store_name=longhorn426


tman

Lots of you tube vids on adding LED shop lights and I got the Barrina brand T8.  T5 are a bit higher profile vs T8.  I got the 4ft ones 5K daylight vs warm white.  Just depends on how you want to plan your layout if you get 4ft'rs or 8ft'rs or mix and match.  Lots of ways to mount them.  Watch wattage per switch.  Some light switches can only handle so many watts including the wiring.  I really like these lights and have had them for 2 yrs. now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLjr2bWfiw

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=barrina+led+shop+light&crid=2SJUK72R56ZCN&sprefix=barrina%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_7

Dakota

Quote from: tman on May 20, 2023, 02:39:16 PM
Lots of you tube vids on adding LED shop lights and I got the Barrina brand T8.  T5 are a bit higher profile vs T8.  I got the 4ft ones 5K daylight vs warm white.  Just depends on how you want to plan your layout if you get 4ft'rs or 8ft'rs or mix and match.  Lots of ways to mount them.  Watch wattage per switch.  Some light switches can only handle so many watts including the wiring.  I really like these lights and have had them for 2 yrs. now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLjr2bWfiw

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=barrina+led+shop+light&crid=2SJUK72R56ZCN&sprefix=barrina%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_7

Tman thanks for the suggestion.   I'm not going to use these in the garage but there are some other places that these will be useful in our house.   

Dakota

Quote from: Brads70 on May 20, 2023, 07:26:18 AM
I bought fixtures from this seller ( also in Texas) One to test in the garage , it has 4 led bulbs 4ft long , they are super bright, you don't want to look up at them. I was curious to see how they would last in the cold, they have been in there now 5-8 years? I lost count with no issues. I also bought a 3 bulb 4ft fixture for the kitchen above the sink and wow too bright I removed one bulb and still too bright for me but the wife likes it. First thing in the morning is a little " violent" for me, I usually go for the light in the vent hood above the stove. LOL
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=longhorn426&store_cat=8638476015&store_name=longhorn426

Thanks for the suggestion @Brads70 .  I talked with one of their sales reps about the dimensions of the garage and then sent them a sketch with the existing light fixture locations.   The rep responded with a nice Microsoft Paint drawing showing the recommended LED fixtures and locations, including a pair of extra lights to hang from the ceiling on either side of the garage door to avoid a dark spot when the garage door is up and mostly blocking the output from a pair of the ceiling lights.  This design layout is a free service they provide.  It really helped take the guesswork out of which fixture(s) to buy.

I placed an order this morning and may have them as early as tomorrow. 

I think the prior owner of the house used the garage mostly as a media room.  Between the limited lighting and a black ceiling, I can't see a blessed thing without a flashlight in hand.