Shopsmith Forums

I need some input on options for upgrading my shop lighting. I have a big shop and initially I installed a bunch of 4' florescent fixtures in there that I salvaged from our house when I was remodeling…turns out these fixtures don't work very well when it's cold out - some are slow to come on and most only come on when I get up on a ladder and jiggle the bulbs…it's getting old and I'm hoping to find a simple and ideally inexpensive replacement. I looked online at shop light options at Home Depot and many of the options mentioned they had upgraded ballasts that would eliminate cold weather problems but lots of these had less than stellar reviews from folks - mostly related to cheap/flimsy construction etc. Anyway, I'm open to just about any fix and am curious what others use that they would recommend.

This is a thread I did on the subject sometime back.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=2961

Hope this helps.

Ed

I'm in the dark (pun intended) when it comes to brands.
When I was lighting my shop 12 years ago, I went to an electrical supply house and told them what the lights were for, ceiling heights and if I had any windows. They recommended the quantity, placement and type.
Up till about 3 years ago, I was satisfied but, as I grow older, the need for light increases and the layout I have now is insufficient. So, I'm researching the newer style tubes and fixtures in order to at least replace the ones I have. I may find that I need to add a couple.
I'm looking to achieve 100 foot candles (fc) per fixture. Since I now have 8' double tube fluorescents, I'd like to go back with 8' quad tubes in a T8 or T5 fixture that has reflectors and lenses. (Edit: May have to go with 2 ea. 2 tube fixtures per light site as 8' four tube may not be available) I expect to use tubes with a K factor of around 5000 to 6000. I'm not really too concerned about true color. Just want MORE LIGHT!
I'll be going back to that same electrical wholesaler as the box stores' selections are woefully inadequate and knowledgeable assistance is non existent. Hopefully, they can fix me up.

reible wrote:This is a thread I did on the subject sometime back.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=2961

Hope this helps.

Ed

Thanks for the link…I guess I need to read up on T8 bulbs and the like…all new to me.

You can convert to the T8 by replacing the ballasts and bulbs at a nominal cost. I do like the 'instant' on with these.

An article in the about shop lighting, in latest Woodcraft magazine gave directions on buying an App that will turn your smart phone (or computer with camera) into a light meter.

You can buy a meter for around $15 or buy an App for $2.99 (Lux Meter Pro in the itunes.apple.com

Whoops! There goes the bad reports about Woodcraft Mag. and Windows 8 being no good.

Also, the article in the mag tells us all about the changes and conversions between the old and mandatory new lights. Any more, it's not so much watts, but more about lumens, foot candles, luxes, and color(with a K).