LED shop lighting conversion?

Joel_BC

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Anybody switched from standard incandescent-bulb lighting to LEDs for shop lighting?

I realize a lot of people have used fluorescent tubes for shop lighting for a long time, but I never liked that. I've got two 100w incandescents in a fixture over a workbench and then individual directed-light lamps on the workbenches themselves. I find myself replacing a bulb every couple months (which case is said to be very different if you've got LED) - plus I know the setup I use now draws much more electricity than it needs to.

I'm interested in screw-base LEDs that would work in the current fixtures and be similar or better in the amount of light output (plus, ideally, would not have a garish coloration to the light).

If you have experience with this for a shop situation, I'd like to hear about it. And how much did you pay per bulb?

And if you can remember bulb brand names, that would be good to know - but don't be shy about posting if you can't remember that. (If you're in Canada, where did you buy your bulbs?)
 

~gd

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Look to Lee Valley http://www.leevalley.com They do business in both the USA snd CANADA. I don't think they have much in screw in LEDs but they just came out with LEDs on tape which I think will be very usefull in the shop and I am going to look into them for my use.
 

Emerald

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I'm not in Canada but I have one big LED that is directional that cost me $20 from walmart and it is a GE bulb and it is bright and nice. it is the blue/white light spectrum (which I do not like in my house I go for the orange/yellow LED for indoor use) We use it in the big extension cord with the bulb ending(it is the cage type end not the half shell or it wouldn't fit and it is a wonky fit due to the shape of it) for when we have to work on the cars or anything outside and it is nice. Walmart still sells them and they now come in either the bright white/blue or the orange yellow. Now that is the low end of price for this size. If I had the box still I'd let ya know what the lumins are but it has been too long since we bought it.
 

tortoise

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I have a little workspace with 1 fluorescent light on one side fo the room and 5 LED track lights on the other. The LED lights are brighter than expected, but it would take A LOT to replace the fluorescent fixture! I think the LED track lights were $40 each. They do slide, swivel, and tilt so it is perfect for the range of things I do in the space.
 

Joel_BC

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tortoise said:
I have a little workspace with 1 fluorescent light on one side fo the room and 5 LED track lights on the other. The LED lights are brighter than expected, but it would take A LOT to replace the fluorescent fixture! I think the LED track lights were $40 each. They do slide, swivel, and tilt so it is perfect for the range of things I do in the space.
Are they 5 separate units with separate mounts? Or are the 5 LED track lights all together, as one track or fixture having individual lights that can be tilted to different angles?? You said they were $40 each, so I'd assume they are completely separate units.

Another question: do the track lights you bought have a flood-light or spotlight characteristic - in other words, are the bulbs or units soft-focus, or a very hard, direct beam?

Anyhow, thanks to both of you for posting replies to the question.
 

danielburns271

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This could be a genius Idea, I am an Electronic engineer and I am not aware with this kind of conversion lol , thanks for the share!
 

Joel_BC

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Okay, well it's well known there are a number of brands of bright 110/120-volt LED bulbs on the market, ones that are made to screw into standard (threaded) household lighting fixtures. I was asking questions about these on another forum, and a couple of people strongly criticized Phillips products. They claimed some didn't work when they got them home from the store, and while some did work they burned out quickly. This is bad! because not only are LEDs known for requiring less energy per hour, but they are also supposed to last for many years. Product quality control was blamed.

People with experience, I wonder what products (companies) you feel are reliable and durable?
 

Hinotori

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We got some Zenaro 12w 800 lumen tulip bulbs at the beginning of January. Of all the LEDs we've gotten, these I like the best. They are warm spectrum and the light looks the same as incandescent. No warm up and it's nicely bright.

They are expensive. We got them when the local Energy company was offering rebates off the cost of them. That helped a ton, but they still ran us $9 dollars a bulb.
 

Joel_BC

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Thanks for posting, Hinotori. Do the Zenaro bulbs come with any sort of warranty?

Ever since I learned that some of the Phillips products have lasted only a matter of weeks (not 20 years or something like that), I've become a little nervous. After all, Phillips is a very well-known company!
 

jhad1066

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I found a comparison from Popular Mechanics detailing incandescent vs cfl vs led. Here are some highlights (no pun intended) as well as the link. Interestingly enough the cost of operation of cfl's and led's are very similar

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tec...scent-vs-led-ultimate-light-bulb-test#slide-1

Philips Soft White(Incandescent)
Price Range: $0.32$1.44

Wattage: 60 w

Brightness (Lumens): 860 lm

Life Span: 1000 hr

Energy cost/1000 hours: $6.60

Color Temperature Reported/Tested (Kelvins): 2700 K/2782 K

CRI: 99.7


Test-Group Comments: "Rich color," "warm," "soft," "dull."

GE Energy Smart Soft White (cfl)
Price Range: $0.87$3.00

Wattage: 13 w

Brightness (Lumens): 870 lm

Life Span: 6000 hr

Energy cost/1000 hours: $1.43

Color Temperature Reported/Tested (Kelvins): 2700 K/2695 K

CRI: 84.9

Spectral Power Distribution Curve: Click "View Larger" to display

Test-Group Comments: "Yellowish," "harsh," "slow starter," "warms nicely."


Philips Ambientled
Price Range: $39.99

Wattage: 12.5 w

Brightness (Lumens): 800 lm

Life Span: 25,000 hr

Energy cost/1000 hours: $1.38

Color Temperature Reported/Tested (Kelvins): 2700 K/2643 K

CRI: 81.4

Spectral Power Distribution Curve: Click "View Larger" to display

Test-Group Comments: "Warm," "yellow," "relaxing hue," "pleasant.
 
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