Charlie Plesums
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- 1,523
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- Austin, Texas
Feel free to move this post if it is not in the right place.
I have crappy shop lighting... Several of the two-tube four foot T12 fluorescent fixtures scattered around the ceiling. The top quality ones bought for $10 when new many years ago.
One of the antiques started buzzing, with one of the tubes flickering. No combination of new tubes would fix it, so I concluded that the ballast was shot. (yes, I know the ballast has been replaced by electronic magic, but I don't know what that magic is called.). So off to Home Depot to buy a replacement. I finally found one like I had, a dusty leftover at the bottom of the stack, for $25 or so. The world had evolved from T12 (1.5 inch diameter tubes) to T8 (1 inch), and even T5 (5/8 inch). In fact the two tube T8 unit was only about $20.
But if I switched to T8 (or T5) I would certainly have to buy new tubes, so I went to that section. The T12 tubes are no longer cheap - there were a few that almost had the label "for antiques only." The T8 tubes were $5 or more each. Okay, so we are now up to $30 to replace that @#$%#$@ fixture that should have cost $10. One of the normally useless Home Depot employees wandered by and said "be sure to look at the LED fixtures.
After getting past the fancy LED lights, I found a LED 40 inch fixture, complete with "tubes". comparable to the two tube fixture I was trying to replace, for $40. Okay, T12 is as obsolete as I am, T8 is already on the way to replacement with T5, and the future technology LED is only $10 more than I was going to have to spend on the old Florescent tube fixture with bulbs. I sprung for it.
It installed easier than a florescent fixture - one trip up the ladder got the unit in place, and I didn't have to return to install the bulbs. I chose the same "hang from the chain" option as before, and the power cord reached the same outlet. The bad news is that the LED light is in every way better. Instant on, totally quiet (no hum), and brighter. Bad news because I am tempted to replace some of the others!
As the Home Depot guy said, "be sure to look at the LED fixtures."
I have crappy shop lighting... Several of the two-tube four foot T12 fluorescent fixtures scattered around the ceiling. The top quality ones bought for $10 when new many years ago.
One of the antiques started buzzing, with one of the tubes flickering. No combination of new tubes would fix it, so I concluded that the ballast was shot. (yes, I know the ballast has been replaced by electronic magic, but I don't know what that magic is called.). So off to Home Depot to buy a replacement. I finally found one like I had, a dusty leftover at the bottom of the stack, for $25 or so. The world had evolved from T12 (1.5 inch diameter tubes) to T8 (1 inch), and even T5 (5/8 inch). In fact the two tube T8 unit was only about $20.
But if I switched to T8 (or T5) I would certainly have to buy new tubes, so I went to that section. The T12 tubes are no longer cheap - there were a few that almost had the label "for antiques only." The T8 tubes were $5 or more each. Okay, so we are now up to $30 to replace that @#$%#$@ fixture that should have cost $10. One of the normally useless Home Depot employees wandered by and said "be sure to look at the LED fixtures.
After getting past the fancy LED lights, I found a LED 40 inch fixture, complete with "tubes". comparable to the two tube fixture I was trying to replace, for $40. Okay, T12 is as obsolete as I am, T8 is already on the way to replacement with T5, and the future technology LED is only $10 more than I was going to have to spend on the old Florescent tube fixture with bulbs. I sprung for it.
It installed easier than a florescent fixture - one trip up the ladder got the unit in place, and I didn't have to return to install the bulbs. I chose the same "hang from the chain" option as before, and the power cord reached the same outlet. The bad news is that the LED light is in every way better. Instant on, totally quiet (no hum), and brighter. Bad news because I am tempted to replace some of the others!
As the Home Depot guy said, "be sure to look at the LED fixtures."