Shop lights: are they all garbage?

Joined
May 7, 2018
Messages
1,661
Location
Northern KY
I’m replacing my fluorescent shop lights left and right, and even one of the newer LED ones only lasted a couple of years. I don’t think I’ll ever buy another fluorescent unit even though I have close to a case of bulbs that will probably never get used up now.

Are there any decent shop lights that will last more than a year or two?
 
So many are of Chinese quality, that is to say, spotty. I purchased "Hyperikon brand" from Amazon. I've had a few failures. But the rest have been OK.

Hyperikon was a brand with an Amazon store, but they seem to have gone the way of the Dodo bird. Gone.....
 
A shop light is just a housing with parts in it. Fluorescent bulbs and ballasts are consumable. The tombstones for T8 or T12 bulbs are replaceable. Cheap bulbs and ballasts can be replaced with quality ones.


You can start here if you are looking to replace with quality fixtures, I guess. If buying new, I would no longer go fluorescent as LED is simply superior now and sourcing the right ballast is annoying. All the wiring and circuitry for an LED T8 is now internal to the bulb. They are rated for an obscene amount of hours and usually carry a 5 year warranty.

The fixtures on OG are sourced mostly from PrimeLights and do nothing but provide power and ground to the tombstones. There's nothing to go bad. If you drop a LED bulb you just replace the bulb.
 
I converted my older 4 foot shop lights to T8 instant start ballast and T8 phillips LED bulbs. I used GE instant start ballast. They have been going for 6 or 7 years now and get used daily.

You can get cheap shop lights now that are already led from places like harbor freight or rural king but they only last so long. If you want something that is going to last you need to buy name brand and its going to cost more.
 
I’ve had good luck with these. Easy changeover if you already have the bulb sockets too.

I gave some to my parents for their daily driver garage since that where the freezers are as well. They can just leave the lights on.

 
I replaced all the fluorescent fixtures in my garage with the 5000 lumen LEDs from Harbor Freight.
installed 10 about 3 years ago, and no problems so far.
Better light and they come on right away even in the cold.
 
Feit 4’ LED bought at Costco. Inexpensive. Low energy consumption. Quick start up in cold.

Work great. Have lasted for years.
Their 4' replacement LED's designed to use the original ballast, are superb long life bulbs, I've not had one fail! However, if one tries to use them without a ballast, the smoke comes out....
 
Back
Top