leds rather than fluorescents

[fred]

Workshp currently uses 5ft fluorescents and I would like more light. Would changing to leds be an advantage ?

What would be the cost implications

Or to cut a long story short what would be the most economic way to achieve higher light levels ?

[Mike Clarke]

Not a direct comparison with your 5ft one but I've just replaced a 10 watt T4 fluorescent fitting with a 10 watt LED fitting and noticed a distinct increase in light level.

The T4 tube had been in use about 8 hours per day for 9 months and was already becoming reluctant to start and noticeably dimmer than when new. If memory serves me correctly I think the brightness of the new tube was less than what I get from the LED fitting. I'm expecting that the LED will give a longer life than the old T4 which needed new tubes every year.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I will definitely say that the LED lamps that are replacing the 'energy saving fluorescents' of similar power are much brighter and a much nicer light.

Its not the same story for a proper indistrial long tube tho

[pinballpiers]

d changing to leds be an advantage ?

ve higher light levels ?

I've replaced 5ft tubes with led equivalents. In my experience you don't g et more light, but you do get an equivalent amount for 20-24W (instead of 6

0W).

The first LED tube I bought, from CPC, exploded after about 20 minutes. Ma ybe because my voltage was 260V at the time, but more likely cos the tube w as defective. Replaced without quibble.

I've now gone for branded versions.

I'm playing around with square LED ceiling lights at the moment. Have a 48 W (draws 54W acual) 2ft x 2ft from ebay (intended to replace a ceiling tile sized light in an office), which was only about £20 and is really ver y bright.

[Brian Gaff]

Its funny you know haw some tubes seemed to go on about the same for many years, while others dimmed quite fast after about a year. I wonder if anyone has ever worked out why this should be. I spoke to a chap who used to fit and service large numbers of tubes in shops and he confirmed that this always happened and that you needed to continuously replace some tubes but not others.

Ion damage? On LEDs they have come of age after I lost sight so I cannot comment, but I think they just die rather than dim. Brian

[Martin Brown]

More likely a very slow leak in the tube or damage inflicted on the filaments by a brutal starter if the same fittings misbehave every time.

I have had a couple of failures inside 3 years. One was a single point failure in a LED string. The others were PSU capacitors cooked to death.

Regards, Martin Brown

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Very much so. In my kitchen, the under cupboard lighting is a 6ft and 4ft T8 tubes. Posh phosphors to match halogen. Driven by even posher dimmable Orsram high frequency control gear. They get used several hours a day. They are so old I can't remember exactly how many years. Probably about

1. It's quite possible the light output isn't as good as it was, but is still more than adequate. They are to the side of the main window and don't get much light from the patio doors, so tend to get more use than the other lighting in the kitchen, which has quite dark coloured tiling.