Cheapest strip lights for workshop?

Sep 19, 2004 15 Replies

hi all, im fitting my garage out as a workshop but need lots of good light! so im looking for about 10 fluresent strip lights...anyone come accross a cheap suplier?



tar



steve


Local electrical wholesalers ? If you`re buying 10 they`re less likely to ask questions than "can I have a 13A fuse please :-}"

"r.p.mcmurphy" wrote | hi all, im fitting my garage out as a workshop but need lots of good | light! so im looking for about 10 fluresent strip lights...anyone | come accross a cheap suplier?

Shop refits, ask nicely and you can get things before they go in the skip.

Owain

Factory re-fit might be better. Shops usually have flush fitting ceiling types. A tour of the local industrial estate might do the trick.

I wouldn't fancy your chances of re-cycled ones. IME these thing get up at night and fight with each other, no matter how carefully they are handled. They are very easily broken. Usually the strip holders succumb to the merest suggestion of a knock.

Screwfix?

4 x 5ft singles with tubes for £30 inc. Ok so the tin is abit flimsey but they work well,- i've used 8 or 10 so far. Will probably be ordering another dozen shortly too.

Tim..

In article , r.p.mcmurphy writes

Try your local electrical wholesaler. I bought some 10 or so 5 foot ones a while ago and they weren't that much at all:)

Look in the phone book for electrical/industrial/ surplus/salvage places, and also electrical suppliers - there's a place near me (Walthamstow) that's an "electrician's shop" and they always have stuff like this available - fluo. fittings 'off the pile' for a fiver - qty discounts negotiable. I suspect it's stuff that some of their Sparks customers have salvaged when refitting etc. - could be worth asking at your local friendly (as opposed to big chain) electrical bits trade place.

canyou point me to the right item number? i have looked on the website but had trouble understanding what is an ordinary strip light used in workshop etc!

stteve

In message , Rick Dipper writes

You must be joking

My local electrical place sells them far cheaper of you buy a few and haggle

They're called Polar Electrical in Watford, there are bound to be similar all over this fair land.

Something important to consider is that the price is not proportional to the length e.g. IIRC, a 4" light assy is more expensive than a 5" one, it comes down to the economies of scale

In message , "Tim (Remove NOSPAM." writes

I can invariably find a local supplier who will beat Screwfix's prices

and you get the goods the same day

and you're supporting local traders ... which is important

In message , raden writes

Not necessarily, esp. if you are talking a B&Q Warehouse.

A number of things in their that I've bought are cheaper than they were from the specialist merchants (or in some cases, the 'specialist' didn't have them at all)

As it happens their plasterboard was cheaper than my local BM, but

  1. in my BM they will load it into the car,

  1. in the time I have got a trolley , loaded it, paid unloaded into car, I'm in and out and half way home from the BM

rule of thumb is: if you find one in a skip, its dead, if you find several, they work.

NT

In message , chris French writes

You're going to the wrong places then

In message , raden writes

Well, obviously if they didn't have it was the wrong place :-)

No I don't think so, plenty of tradespeople use the Warehouse as well - but this is not to say that they are generally cheaper, just to say that they are not generally more expensive either.

Anyway, I use BM, PM, electric wholesalers, sheds, mail order etc. for various reasons of cost, convenience, service etc. but I think we've been here before.

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