Garage LED Lighting

I just picked up a pair of theses:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/200829/LITH-0307.html

3000 lumens for $16.  Just regular shop lights that you plug in.  

Now you guys have me thinking about making a rolling light bar for underneath a vehicle.

I recently purchased a couple of these from Lowe’s. When installing them I realized I had paid a bunch of money for a housing for a LED strip and a power source. And the housings are made to look like fluorescent fixtures, which makes them taller and more complicated than they need to be!  They work fine and provide good light, but they strike me as silly. 

4 foot dual fluorescent fixtures are still about $15. I have a mixture of cool and warm bulbs but there's still something about that light.

For anyone that has switched to LED from T8 or T12 tubes do you like the quality of the light better? Does it have the same feel/look as fluorescent lighting?

In reply to plain92 :

I switched from t8 to led and I love them. I liked the t8 great but the led is instantly full brightness and no flicker or pulsing even in low temperatures. The t8s were good once they warmed themselves but that could sometimes take a while if it was cold in the garage. Somehow they also seem brighter despite being the same lumens rating. I think they just put more of the light down versus the t8. Otherwise the light "quality" seems/feels the same. 

I switched for my overbench lights from dual tube florescent units, and love the LED’s.  I got 4’ dual LED “tube” units from Sam’s Club.  Light is brighter, easier to see small stuff, and no flicker in winter over garage bench.  Only wish I did it sooner!

On one shoulder is a cheapskate reluctant to part with his pennies and on the other shoulder is an old man reluctant to accept technology improves :)

Any solutions that don't require wiring anything? I rent this house and the garage lighting is terrible. Just a little bulb at that center of the ceiling and the garage motor light. 

I'll only be in here until next September but I cant hold off with this dim garage. 

In reply to yupididit :

My 4ft LEDs came with plugs- I cut them off and hardwired them, but you could do something creative with a few extension cords.  When I rented I replaced the bulbs on the ceiling with "LED corn lamps" which throw light everywhere:  

In reply to yupididit :

Tons of options that will just plug in. I'd get an adapter like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-660-Watt-Ivory-Medium-Light-Socket-Adapter/3774299

and then get a couple of these: 

https://www.costco.com/Feit-Electric-4’-Linkable-LED-Shop-Light-with-Pull-Chain%2C-2-pack.product.100284402.html

NOT A TA had the best idea I've seen for garage lighting. He mounted lights directly to the outside of his overhead door rails, instead of on the ceiling. It meant that the lights were never blocked by the door being open. It would also keep the landlord from noticing holes in the ceiling when you move out.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

I have 8 of these bad boys in my shop and am very happy with the output for the price, they're super bright and the color doesn't make my brain itch like some of the LEDs I've had elsewhere.

I just checked my UPS Tracking. I have 8 of them waiting for me at home.

Should light up my 28X22 just fine! Better pricing than anything from the box stores.

 

I really appreciate everyone's input. I didn't realize the options that are out there for lighting. I will definitely give updates as I go along. When considering what lights to go with, I wanted the following:

- LED
- Easy installation
- Cost effective
- Bright enough to light 2 car garage

After reviewing a bunch of options, I have decided to go with modular LED 4-ft. lights that can be connected together. There were six in a pack with all of the wiring. On Amazon, they were $55 shipped since I have the Prime account. 

I tested them in my office and they are super bright! I can't wait to get these installed and wired to a switch. I will definitely take before and after pictures.

Here is a link to the lights that I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HBT3BVM/

I may have to come see these in person when you get them up. Those are CHEAP.

yupididit said:

Any solutions that don't require wiring anything? I rent this house and the garage lighting is terrible. Just a little bulb at that center of the ceiling and the garage motor light. 

I'll only be in here until next September but I cant hold off with this dim garage. 

Get a screw in plug adapter, put that in the light socket, and plug the LED shop light into that..

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to yupididit :

My 4ft LEDs came with plugs- I cut them off and hardwired them, but you could do something creative with a few extension cords.  When I rented I replaced the bulbs on the ceiling with "LED corn lamps" which throw light everywhere:  

Where did u find bulbs like that, and at what price?

I have what I think is one of these and it is absurdly bright- I remember paying more like $15 for it than the $25 that one goes for, so better deals probably exist with some digging.  Nowhere near as good as the larger fixtures, but it worked well for a temporary installation in a place where I could only have one bulb.

Worked on installing the lights in the garage today. First thing that I noticed was that my layout for the lights was not going to work. My garage was bigger than I thought. I guess that I should have measured and took my time, but that is really not my style. The lights are fantastic. They turn on without hesitation and are very bright. I like them enough that I already bought another set to run to the other side of the garage. The pictures below are for comparison. I had one fixture with two bulbs before and now the six LEDs. Please excuse the mess in the garage. I am stacking parts from a project and Christmas decorations for my wife. The difference in light is much more dramatic in person. My phone compensates for low light.

Hope this helps someone.

I am thinking that a few of those LED strips attached to the garage door would be a good idea.  I hate that when the door is open i loose half of my lighting  

In reply to Basil Exposition :

How could you buy them?  I mean tools and ladder were NOT included.  

In reply to tedroach :

Those are exactly what I bought in the summer.   They are amazing.  I've got 8 up in my 24x25 two bay and they're all the light I could ever need.  Had a few left over for the laundry room.  They are super light and draw no power at all.  

In reply to tedroach :

Looks good!  When you have the chance, you may want to paint your ceiling white.  It’ll help a lot with brightening up the whole garage.

In reply to tedroach :

That looks great!  I have the same fixtures and look forward to finally installing them.

eastside Utah Johnny Montana said:

In reply to tedroach :

Looks good!  When you have the chance, you may want to paint your ceiling white.  It’ll help a lot with brightening up the whole garage.

Very good point and I completely agree. The house was built in the 80's and Mrs. Roach made sure that the kitchen and living areas were first on the list for renovation. There are a couple areas where the drywall has come off the ceiling, so I will have a lot of work to fix, patch, sand, and paint. Since it is a lot more fun to work on my cars, the garage will have to wait until the spring.

Ian F said:

In reply to tedroach :

That looks great!  I have the same fixtures and look forward to finally installing them.

Definitely post some pictures before and after! I would love to see the difference in lighting placement and how it works out. I am going to add 5 more of these in my garage and use one as a portable light to work on the car.

Just to add... I did a whole lot better at the local electrical supply than the big boxes could do. For $25/ea I got these MaxLite units. http://www.maxlite.com/products/shop-light

I bought 4, but only have 2 up right now above engine bays. I used the others as temp lighting while remodeling a bedroom. The difference from 2 single socket fixtures to adding these was  night and day. 

einy said:

yupididit said:

Any solutions that don't require wiring anything? I rent this house and the garage lighting is terrible. Just a little bulb at that center of the ceiling and the garage motor light. 

I'll only be in here until next September but I cant hold off with this dim garage. 

Get a screw in plug adapter, put that in the light socket, and plug the LED shop light into that..

 I've berkeleyed myself. The miata is right under the light on jacktands LoL. Now I have to move it to get a ladder up!