LED or Fluorescent?

[stillp]

I'm thinking of upgrading the lighting in my garage/workshop. At the moment it has 4 X 4 foot 40W fluorescents. Is it worth going for LED replacements, or should I just get some new HF florrys?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

LED will cost significantly more. Given how much you use the lights you can do the sums to see how long it will be before you're in profit. Probably a long time.

 

[big-all]

led strips are brilliant 5m off 50x50 will equal a 5-6ft tube
you could buy 2 at around £12 each and see if the coverage is sufficient

 

[stillp]

Thanks. Have you got a link to the LED strips you've used? The ones I've found give nowhere near the light output of even a 4ft tube.

 

[big-all]

i think lumins and leds dont match lol
take the rated lumins and add 20-30% to get the normal bulb equivilent
just go for any 50/50 you like and as i say 1m per foot is a good guide for tube and led comparason but as i say they punch above there weight

 

[ericmark]

I fitted a LED tube because the tubes for my fitting are no longer made, and rubbish on the kitchen floor (wife calls it craft supplies) results in poor access. I replaced a 65 watt fluorescent with a 24 watt LED which on the surface seems good.

However when one looks at the lumen output published for both that also halved so as to gains not so sure. Once I found that out I started to look more closely and it seems most LED replacements also reduce lumen output.

Lumen in theroy should be worked out by the light the human eye can perceive. The million dollar question is did they get it right? Both fluorescent and LED lose light output with age. Hard to say which loses most and if the lamps were tested at half life stage then we could compare, however they are tested as new. So swap a 4 year old fluorescent tube with a new LED tube and yes the LED is brighter and we all rub our hands and sing the praises of LED.

So LED 30,000 hours v Fluorescent 20,000 hours and LED 100 lumen per watt with Fluorescent 90 lumen per watt so £18 v £3 for the two tubes don't need a degree in maths to work out Fluorescent wins.

As to HF v choke that's harder. If the tubes are replaced at regular times and as soon as any tube shows signs of failing it is replaced the HF wins. But if a tube is left in a failed state is often takes out the ballast.

I have a HF 18W tube at top of stairs also battery back-up it was bought at a radio rally second hand in 1994 and last year I had to replace the tube. 20 years a tube is not bad going. Batteries really need renewing now only lasts about 2 hours now did last around 10 hours when first fitted. Even if LED lasted 30 years that makes me 95 before I would need to renew the tube just don't think I will be around to worry.

For the GU10 lamps cold cathode v LED and LED wins. With SES 8W CFL v 3W LED again LED wins. But with tubes sorry no LED has no real advantage. Hate to say this as I have fitted a LED tube, but it's a con how can you compare a 5 foot tube 2400 lumen with a 5 foot tube with 5200 lumen? I was conned I did not look at lumen output. In hind sight I would have been better renewing the ballast and using a 58W tube.

There is also the safety aspect. To get the 100 lumen per watt the ballast needs to be removed and you have to re-wire. So you have a tube with line and neutral one end and shorted pins the other end. Fit replacement tube wrong way around and you have a direct short.