Remember when everyone tried to get us to buy those stupid compact fluorescent lights? Before that we had those really dumb incandescent bulbs that only used about 10 percent of the electricity for creating light. Those old incandesKevin Doughty, who works in product development for Home Depot, points out “LED light fixtures are digital products, much like our cell phones and TVs. As performance improves, costs come down. We are now at a point where the quality and reliability of LED fixtures are at or exceeding the performance of traditional light sources. Additionally, you can make up for the upfront investment in less than a year – especially as many LEDs solutions are nearing the same initial cost of fluorescents.”
The Temperature of Light
We measure light temperature in Kelvins. If you want the inside of your shop to look like a sunny day you need light in the 5,000 to 6,000 Kelvin range. That range is pretty close to the sun. The average florescent tube is rated at only around 4,100k. Home Depot has a variety of LED color temperatures available. These typically range between 2,700 Kelvin (warm white) and 5,000 Kelvin (daylight). They feel that in a shop or garage you should be using lighting that falls between 4,000K (cool white) and 5,000K (daylight). Make sure you read the package carefully. Some of the lights sold on Amazon.com are only 3,500K. You don’t want those.
Accurate Colors
If you’re outside and the sun is shining brightly you have a Color Rendering Index of 100. LED lights are compared to this standard. A color rendering index higher than 90 provides rich coloring. Home Depot feels that for car show applications you need at least 4,000K with a CRI of 90+. An 80 to 90 CRI ensures that your red car actually looks red. You’ll be able to detail your car and feel assured that it will look good in bright sun.Light Beam Angle
The light in your ceiling is obviously not a pinpoint of light. The angle of light dispersion is important because that determines how many units you’ll need to buy for your garage. The problem is that this dispersion angle usually isn’t found on the package. You’re going to have to contact the company to find this information. One company, RAB Lighting (www.rabweb.com), provides online help for your design issues. Others will help if you contact them.
Big Ass Light (www.bigasslight.com) fixtures have a 130-degree angle of light. Mounting these lights on an 8-foot ceiling will work but you’re compromising the display. Remember it’s all about the angle. The closer the fixture is to the floor the less area the light beam will cover. Spacing of the ceiling fixtures is determined by the width of the light beam on the floor, which is influenced by the distance the fixture is from the floor.How long Do LED Lights Last?
Life span is a big deal because you’re paying more for LED lights. Light bulb manufactures simply turn a bulb on and measure the time it takes for the bulb to burn out. That’s not the way we actually use lighting though. Frequent on and off cycles means a bulb is going to burn out quicker. If your garage is subject to frequent power cycles your bulbs are going to burn out faster than a location that has a stable power supply.
The average LED light will last 50,000 hours and some lighting suppliers are claiming 84,00 hours. That means if you’re in your shop three hours a day the LED lights will last over 46 years.
LED Work Lights
Remember drop cords with incandescent bulbs? You probably remember when we got our first florescent tube drop lights as well. Get ready for LED work lights. These lights are used to light an area where the overhead lights are useless. Doing brake work is a perfect example. Engine compartment work also requires bright light in a rather small area. The brightness of these work light is given in Lumens. The average LED flashlight has between 200 and 400 Lumens. That’s barely adequate for a shop. You want to find a light that’s at least 2000 Lumens.
You have a choice between battery-operated lights and those with a cord. Some even come with a rechargeable lithium battery. Some lights come with a stand the way the old halogens used to be mounted while others have a swivel base and a rotating head. There are a lot of options available.The price range is equally large. Snap-On (www.snapon.com) has some work lights rated at 1600 Lumens for just over $30.00. Milwaukee Tool has a cordless rechargeable LED lights for just under $125.00. Most of use have a half dozen work lights in our shops and only one of them is used on a regular basis. Shop carefully this time.
