I am thinking of getting a 4 foot flourescent fixture for above my workbench, but need some advice.
I think a 2 bulb fixture would be fine, but a 4 bulb would be so much more light, but those are over $50.
Also there are the smaller T8 bulbs and then the old style T12 bulbs, which are better?
And should I get the Daylight, cool whote or full spectum?
Anyone got any ideas?
I use the 2 bulb 48 inch flourescent fixture about 36 inches off the work service and have not had any issues with my lighting. I dont get any shadow issues or colour discolourations when painting either, experiment on the correct height from the bench and go with that. Good luck
I use one of those fluorescent ring bulbs, on a positionable light clamped to work bench. For really fine work I can lower it to only a few inches from the model so the brighter light helps stop down the eye and improves vision. For normal work I stick it up higher, more out of the way. The one I have has a magnifier in the middle of the unit, for really fine detail work.
Also, when painting, I can position the light source so I can see reflection of light in paint- a good deal if you need to paint gloss finishes.
i have 2 bulb 4 footers over every table in the workshop (7 total) and i augment with gooseneck lamps for close work (4).
T-8 bulbs can put out the same amount of light as the T-12 bulbs, and take less power to run. T5 bulbs are even better. I have a set of three 2-bulb T-5 lights over my shop workbench and they put out a tremendous amount of light. They aren’t cheap, though, as the T-5 is still sort of new, but the prices are steadily coming down.
If putting something up now, I’d opt for something with T-5 bulbs. While there’s a confusing array of light ‘colors’, i.e., ‘soft white’, ‘cool white’, etc., there’s no standard with the naming. I’d look for something that’s putting out light in the 5500-6500 Deg-K range (that’s degree Kelvin, one of the more ‘standard’ standards, but not all manufacturers use that). 6500K is starting to get towards the blue side of the spectrum, but some people like that. Many big-box hardware establishments will have little light boxes demonstrating the different colors. You can look in them, and see what suits you best. 3500K, to me, makes everything look a bit jaundiced. I think that’s in the ‘soft white’ range.
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
I have a single four foot, two-lamp fluorescent shop light hanging about 4ft above my bench. They’re T8 bulbs, GE brand, in GE’s “Sunshine” color. Incredibly economical at 32w of power usage, and they are bright as hell. I can’t remember what I spent on them is the only thing. Got 'em at Lowe’s.
Thanks for the helpful advice. Going to get something this weekend and see the light>