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Old 05-07-2020, 08:39 PM
mback12000 mback12000 is offline
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Default Garage Lighting

Looking for some guidance on the best portable lighting to be used in the garage for some color sanding and final polish. Does it matter - florescent vs LED or other? Or is it just get the brightest? This is NOT for color matching.

I've heard some people comment about good or bad lighting for body work. I want to supplement the weak ceiling lighting for this task. Before I buy, I was curious if the type mattered.

Thanks.

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Old 05-08-2020, 07:49 AM
flat-bill flat-bill is offline
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Default lighting

I have been told and installed light fixtures and bulbs that have the 5000 K color. this is the most white and brightest light. LED or fluor. bulbs . Same color is best. If you are buying, might as well get the best thing. Billk

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Old 05-08-2020, 06:48 PM
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dataway dataway is offline
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I went from incandescent, to fluorescent to LED. Now all long tube type LED fixtures with just a couple of incandescent to warm things up a bit and to smooth out any high frequency flickering (which I don't notice anyway).

However ... probably want to get input from painters if you're major concern is proper color response from the lights.

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Old 05-09-2020, 01:23 AM
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Jack Gifford Jack Gifford is offline
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There are some fantastic deals on 5000k T5 LED tubes on Amazon. I bought two packs of 4' ones- 6 in a pack for $43 with free shipping (but with taxes $47). They weigh almost nothing, so would be great for portability. Each pack includes 6 separate 5' cords, and also connectors to plug them end-to-end if desired.

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Old 05-09-2020, 08:47 AM
Tim66 Tim66 is offline
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Default lighting

Hi guys,I just wanted to share my own 2 cents.I had just floresant so I added some led lights and they don't give as much light overall as the others.The led's seem to shine straight down leaving shadows.Did that make any sense?I say no to the led's,just my 2 cents.Good luck.
Tim

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Old 05-09-2020, 01:25 PM
jww jww is offline
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Threw out all my 4ft fluorescent fixtures and replaced with 12 2x2 high bay LED’s. Nine are 11,000 lumens and 3 are 18,000 lumens
Lights up my 30x30 body shop like a sunny day.
White in the room now unlike the old yellow lighting. Price is reasonable, last forever, cheap to operate....... I’ll never go back now!

  #7  
Old 05-09-2020, 02:40 PM
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Scott Thelander Scott Thelander is offline
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my buddy just replaced his old lights and went to led

they cast a unique shadow .... and after about 30 minutes I was feeling light headed ,,,

I didnt like them .... seemed brite n nice when I first walked in ,,,

Scott

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Old 05-09-2020, 03:11 PM
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dataway dataway is offline
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That's why I keep a few incandescents working. I love the bright lighting of the LEDs, and the cost savings, but it gets a bit "cold" after a while, I need a bit of cozy lighting to be happy in my shop

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Old 05-10-2020, 06:17 PM
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necdb3 necdb3 is offline
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Installed 8, 8' double led fixtures in a 37x56 garage. Each fixture consumes 90 watts. It supplies tons of light. Each fixture was less than $100.00. Love it!

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Old 05-23-2020, 04:14 PM
mback12000 mback12000 is offline
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Thanks all for the feedback. Thought I'd share my outcome. I bought a bunch of 4ft LED fixtures from Walmart, $32ea. 5500 lumens, beautiful super bright light. I'd rate them very high for nearly any work in your garage. However, my original question was about lighting specific to color sanding and polishing. And for this specific task, that strip of LEDs in the fixture makes it appear that the paint has orange peel when you're staring into the finish. Not sure all other LED fixtures are made like this one (with a strip of LEDs), maybe these are just cheap. The light is excellent but the issue only becomes apparent when you're staring into paint reflection trying to polish to perfection. I'm kinda super picky and am dealing with show quality paint.

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Old 05-28-2020, 09:13 AM
Joel Koontz Joel Koontz is offline
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For what you want to do. LEDs with Frosted Covers would be a good option. I have replaced all of the lights in my garage with LED. Most have clear lens covers and they do a great job of providing light, but they do reflect the hundreds of LEDs in the paint.

I have a few with frosted covers. They do not seem to create quite as much light as the clear covers, but you do not see the individual LEDs in the reflections. I have some frosted tubes and also have some Flood Light Bulbs with Frosted Lens. They screw directly into a "normal light bulb socket". I have a "bank of them" mounted on the wall of the garage so that they shine directly under the hood of the cars from various angles.

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