So after my Iris By Lowes system became defunct, Lowes actually refunded the new purchase price of my system on a store independent visa card. This was nearly 2 years ago, I got a great deal because 99% of my system I bought at a few pennies on the dollar on Ebay, so I used the money to go with a competing product, Samsung SmartThings, and added a variety of bulbs, smart switches, and convert to LED lighting, except the shop. I was too cheap to want to replace the bulbs yet, but I did swap in a smart switch to control the fixtures.
So fast forward to a couple of months ago, bulbs started dying, I needed some bulbs. The Feit direct replacement bulbs I got at Costco were more money than I wanted to spend on bulbs, and I saw Walmart had these 10 packs of their Great Value branded direct replacement bulbs in daylight white. Fantastic. I have had previous good experiences with Great Value branded LED bulbs, and figured I couldn't go wrong.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The pair in the first fixture flicker ALL THE TIME. The pair in the second fixture I tried run for about 5 minutes and then fail. The third fixture I tried just won't light up.
At this point I am disgusted with these bulbs, it's been too long to return them, and it is possible there is a ballast problem with some of these fixtures as they are getting old now.
Instead of fighting with these fixtures and cheap bulbs, I am thinking of getting purpose built, not converted over 48" LED shop light fixtures.
This leaves me with the question. Has anyone else replaced their fixtures and are there ones that you are happy with? If not, have you converted your existing T12 fixtures with the tubes that do not use the ballasts? Which ones did you use and how hard was the overall conversion?
My long term goal is availability of bulbs, reduced energy use, and no flicker no matter the weather hot, or cold.
I was thinking of dropping the 7th fixture, the one over the table saw, and instead using one of those Bell & Howell screw in bulb socket multi panel LED fixtures that is on the same circuit, I think it would give me better light over both the table saw and work bench.
What's your Floursecent to LED conversion advice folks?
So fast forward to a couple of months ago, bulbs started dying, I needed some bulbs. The Feit direct replacement bulbs I got at Costco were more money than I wanted to spend on bulbs, and I saw Walmart had these 10 packs of their Great Value branded direct replacement bulbs in daylight white. Fantastic. I have had previous good experiences with Great Value branded LED bulbs, and figured I couldn't go wrong.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The pair in the first fixture flicker ALL THE TIME. The pair in the second fixture I tried run for about 5 minutes and then fail. The third fixture I tried just won't light up.
At this point I am disgusted with these bulbs, it's been too long to return them, and it is possible there is a ballast problem with some of these fixtures as they are getting old now.
Instead of fighting with these fixtures and cheap bulbs, I am thinking of getting purpose built, not converted over 48" LED shop light fixtures.
This leaves me with the question. Has anyone else replaced their fixtures and are there ones that you are happy with? If not, have you converted your existing T12 fixtures with the tubes that do not use the ballasts? Which ones did you use and how hard was the overall conversion?
My long term goal is availability of bulbs, reduced energy use, and no flicker no matter the weather hot, or cold.
I was thinking of dropping the 7th fixture, the one over the table saw, and instead using one of those Bell & Howell screw in bulb socket multi panel LED fixtures that is on the same circuit, I think it would give me better light over both the table saw and work bench.
What's your Floursecent to LED conversion advice folks?
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