LED shop lights are a wonderful lighting option for commercial places like industrial offices. garages, warehouses and all size shops.
Although prefixed with the term shop, LED shop lights’ use is not limited to business enterprises. They equally fit for residential lighting purposes.
However the lumens, fixture patterns and the design is more suited to manufacturing and marketing – lacking an artistic touch which you will find in dedicated household – non led shop lights.
A LED Shop Light fixture is same as in any other LED. A hook and chain(s) drop the light down from a ceiling. You can adjust the drop down length according to your requirement.
Nowadays LED’s are more preferable in industrial settings in contrast to traditional fluorescent lights because of various advantages.
A LED light lasts long – It’s average life span is 2 – 3 years, sometimes even longer. As working time – it calculates to 50000 – 60000 hours! In addition to this – some manufacturers offer a new LED replaced against your old ones for a minimal margin.
In case of a fluorescent light bulb you will require to buy new one every 1.5 years.
Offers better lumens – They are brighter. Another good – they are more easily dimmable when not in use or when aided by an alternative light source.
Is comparatively very cheap – LED fixtures fall between $25 and $50 and last for a minimum of 4 to 5 years. This makes them real cheap. Per Lumen per day costs pennies. Secondly because they consume less Watts in comparison to fluorescent sources, the bill will also not kill you.
Does not consume a lot many watts – In fact it requires 50 – 60 percent less energy – which reflect in the electrical units you pay for.
Are easy to assemble and replace – They come with plug and pin options. Generally a small clip needs to be pulled and the light fits in the fixture. The clip falls back in the lock and this is it. We never required an electrician to remove or fix Led’s for our garage!
Works very well with Motion Sensors – Switching on and off physically takes a lot of efforts and if you forget switching off you have to pay. Motion sensors are a very good option to avoid this hassle. However fluorescent do not integrate very well with these sensors. On the other hand LEDs are designed in a way allowing motion sensors to work appropriately.
Frequent offs and ons – do not deteriorate the lights health – The same is not with fluorescent bulbs. They worn out due to excessive switching.
Are smaller in size – Fluorescent tubes used to occupy 4 to 8 foots. LED shop lights measure 2 to 3 foots and are available in disc, round, square and most common shapes. In case of a smaller ceiling or a smaller wall these are the best options.
Before purchasing a LED shop light, make sure you have proper ceiling and area measurement.
Secondly evaluate existing light sources – natural or artificial.
And lastly – consider the nature of your business. A showroom displaying clothes and shoes – or a manufacturing unit with artisans working need different set of LED’s then a store room or ware house – where you visit once a day probably to check inventories.
Table of Contents
Types of LED Shop Lights
High Bay LED Shop Lights
These LED’s are specifically designed for ceilings higher than 20 feet and upto 40 feet from the floor. Although they are focus lights – they usually cover a large area.
You need to place High Bay’s 10 feet apart in manufacturing and installation units or showrooms where higher brightness is usually preferred. In warehouses and retail shops one high bay is mostly adequate for 15 feet area.
As LED’s – these are the most powerful illuminating source for your work stations. They have a very long life and act as heat sinks.
Buy branded and at least 3 – 5 years warranty High Bay Lights. You will not want to climb 20, 30 feet every 6 months replacing low quality ones.
Low Bay LED Shop Lights
These are designed to illuminate spaces having a lesser elevation from the ground. If the ceilings are 10 – 20 feet above – then Low Bay will be enough.
Placement ratio remains the same. For high lumens place them 10 feet apart and if you already have a natural light source or do not require a lot of light – then 15 feet will be good.
Linkable LED Shop Lights
Linkable LED’s have a single on/off switch. All the different bulbs and tubes are operated from a single power source which eliminates the need for long wires and multiple switches.
Usually these run on low Watts and offer 4,000 – 5000 k’s and are primarily white colored.
Linkable LED lights are best fit for work stations – comprising of small units. Let’s say you have a diamond polishing staff of 25 workers or a science lab for 30 students – each having a small working table.
A linkable LED will be just the right choice. A single power source lights all the tables – saving the trouble to switch on 25 switches.
These LED’s although linkable – (some) have small individual independent switches or On/off pull chains. If a worker is not present – you just need to switch off one!
Linkables are ideal for garages and assembly units – where a more focused lighting source is required. You can select hanging mounting or flush mounting style according to your work space model.
4 Foot LED Strip Lights
These are the most common type of all LED shop lights. 4 foot LED’s are popular because they replaced the previously popular 4 foot fluorescent tubes. You just need to buy the light and not the mounting base. The fixture will easily fit in the already installed fluorescent one.
4 foot LED’s make good counter tops lights. They are enough for a single individual working beneath. This is when you are lighting up small cubicles.
However if there are no desks and tables then go with a larger foot size, like 6ish or 9ish. This is to say you are lighting a ware house or a garage. Link the LED’s and adjust the brightness to the maximum.
Although it will be a little lengthy but every 6 (9) foot covers a much wider area than a 4 feet LED. In ware houses there will be no obstacles to block the flow either. So eventually you will have more light coverage with lesser LED’s. Potentially you can save 60 percent on power consumption if you chose the right size and place the LED’s evenly.
Lumens, Temperature, Wattage and Beam Angle
Illuminating every corner of your work station is very important. To enable equal distribution of light you actually need to calculate the required lumens, adjust the beam angle and evaluate wattage.
Lumens
Lumen is the measure of brightness of a light source. More the lumens, brighter the light. To find out how much lumens my work space needs, read below –
First find out the exact square footage where you plan to put the shop lights. Then see how many foot candles will do the job for you. Each foot candle is 100 lumen. So if 10 candles will light up your work place then 1000 lumens will be enough.
Usually 1000 lumens is enough for a 100 square foot living room. For kitchen you need to double the figure and for your work place you need to multiply this by at least a 4. We believe for a 100 square foot work area you need 4000 to 5000 lumens. You can calculate your exact area and the lumens requirement accordingly.
Color Temperature
Measured in Kelvins (K) – color temperature describes the appearance of light of any light source. For shops and homes 2000K to 7000K is observed adequate. Kevins more or less than these two ends are either too yellow or very brighter blue.
- 2700K – Yellowish White
- 3000K – 3500K – Less Yellowish and more Whiter.
- 5000K or greater – Bluish White.
There are LED’s measuring 10,000K’s too. But for garages and barns, you need to go with 5000K to 7000K ideally. Choose a brighter white appearance. Personally we believe it enhances the working environment.
Beam Angle
Second important consideration is the beam angle and the efficacy of the light. A properly placed and and angled low wattage LED can save you a lot of costs. Primarily it eliminates the requirement of costlier heavy wattage LEDs.
There are a lot of factors responsible for the light to bounce, reflect and reach the objects. You need to look what makes the bulk of your shop or ware house, what color you have painted the walls and how much glass and plain silvery objects are included in the area.
Wattage
Wattage is the unit to measure how much electrical power your light source is using. More the wattage, more the units and eventually more the bill.
To find a perfect balance – find high lumen low wattage LEDs. LED’s in the first place use lesser watts than the fluorescent bulbs. But even while purchasing a LED, look for the wattage and the lumen value (mostly it will be at the back of the packet. In our reviews we have listed all these information.).
10 Best LED Shop Lights
Below we have reviewed 10 best LED shop lights – from all kinds and categories. All the lights have thousands have successful purchases and hundreds of positive reviews.
Check out the size and lumens of these LEDs and also the watts consumption – then make your selection.
There is a green button at the end the review – which will redirect you to the complete order page.
Happy Illuminations!
Bbounder 4 Pack Linkable LED
Bbounder is a respectable brand – specialising in LED manufacturing. Linkables and Barn LED’s are their hot favourites.
- This Utiliy linkable shop light is 4 feet, 48 inches long with a 240° Beam Angle.
- It offers 4000 lumens and 5000K Daylight White shade.
- The LED consumes 40W
You can fit it on the wall or surface it from the ceiling. The package includes the mounts for both the fittings.
There are a total of 4 tubes and a 4.8′ Power Cord with Plug, in the package. Usually connectors are also included along with the tubes. However some retailers might charge extra for the chains.
Bbounder Linkables make wonderful LED’s offering huge energy savings. The installation process is simple and does not require a technician.
Although tagged as a Shop or Garage LED, the lights are perfect for residential and office use too. The light is bright enough for you to facilitate work without blinding you! We use these even in our garage and warehouses.
Bbounder are slightly expensive – but the LED’s are totally worthy. Bbounder offers a 5 year warranty on the product. Importantly their staff is very supportive and polite. They guide you with the installations and other technicalities and even suggest you what to choose and what not.
Almost to similar to Bbounder’s are Hykolity LED’s. Hykolity is another well known, reputable name in the lighting industry. Hykolity manufactures several types of lights and LED’s and are not limited to light emitting diodes.
The LED’s reviewed here are one of the most sought after shop lights. These are one of the decent premier product, which is economically priced and offers a complete solution to your commercial and residential needs.
The lights
- Are 4 feet wide with 59 inches power cord (with on/off switch) and plugs
- Offers 4400 Lumens and 5000K Daylight White Color
- Consumes 42 Watts.
Other specifications remain exactly same as Bbounders. You can hang them or mount them on the walls. Hanging chains are included in the package. If buying physical retail check the mounts and the chains.
4 tubes come in the package. However because these are brighter than Bbounders – even 3 sometimes feel enough. Mounting only 3 will save you a bit on watts too.
The lights are covered under a 5 year warranty plan. The manufacturer also ensures 50,000 hours of use without any maintenance. It also promises 75% energy savings in comparison to fluorescent lights.
These are brighter LED’s – and we don’t prefer them much as bedroom and living room fixtures. For shops, garages these are the best. They can even serve large basements and workshops. However you will require more sets than.
Hykolity LED’s have an edge with 400 lumens extra at a minimal 2 Watts increased consumption. Mathematically they consume less power. But the savings will be in fractions of dollars.
Although Bbounders and Hykolity both are fine and both compete against each other. There is no big variation considering the price too. If you want our opinion between them – we vouch for Hykolity.
Stick on Anywhere Under Cabinet Lights
Manufactured by RXWLKJ (we don’t know what these alphabets stand for, and we researched a lot) these are another very useful, handy and hassle free lighting option. They are pretty compact and very stylish.
RXWLKJ LED’s are –
- Wireless
- Have Motion Sensors
- Come with Rechargeable Batteries
- Includes Magnetic Tapes
- Very Cheap
After these 5 features, there is nothing much you want. Isn’t the life easy? RXWLKJ have offered everything that you would want to consider.
The lights have 10 Diodes powered by 850mAh polymer lithium battery. The battery is rechargeable. Other LED’s of the same genre require AAA batteries.
These LED’s offer 100 lumens of brightness and 6500K of color temperature. As under cabinet lights the luminosity is great. However we don’t consider such heavy Kelvins to light the inside stuff. Kelvins ranging in 4000K would have been more appropriate.
There is a 3 way switch attached to one end of the tube enabling ON OFF and G. The motion sensors are wonderful with a range of 10 feet with a 120 degree radius. If no human motion is detected the sensors switches the LED’s off after 20 seconds. The time lapse is a bit too much. 5 – 10 seconds would have saved more power. You cannot control the time settings too.
Magnetic Strips do a great job. No installation bracketing or punching the holes is required if you have some iron where you want to place the lights. Generally cabinets have a lot of metal. The Built In Magnet strips attach firm.
The LEDs have sticky tapes too for non metallic surfaces. However we don’t know how the glue behaves.
RXWLKJ LEDs can be used for various applications. These make good option as closet and cabinet lights in your shops and working booths. They are appropriate for lighting corridors and hallway’s too.
But don’t expect them to behave like Bbounders and Hykolity LEDs. Those are 4000 + lumens and RXWLKJ is 100 lumens. Both serve different purposes.
Tanbaby LEDs are specifically designed as Garage and Barn Lights from a pretty young manufacturer. The brand was formed in 2016 – and since then they are leading the sales chart in many lighting equipments.
These Garage Lighting Fixtures come with
- 3 LED heads, each head consists of 48 diodes.
- 6000 Lumens and 6000 Kelvins.
- aluminum and plastic casts having their own benefits.
6000 lumens is very bright and the Kelvins too give a good color temperature. Fluorescent offering same lumens might consume 85% more energy! Wattage consumption is 60W – equalling one watt for every 100 lumen. Analytically Tanbaby will consume same Watts as Bbounders, however they will not be able to beat Hykolity.
3 lighting heads flash lights to almost 360 degrees. This is the added advantage in Tanbaby’s in comparison to Bbounders and Hykolity LEDs. Each head can cover 90 degrees and are arranged symmetrically to radiate the luminescence exactly where needed.
Fins in the heads have a special die cast aluminum to dissipate heat quickly. The LEDs have some unique Tanbaby trademarked cooling system under the bulbs. Overall the lights will save your air condition costs too.
Installation is pretty simple. You have to screw in the LED’s in the fixtures – more like putting a bulb. Install the LEDs when the power source is off.
Tanbaby’s standard ETL – meets Americal Safety Requirements. But this is true for almost all the registered brands out there.
These are a good choice for various reasons. They offer wide angle illumination, cools super fast and are adjustable. The lumens are also more. However they are a bit pricier.
Our opinion – check the lumens. If you require LED’s for pretty dark garages or barns – then settle for this. If there is any other light source than check the other economical options.
4 LED Garage Lights - 2 Pack
As we are moving below the posts, we are reviewing lights with higher lumens or more tubes.
4 Lamps 2 LED set reviewed here is almost double in brightness than the Bbounders. This set is manufactured by Jennten – a decent manufacturer offering economical lighting options.
Jennten set has
- 4 adjustable panels
- 8000 Lumens, 6500 Kelvins
- consumes 80 watts.
8000 Lumens is a lot of brightness. 6500 Kelvins daylight shade suits the eyes along with increased brightness. You can split the set if you require 4000 at one zone or place. Bbounders and Hykolity are tubes. Buying this set is preferable than 2 tubes adding up to 8000 lumens.
Tanbaby has 3 heads while Jennten LED head has 4 leaves. Every leaf covers 90 degrees, completing 360 degree radius. This enables equal flow of light. And if you want to focus you can rotate the leaf accordingly.
Additional features include a diffused PC lampshade which enhances equal and softer shades at cooler degrees – and a new insulating material making the LEDs safer.
Installation like other LEDs is very easy. You need E26 or E27 universal light sockets. The LEDs comfortably get screwed in. Unlike other LED manufacturers having 5 years warranty, Jennten gives lifetime warranty and a 100 percent money back offer.
The lights are good and the material used is heavy, however the weight is light. Increased Lumens make it a good fit for garage and dimly lit basemensts.
Barrina LEDs are a good option offering bright light and occupying less space per tube. The manufacturer started out in 2010 and since than have advanced a lot on making quality lighting fixtures.
This pack of Linkable LEDs comes with –
- 5000 Lumens and 5000 Kelvins radiating Daylight White shade
- Consists of 10 pretty sleek tubes measuring 4 feet each with the plug
- 5 power cords having ON/OFF switch, 10 hardwires, and installation accessories, connector cables and connectors.
Mathematically these are the most economical LEDs. Barrina consumes 40 Watts for 5000 lumens, equalling 125 lumen per watt. Generally Bbounder and other premium LEDs too have a ratio of 100 lumen per watt.
Barrina claims 70 percent energy savings – but we believe these save much more. They also are a cleaner source working without mercury and reducing UV and IR emissions.
A 48 inches cord should link up to 6 lights. Overall the installation is not very efficient as is the case with Tanbaby and Magentic Strip Lights. You need to hard wire these into the electrical boxes.
The lights are good for shops, garages, hallways and even as work station linking LEDs. Barrina offers 3 years of warranty – unlike other brands, which offer a minimum 5 year warranty. However considering the quality and the price the lights have a good on investment return ratio.
What is the brightest LED Shop light?
You can not put tag on any one as the brightest of all LED shop lights. It all depends on Lumens. The one reviewed above are some of the LEDs. However there are LEDs radiating more than 10,000 lumens. Some have multiple heads while others are single focus lights.
Brighter LEDs cost high. So before purchasing one – look out for your needs. These heavy lights are used in garages and shops having a larger than normal area, functioning as mini street lights. If you have some place like that – consider searching for brighter LEDs.
We have linked 3 super bright LEDs below. Check them out if you require 10000+ lumens.
What is the best LED lighting for a shops, workshops, and garages?
A Shop, Workshop and a Garage are three main distinctive areas for LEDs. Shop needs less lumens, Garage needs mediocre amount and Workshops usually need the most.
According to our surveys 3000 lumens up to 5000 are good for shops. Garages need a bit extra illumination – not because you need to focus – but rather they are mostly poorly lit. For garages 7000 lumens is good.
Workstations and workshops are non comment-able. Depending upon the mode of work you need to take the decision. If your labour requires focus lights than go for 10000+ lumens. However even 5000 to 7000 should do in most of the niches.
Happy Lighting!