Best LED Lights for Garage Workshop

In any workplace, one of the factors that helps generate a good environment is lighting. Appropriate lighting affects the productivity of the workshop .

In addition, being energy efficient will make professionals work more comfortably and do not have to strain their eyes. This also prevents possible diseases and injuries as a result of poor vision. The main recommendation is the use of natural lighting, with its obvious economic savings. But it has a handicap: you can not always have the same amount of light. And for a correct work in the workshop you need that the light is uniform and to avoid that zones of shade are created.

Editor’s Recommendation: Top 5 Best LED Lights for Garage

10 Best LED Lightings for Garage Workshop Reviews

1. 4FT LED Shop Light Tube Fixture, T8, 30W 3000lm 6500K, Super Bright White, Bulbs for Garage


A legitimate concern that anybody who has made the decision to purchase new shop lights is whether they will need to use their own materials to install them, or if the new pack itself will contain what they need to set up their new shop lights. Nobody wants to get a new pack of shop lights, then have to either use materials of their own or purchase materials to connect the lights. Fortunately, the LDSS shop light pack comes with all the necessary accessories to connect and install them right out of the box. This is by far the best thing about them. Another good thing about the LDSS pack is that even though this particular pack comes in a pack of four, the accessories will allow you to connect up to six shop lights, so if you have a couple of extra shop lights that you want to connect, this is possible.

The lights themselves in this particular pack are not fluorescent. They are instead LEDs. While this is very common, there is a drawback to this. LED lights are not nearly as wide as their fluorescent counterparts, which means they are somewhat flimsy. Because they are so flimsy, it could take a little longer to put them together, install them, and set them up. The thin appearance of these particular lights lend themselves to breaking if they are not handled carefully.

2. Sunco Lighting 10 Pack 4ft 48 Inch LED Utility Shop Light 40W (260W Equivalent) 5000K Kelvin Daylight, 4100 Lumens


A 10 pack of shop lights are obviously designed for very large spaces that require a massive network of shop lights to be installed. One concern that somebody could have when it comes to this is the question of how these shop lights are going to be connected and linked together. Thankfully, Sunco was very aware of this in creating their 10 pack of lights, and made them linkable with a built in power cord. This power cord will allow users to daisy chain the lights in the pack and will make it very easy to connect them together without too much trouble. The way these lights link together are easily the best thing about Sunco’s pack of shop lights.

The problem with this particular set of shop lights are twofold. First, they can crowd each other because of the brightness. If these shop lights are placed too close together, they may not provide efficient lighting for the room that they are placed in. Another thing that is left to be desired in the Sunco pack is that the screw and lock positions of the lights are either backwards or the opposite each other. This takes away from some of the versatility in how these lights can be set up.

3. Onlylux 4′ LED Shop Light for Garage Workbench Ceiling, Double Integrated LED Tube Lights, 4ft 40Watt 4000LM Lighting Fixture, 80 Watt Fluorescent Equivalent (4PACK, 6500K Day White)


In many cases, the aesthetics of most shop lights leave a bit to be desired. They hang eerily from the ceiling, bound by chains. At best, they look like they would only be able to belong in a workshop or a warehouse. At worst, they look like they they belong in a prison. While it may appear negligible, the design of the Onlylux shop light set changes all that. Instead of using chains to hang from the ceiling, they use cables. This makes the lights look much more appealing and inviting compared to the usual design and is a very welcome change.

When somebody is in the market for a set of shop lights, they have a certain amount of expectations. They expect the lights to be put together easily, for all of the necessary accessories to be included in the package, and for the lights themselves to provide a fair amount of brightness. While the Onlylux light set can indeed be put together easily and does include everything a user may need to put everything together, it struggles in providing enough light for any given area. Users have said that even for a room as small as a two car garage, all four lights will be necessary. As most shop lights of this caliber can usually light up such a room using only two lights, this is one thing that sets the Onlylux light set back from other light sets, making it less than perfect.

4. Hykolity 4FT 40W LED Shop Light with Pull Chain, 4200lm Hanging Garage Utility Light with cord


Shop lights usually come in a pack of 4, 6, or 8. Sometimes it is possible to come across a pack of 10, but that is very rare. The Hykolity pack comes with 15 lights. This makes things very convenient for anybody who needs to set up lights for a warehouse or any other area where a lot of lighting is necessary without needing to order multiple packs of shop lights. They also have a five year warranty, which means they are almost lifetime guaranteed. If something happens to just one of these 15 lights, you will be able to get a replacement pack. There is likely no need to even consider new shop lights at all if you have the Hykolity pack in your possession.

Because so many lights come in this particular set, it is not easy for any given package to handle. Many users of the Hykolity set have complained that the packaging is not as good as it should be, with the packaging arriving damaged in many cases. Also, a lot of shop lights can be hardwired. This is not the case with the Hykolity set, or at least they are not designed to be hardwired. Installing them in a garage will be met with a few issues as well, as they can interfere with any other fixture that is connected to the wiring of a garage, such as a garage door opener.

5. Kihung LED Shop Lights for Garage, 8FT, 80W, 8800lm, 6500K (Super Bright White), Linkable 8’ LED Shop Light with Plug


Brightness is usually never a major issue when it comes to shop lights, seeing as most of them can create necessary light when spaced out together. This is especially true when it comes to shop lights that come in packs of more than 4. Although there are only 2 lights in this particular set, the Kihung shop lights make up for this in terms of power. Each light in this set can create up to 8800 lumens, which is almost twice as bright as the shop light standard of 5000. This will allow you to set up one shop light to light up a garage, where it would normally take at least four. If you do not want to waste time setting up a smattering of shop lights to just light one room, the Kihung shop light set is recommended.

Whether something like this will save power is questionable. Just one of Kihung’s shop lights produces 80 watts of power, which is not very energy efficient. This can get even worse if you have made the decision to set up both of these lights in the same room. Another questionable access of Kihung’s shop light set is that because it only contains two lights, it is not at all suitable for lighting any room of significant size.

6. 4 Foot 8550 Lumens 66 Watt LED Shoplight Room Work Garage Light Fixture New by PrimeLights


One concern that some do have about shop lights is the way they hang. If they are not ominously hanging by chains, taking away from the aesthetics of any given room, they are precariously hanging by cables, giving the impression that the cable could snap at any moment. PrimeLights has gone back to the classic design of the shop light, as it is designed to connect directly to the ceiling. Anybody who decides to install this particular shop light will not need to worry about pull chains not working or a faulty ballast or anything of the nature. Because this particular shop light does not hang, it is also a bit more bright and powerful, being over 8000 lumens in brightness and 60 watts.

The PrimeLights shop light does not come in a pack. One light is all you get, and that can be problematic. While it is nice to only be able to install this one light in a garage, if it does not provide enough light, or not a satisfying amount of light, another one will be necessary. This can be quite an inconvenience. While they are able to be hanged by a chain, separate materials need to be purchased in order to accomplish this. That is another inconvenience.

7. GRG Linkable LED Utility Shop Light, Garage Lights, 4Ft 20W 2200lm 6500K, T5 Integrated Single Fixture, LED Ceiling & Under Cabinet Light


Shop lights can sometimes look unappealing. Whether they are hanging from the ceiling on chains or cables or resembling a giant block on the ceiling, shop lights are not easy on the eyes in most cases. GRG has created a design for their shop lights that addresses this. By reducing the casing surrounding the LED tube of their shop light, they have created a light that can still light many rooms but also looks appealing. GRG’s shop lights are also very thin in their design, making them easy to handle and put together.

GRG’s shop lights come in a pack of 12, which is pretty rare for shop lights. However, if you are intending on using these shop lights for any room that is bigger than a two car garage, you will need every last one of them, as each light is only capable of 2200 lumens, which is half of what the industry standard is. And while they can be linked together, only 6 lights at a time can be linked together, so this will make things even more troubling if you have decided to use GRG’s shop lights to provide light to a large workshop or warehouse.

8. LDSS T8 LED Light Tubes, 4ft, 28W, LED Shop Light Tube, 6500K (50W Equivalent) Single-Ended Power


Most 4 pack shop lights demand a lot of brightness for the small number of shop lights in the pack. And a lot of the time, it will take a lot of power to generate brightness of that level. For the amount of brightness that the LDSS 4 pack puts out, they surprisingly do not use as much energy as anybody would expect. With each light only yielding 28 watts of energy and 2400 lumens of brightness, this particular pack of shop lights will provide a very nice amount of light without using a lot of energy. This is a nice breath of fresh air, seeing as most shop lights in packs less than 6 tend to use a lot of energy in comparison. If you have another set of shop lights that you want to connect these to, it is possible, as this particular set is compatible with T8, T10, and T12 models. This kind of versatility is a nice surprise.

LDSS’s pack of shop lights do not require a ballast to connect or install. While it is nice that this option is available, there is an expense. The ends on most shop lights are usually very durable and can withstand a good amount of impact when connecting and installing. This is not the case with this particular set of shop lights, as users have reported that the ends of them are fragile. Another setback, as negligible as it may sound, is the design. For shop lights that do not hang, the LDSS set tend to stick out like sore thumbs when installed. This is especially true if there is no casing, which this particular set does not contain.

9. Sansi Elevens Linkable LED Utility Shop Light 4FT 40W Super Bright 5000K Daylight ETL Certified


Because they are usually connected as a group, most shop lights do not possess a lot of brightness on their own. While this does make sense, it is even more convenient when the solitary lights in the set each have better than average brightness levels. This is exactly what the Sansi shop light set provides, and is clearly the best thing about them. One light in this set yields nearly 5000 lumens, which is very nice if anybody is using these lights for very dark places, such as garages and warehouses. In fact, because of the lumen count of each of these lights, it is possible to light an entire warehouse with Sansi’s set of shop lights alone.

Sansi’s set of shop lights suffer from the classic dilemma of trading out style for function. Everything that can affect the appearance of any given shop light does affect a shop light when it comes to the Sansi set. They come with pull chains, and while this is nice for conveniently turning these lights on and off, they do not look very appealing. Installing them requires that they hang from a chain, which also ruins their appearance. Sansi’s set of shop lights will not look good anywhere other than a warehouse or a garage.

10. Bbounder Lighting 6 Pack 4ft 48 Inch LED Garage Shop Light 36W (250W Equivalent) 5000K Kelvin Daylight, 3600 Lumens, Utility Ceiling Fixture – Energy Star


Some sets of shop lights do not have much protective casing on them. If they break, they become unusable and will not give off any light. While this is pretty rare, it does happen. This is as close to being a non-issue without actually being a non-issue with Bbounder’s set of shop lights. They are LEDs, but the tubes themselves are made of plastic, which is very difficult to break. This is the best part about this set of shop lights, and is very rare to see.

Bbounder’s shop lights suffer from a few drawbacks. First, they cannot be linked or daisy chained, unlike most shop lights. Each light has its own receptacle, which means that to turn them on, you will need to do it one light at a time. This is a serious drawback which borders on being an inconvenience. It does contain a switch on power cord that can turn all the lights on and off, but it is very difficult to program the lights to turn each light on. They hang from chains, taking away from their appearance, which is pretty common in shop lights but it should be mentioned. Users have also complained about Bbounder’s shop lights lacking brightness as well.

LED Light Buying Guide for the Garage or Shop

When you are shopping for LED light fixtures there are some things to keep in mind. LED lights are a different technology compared to traditional fluorescent lights. Below I will outline the differences of LED tube lights and what you need to look out for when buying them.

Do LED Tubes Need a Ballast?

It depends on the type of LED light tube and manufacturer. All fluorescent tubes need ballasts to operate but not all LED tubes need them. There are 3 types of LED tubes on the market:

  1. Direct Fit: These LED light tubes are designed to work with the existing ballast. No modifications are necessary but you need to make sure the LED tube is compatible with the type of ballast you have. Direct fit LED lights are easy to install but are not as efficient.
  2. Ballast Bypass: The ballast in your existing light fixture will need to be removed for these LED tubes to work. The LED lights have their own internal circuits which regulate the power and do not require a ballast. The ballast bypass LEDs are more efficient but require modifications to the fixture. Hiring an electrician is recommended in this case.
  3. External Driver: Like the ballast bypass type these LED bulbs require ballast removal. The ballast is replaced with an external driver which regulates the electricity. Efficient but needs modification of the existing fixture.

So if you want the most efficient LED shop lights you will need to remove the ballast in the fluorescent fixture. The work can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. Depending on your local electrical codes an electrician may be needed to do the work.

The alternative is to buy LED fixtures with a power cord for plug and play installation. You just have to have a free power outlet near the light fixture or use an extension cord.

The Advantages of LED Garage Lights

LED shop lights have several advantages over fluorescent lights:

  • Energy efficient: LED lights run on around 1/3 the power of fluorescents
  • Longer life: LED bulbs can last 10 times longer
  • Do not generate heat: Traditional bulbs emit wasted energy as heat

How Brightness is Measured with LEDs

Brightness is measured in lumens and not watts contrary to popular belief. Watts are a measure of energy used.

  • 100 watt light bulb emits 1600 lumens
  • 75 watt light bulb emits 1100 lumens
  • 60 watt light bulb emits 800 lumens
  • 40 watt light bulb emits 450 lumens

Since LED lights use less energy it would only take 25 to 30 watts to produce 1600 lumens!

The Disadvantage of LED Garage Lights

LED shop lights generally cost more than fluorescent light bulbs. The reason for this is the higher cost of making the bulbs. There are a lot of small circuits and LEDs which have to be assembled which inflates the cost.

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