Shop Lighting (Again)

[Harbo]

Some of my fittings have reached to end of their life and need to be replaced.
On a previous thread somebody kindly worked out the number of fluorescent units required and I have been looking into prices.
The latest types seem to be High Frequency types but they seem to come at a premium price - about twice as expensive as the older types. They also seem to be restricted to maximum 5 foot length?

Is it worth paying this extra amount for flicker free lighting.
Prices seem to be about £40 for a twin 5' unit.
B&Q have a range similar priced but I cannot work out if they are the HF types - assistants just look at me dumb!

Rod

 

[John. B]

I've six 5' and one 4' tubes in my workshop and I don't notice any flicker at all :? Maybe it's my age 8-[ 8-[ 8-[ 8-[

 

[Waka]

I've got 12 bog standard 5' tubes in my shop and haven't noticed any flicker.

 

[Jake]

Given the frequency, you won't notice flicker so as much as notice its absence, if that makes sense. I can tell the difference easily - the HF fitting are much more pleasant and easy on the eye.

Fast starting, easier on tubes, and more efficient as well.

 

[Duncan A]

Rod,

I posted this back in December.

I have 5' high frequency fluorescents in my shed. Instant start-up, no hum, no stationary machinery effect, and - best of all they only cost £10.57 from B&Q: Eterna Fluorescent Batten 58W D109 White (H)85mm x (W)1523mm. (EAN:5013845013826)

Be careful though, they don't have diffusers and the lights in B&Q from the same manufacturer with diffusers are NOT HF. New regs mean that HF will become more common, and cheaper so you will see them appearing more and more. As a general rule, if you see a starter in the light, it is not HF.

To the best of my knowledge, the tubes themselves are no different, but on cheap lights like this you will only get "warm" not "daylight" - still a perfectly good light though.

Strictly speaking you should not operate HF and normal fluorescents on the same circuit, and HF fluorescents don't like induction motors on the same circuit. Just how critical this is I don't know, but Eterna told me that as long as the lights and motors are on different breakers it should be OK.

Hope its of some use

Duncan

 

[Harbo]

Duncan at £10 per unit that is a good buy, but are you sure they are HF?

I looked at those in B&Q the other day - they are under a sign saying High Efficiency, Soft Start - I did inquire about them but the assistants had not got a clue!
B&Q's On-line does not say they are HF and neither does Eterna. The only ones they say are HF are their E series? It would be nice if they definitely were.
The cheapest HF ones I have found are at Screwfix - £146 (less 10%) for a four pack of 58W twins no tubes?

Rod

 

[white_sw]

I have 8 of these B&Q strips in my garage and they are not HF even though they are listed as HF at B&Q. Just bog standard
strips. I complained about it after I had purchased and installed them. They refunded the price of 2 of them as a jesture of
good will and said they would change the sign. With the discount (Diamond Card) that I got on the origional purchase, works
out I got them for £6.81 per light. I have replaced the tubes with daylight ones though and they make a world of difference.
Got the daylight tubes from here :

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/LAFL58DL.html

They start pretty much instantly, don't buzz, no flicker that I can notice and no stationary machinery. Not that the loud noice
comming from the machine would let you know that is running though any how !

Cheers,
Sam