Workshop Lighting, mixing warm and cool?

[Mike Watkins]

Hi all. I currently have five 1.5m fluorescent tube lights in my workshop (4m x 8m) and I want to put one of these over my workbench for extra and brighter light. However, my dilemma is do I go for a warm light that matches the tubes, or do I go for the brighter (I think it’s brighter but I maybe wrong?) cool light? Has anyone done this and is mixing the warm and cool a good idea? Help!

 

[bp122]

Cool light is actually harsher on your eyes, especially if you are flooding your workbench with it. Cool light is bluer, which is actually bad for your eyes. That is why modern smart phones have a blue light filter for when it is dark so your eyes aren't as strained.

Neutral or warm is nicer. And the colour rendition of wood or paint or anything is truer.

At the very least, it is a personal preference for me.

 

[Mike Watkins]

Cool light is actually harsher on your eyes, especially if you are flooding your workbench with it. Cool light is bluer, which is actually bad for your eyes. That is why modern smart phones have a blue light filter for when it is dark so your eyes aren't as strained.

Neutral or warm is nicer. And the colour rendition of wood or paint or anything is truer.

At the very least, it is a personal preference for me.

Thanks for that, I hadn’t thought about it from a rendition of wood or coating colour point of view. So warm would be better for a woodworking shop?

 

[bp122]

Thanks for that, I hadn’t thought about it from a rendition of wood or coating colour point of view. So warm would be better for a woodworking shop?

Not a yellow one of course, but warmer is better. Neutral is best, but difficult to judge from the pictures of online advert listings.

I bought those 60cm square office led panels (two from eBay which are neutral, and four from Amazon which are warm) and I prefer the neutral ones in my workshop and I have put the warm ones in the loft.

On some cheap quality led lights, usually their "cool" light is almost just light blue light.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I bought a couple of cool (colour temp not fashion) floodlights to do a trial with, firstly the floodlights cast too hard a shadow for my liking, but also I found that the cool light just made me feel cold, a warmer light just somehow tells your body you are near a fire, and you feel warmer.

On the colour rendition of paint, I would say that cool lighting is in fact closer to daylight.

As an aside, I have a little ultra violet flashlight, which I find really useful when painting, especially white paint onto white surfaces, you can easily see where you have missed a spot, which are otherwise invisible (used in the dark or low light, next to useless in bright sunshine)

 

[Inspector]

My entire shop is lit with 6,000K LED lights. It is closer to the colour of mid day sunlight and I like it that way. Each to their own.

Pete

 

[Mhop74]

@Mike Watkins - could you share a link to that light - I could use one of those myself!

 

[gmgmgm]

I have a mixture of both warm and cool lighting. The main overhead lights are cool white. If I'm doing a full day of "working" in the workshop, then I find daylight/office/6000K lights are the best... but if I am pottering in the evening, then warmer lights along the workbench give a much cosier feel. But I'm sure I work a little more leisurely!

If you need good colour matching, then you probably need the cool white / daylight lights.

On the colour rendition of paint, I would say that cool lighting is in fact closer to daylight.
As an aside, I have a little ultra violet flashlight, which I find really useful when painting, especially white paint onto white surfaces, you can easily see where you have missed a spot, which are otherwise invisible (used in the dark or low light, next to useless in bright sunshine)

That's fascinating about using a UV light!

 

[OldWood]

I would recommend going with the same as bp122 above. The panels give a totally shadow free light and are also non glare.
The OP's lights look to me as if they by their central location will introduce shadows and be anything but glare free. I'm also a little bit suspicious of anything that is different and possibly a bit of a gimmick; those will be made perhaps as a thousand or two whereas the 60cm panels are made in their millions and are a wel established and tested design.
Rob

 

[Mike Watkins]

@Mike Watkins - could you share a link to that light - I could use one of those myself!

Apologies for the delay, here is the eBay link, cheers, Mike.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-LED-G...-/383907974440?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

 

[Mhop74]

Thanks! They look interesting.

 

[Chippymint]

Not sure about cool and warm terminology. I have a 6m by 12m workshop that has not got enough natural light. I fitted 600x600 LED panel lights (these ones are termed 'Daylight') over the entire length of my workbench and surrounding area. The remaining areas have flouresents with Daylight tubes.

I have to say the above has worked for me and I have had no issues with carrying out out my work or my health. However it has to be said let-in as much natural daylight as you can.

 

[hugov]

There are two numbers you need to pay attention to – one is the colour temperature (warm is around 3000K ±200, neutral 4000K, daylight/cool around 5600-6500K) and the other is colour rendering index (CRI) where 100 is perfect (technically equivalent to a black body radiator, which halogen lamps approximately are) and greater than perhaps 80 is probably fine for a workshop. Two other factors to consider are what time of day you use the workshop and whether there are windows letting in natural light – if you primarily use it during the day and have natural light, I'd suggest neutral or daylight balanced lamps, if you primarily use it in the evenings, then I highly recommend warm lamps (otherwise you'll wreck your eyes and sleep!).