Bright idea's. "Lighting that is"

[Radiomike]

The colour temperature is one measurement and is a good guide to the colour, warm white, white, bright white and daylight.

The other indicator is the "Colour rendering index" CRI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index
It is a measurement of the spectra of the light and an incandescent source is considered to be 100. So you could buy a LED or fluorescent lamp with a high or lower CRI. A lamp with a low CRI will not render colours very well and look peculiar.

https://www.flexfireleds.com/color-rendering-index-cri-and-led-lighting-what-is-cri/

Fluorescent tubes have all this marked on the tube, Colour temperature and a guide to the CRI often a figure like 841, CRI 85 colour 4100°K

Mike

 

[Fred Van Hook]

I put on LED's from Rural King.. 4500 lumens and they work at 0 degrees. Instant on... Barn is 48' x 64' and 14' to bottom of trusses.

 

[Vanman]

It seems that these manufacturers aren't keen on exposing the color rendering index of their products, and most buyers overlook this key metric.

It may not be terribly important in the shop, but it is crucial in the home. What's worse is that poor quality lamps are not necessarily readily apparent. The home won't feel as rich and warm and inviting, but the homeowner will never realize it unless they switch to lamps that produce a high quality light. Then they will have a true Ah Ha moment!

I had supposed high CRI LED lamps in my facility (care home), and at first they seemed fine. But since they started dropping like flies, at far less than 10% of their rated life, and the quality and quantity of their light output was obviously radically diminished, I replaced ALL of them with cheap halogen lamps. AHHHHHH! MUCH better light, and their life seems comparable.

The extra cost in a home is trivial, around $10/month. In a shop that would be a very significant extra expense. It's part of why I want mine to be powered by my own hydroelectric plant.

Keith

 

[Fred Van Hook]

As you get older it is a moot point.. The more light the better...