SHOP LIGHTS is a type of  lighting that store owners choose for their stores can influence shoppers’ buying decisions. Because of this, many large retailers spend thousands of dollars researching which forms of lighting work best in their stores. Proper lighting in a store can encourage customers to buy products. Because of this, it is very important for store owners to think about how they light their store. 

LED shop lights have a longer lifespan and greater performance than their fluorescent counterparts, but have followed the same linear fluorescent form factor for the most part and are commonly available with a very similar type of fixture in 4-ft lengths.

Some of the primary advantages of shop lights are:

  • Cost-efficient – it is possible to buy a store light fixture for less than USD 15 
  • Easy to install – no complicated wiring or electrical expertise is needed for a shop light fixture. 
  • Removable – the height and location of a shop light fixture can be changed easily. Typical 4-ft fluorescent/LED tube light fixtures are mounted on the ceiling, making them difficult to install, and locked in place indefinitely.
  • Wastes less energy – a shop light fixture can be placed precisely where the light is required, so less light is wasted on non-essential areas of lighting, leading to more savings in electrical costs.

Type Of Shop Lights:

Today, there are two main types of LED shop lights available: integrated LED shop lights and retrofits of LED shop lights. 

The LED chips and electronics built directly into the fixture (i.e. integrated) have integrated LED shop lights so that there is no longer a “lamp” that can be replaced. With longer LED technology lifetimes, the premise is that the light can continue to emit enough light until the fixture becomes removed itself.

On the other side, LED shop light retrofits keep the lamp distinct from the fixture, rendering it replaceable. This usually includes using a light fixture for the fluorescent shop and replacing the fluorescent tube with a light for the LED tube. There will almost always be a fluorescent ballast installed into a fluorescent store light fixture.

Some Important Key Features:

These are some of the LED Shop Lights key features that can be useful for you:

1) Production from Light:

Generally, the brightness of an LED shop light is provided in lumens. You can use the following as a rough ballpark approximation if you’re not familiar with this metric:

Incandescent bulbs: per watt, 15 lumens 

Fluorescent lamps: per watt, 50 lumens 

A 1500 lumen LED shop light, for instance, can be considered to be approximately equal to a 100 Watt incandescent bulb or a 30 Watt fluorescent lamp (1500 lumens divided by 50 lumens per watt).

2) Chaining The Daisy:

You can find it difficult to have to separately run wires from each fixture to a single outlet or power source if you are using multiple LED shop lights in a single location. Daisy-chaining, instead, allows the fixtures to be linked one after another, simplifying the installation.

3) Resistance to water:

Make sure you’re getting water-resistant vapor lights if you intend to use your lights outdoors or in a wet, dusty, or dangerous environment. Test the IP rating to make sure it is at least IP65 rated for outdoor use.

4) Temperature of Color:

A color temperature is a number that defines the color of light as “yellow” or “blue”.

  • The same color as the classic incandescent light bulb is considered 2700K 
  • 3000K is slightly bluer and equivalent to the light color of the halogen bulb but still has a soft, welcoming yellow color.
  • Since it is neither blue nor yellow, 4000K is sometimes called “neutral white” and is the center of the color temperature scale. 
  • For color determination, such as for prints and textiles, 5000K is widely used. 
  • 6500K is called natural daylight and is a reasonable way of approximating appearance under conditions of outdoor lighting.

5) CRI: pick 80 or higher:

CRI is a little difficult to grasp because by merely looking at the emitted light from a shop light, it is not immediately apparent. 

CRI is a 0 to 100 score that tests how accurate objects appear under a light. The higher the ranking, the greater the accuracy. 

Anyway, what does accuracy mean?

Let’s say, in your garage, you’re trying to paint your car that doesn’t get any natural light. The color of the paint will look the same as it does under natural daylight with a perfectly precise LED shop light.

6) Switch On/Off:

A pull-chain for its on-off switch has historically been used by shop lights, and many LED shop lights continue to use this style. 

Alternatively, some designs that use a rocker switch mounted on the unit itself can also be identified.

7) The Reflectors:

On the side of the fixture, some LED shop lights will have reflectors to help direct the light downwards. This can be helpful in increasing brightness over a particular area and minimizing glare at the same time.

8) Method for Mounting:

A chain that enables the fixture to hang from the ceiling is part of most LED shop lights. Some would also allow direct mounting to the ceiling for flush mounting.

9) Features Of Light Control:

Just a few of the light controls available include daylight sensors, motion sensors, dimmers, and wireless technology. Motion sensors ensure that when they are not required, the lights are never in use and help to minimize energy costs by only turning the lights on when motion is detected.

The inclusion of photocells makes it possible for a light fixture to read the levels of daylight, turning the light on only if it is too dim. And, the dimmers allow you to monitor the light’s intensity. That, in turn, gives you the opportunity to actively minimize the energy consumption of light.

Final Thoughts: 

I hope with the above information you’ll be able to buy the best shop lights that suits the best you.

So go, buy and decorate your shops, stores and make the customer experience amazing.