Inexpensive replacement for these garage flourescent lights?

I probably am not as discerning as you are, and, we should remember, this is a "garage" so, it's not a "reading light" or a "mood light" by any stretch of the imagination.

So, for a garage, I can only safely say that the light output from four of these LED T8 bulbs driven by magnetic T12 ballasts is far brighter and less flickery than four T12 fluorescent bulbs which are a few years old.

Sure, I'm comparing old to new, but that's what I have to compare.

I don't notice ANY flicker, although I hear a faint hum, which is probably from the T12 ballast being squeezed at 120 cycles per second.

It's certainly *white* light, far whiter than the (ols) fluorescents were. The price was about 3 times what a replacement fluorescent would cost.

Over time, I'd be forced to replace the T12s anyway, so,

You are correct in that the brightness of LEDs diminishes from day 1, mostly due to fundamental cracks growing between crystals, so the "lifetime" is supposed to be to the L70, which is the point at which the LED is at 70% of its original brightness.

Stop purchasing your lamps from China and maybe your eyes will see something better.

You (and I) both need a *better* way to tell the quality of the lamp.

Take the T12 ballasts I have, for example, which are made in New Jersey. That doesn't mean they're high quality, just because they're made in the USA, does it?

There must be a *better* indicator of quality for LED lamps than just where it's made.

For example, is there *any* indication of the quality of the Costco Feit lamps that I bought?

Here's the spec sheet, I think:

NOTE: Tomorrow I'll ask Feit for the LM-79 and LM-80 data.

What do you think about the quality of these Feit lamps, made in China?

We can deduce they were made good enough to last a couple decades.

yes, what you paid for them, and the fact there's no real spec sheet on them.

As far a lighting goes, that's a 100% meaningless spec sheet. It doesn't even mention the CRI, which is guaranteed to be unspecified anywhere and not controlled.

cheapest imported lighting would be the best description.

Good point, in that they were made well enough to last for probably 30 years.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. What you paid is NEVER an indication of quality.

I can give you hundreds of examples which nullify instantly that idiotic argument. I've been having this argument for years, with many people, so, please understand that it's not you that I'm upset with.

I'm upset with people who can't THINK about DETAILS, so they pick a SIMPLE number as their indicator of quality.

Sure, price is a SIMPLE way to think about things. So is warranty.

But neither is ANY indication whatsoever of quality.

Sure, some quality stuff costs more, but a LOT of things are overpriced (e.g., lettuce at safeway, housing in California, HP ink cartridges, etc.).

None of those are high quality.

I agree with you that this so-called "spec" sheet was just marketing fluff. But I had nothing better on the net. That's why I asked.

On the one hand, you realized the "spec" sheet was BS, but on the other hand, you make quality decisions based on a single nearly meaningless number, simply because it's easy to do.

SO I'm confused by your advice.

Phillips Advance : Ballasts

Their USA Corporate HQ are near O'Hare Airport (Chicago). Almost all of the Ace Hardware stores (especially the Industrial ones) in Chicago area (Ace HQ also) carry the Phillips ballasts or can order.

g. beat chicago

How to Buy: T8 and T12 LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes Posted by EarthLED News on Jun 03, 2015

Choosing the right LED fluorescent replacement tubes can be confusing due to the myriad of product types and installation options. We at EarthLED.com have created this guide to assist in the process and help you make the right choice for your specific projects.

Currently, there are four types of options available in the market:

1.) Ballast Bypass or Direct Wire LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes

2.) T8 Electronic Ballast Compatible LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes

3.) Hybrid (T8 Electronic Ballast Compatible / T8 or T12 Ballast Bypass LED) Fluorescent Replacement Tubes

4.) Universal (T8 Electronic or T12 Magnetic) Ballast Compatible LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes

They used to be made on Western ave by Belmont until 20 or so years ago too. It's sort of amazing the plant never became a superfund site.