Yesterday (May 2, 2021) at Lowes, I picked up a 2-pack of GE T8 type LED tubes to replace the failing 48" flourescents over my workbench.
The Lowes website Item #2565452 Model #93129276
On the package they're marked as LED 83CCT15ET8GH-LT2PK "Color Select"
They also note to use them only with electronic ballasts.
These have a 3 position slide switch on one end to select 3 different color profiles - I liked the bright setting best.
Last night, they worked great - for the few hours I used them.
Because today, upon turning them on, both tubes popped, barely glowed, and made the electronic ballast whine like it was overloaded. (SMPS typical overload whine)
They're plain GARBAGE! - made in china JUNK!
Putting in the older flourescent tubes, the fixture worked fine - so it's not a ballast issue.
I went to Lowes site and gave a nice juicy One Star complaint, (among the MANY other complaints) and now have to go back and return the damn things - something I should not have to be bothered with.
I'll get something else that lasts.
The Lowes website Item #2565452 Model #93129276
On the package they're marked as LED 83CCT15ET8GH-LT2PK "Color Select"
They also note to use them only with electronic ballasts.
These have a 3 position slide switch on one end to select 3 different color profiles - I liked the bright setting best.
Last night, they worked great - for the few hours I used them.
Because today, upon turning them on, both tubes popped, barely glowed, and made the electronic ballast whine like it was overloaded. (SMPS typical overload whine)
They're plain GARBAGE! - made in china JUNK!
Putting in the older flourescent tubes, the fixture worked fine - so it's not a ballast issue.
I went to Lowes site and gave a nice juicy One Star complaint, (among the MANY other complaints) and now have to go back and return the damn things - something I should not have to be bothered with.
I'll get something else that lasts.
These days I replace the entire fixture with LED units. Electrically quieter if you get decent ones.
Just bought some 4 ' units from Amazon. About $126 for a pack of four, each with a pull string / switch and they work fine so far. I just bought a second pack and have to put them up.
China? You can get anything, very good, to crap from China. Depends on what the buyer pays for. They are killing us on manufacturing, and they can make better products for reliability than we do. Sorry but its the truth.
-Chris
Just bought some 4 ' units from Amazon. About $126 for a pack of four, each with a pull string / switch and they work fine so far. I just bought a second pack and have to put them up.
China? You can get anything, very good, to crap from China. Depends on what the buyer pays for. They are killing us on manufacturing, and they can make better products for reliability than we do. Sorry but its the truth.
-Chris
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Don't see the need to use the "made in china junk" derogative remark.
GE Lighting engage the services of a contract manufacturer who will assemble a lighting fixture or lamp to GE's design and specifications for an agreed price, the quality of which has no correlation to the country of origin.
Given the fact that GE has probably manufactured thousands upon thousands of these LED tubes and only 7 out of 9 reviews have had problems seems to indicate its more to do with the ballast than the led tube.
GE Lighting engage the services of a contract manufacturer who will assemble a lighting fixture or lamp to GE's design and specifications for an agreed price, the quality of which has no correlation to the country of origin.
Given the fact that GE has probably manufactured thousands upon thousands of these LED tubes and only 7 out of 9 reviews have had problems seems to indicate its more to do with the ballast than the led tube.
Stating clearly that china is the the country of manufacture of these products isn't an issue in my book.
Pity if it "seems" to offend anyone, it's not my problem.
Was the past news stories about lead in children's toys, bad dog food killing pets, and hordes of other products coming from china offensive to you?
Let me know when a Makita table saw takes off your fingers due to a faulty safety device.
These bulbs are BAD..... period.
And there are far more than 9 bad reviews, if you do some more searching around, besides Lowes.
I normally do some investigating before I buy something, but come on, for light bulbs?
Bottom line is..... GE, other corporations, doing outsourcing, has been an issue since such practices started.
Pity if it "seems" to offend anyone, it's not my problem.
Was the past news stories about lead in children's toys, bad dog food killing pets, and hordes of other products coming from china offensive to you?
Let me know when a Makita table saw takes off your fingers due to a faulty safety device.
These bulbs are BAD..... period.
And there are far more than 9 bad reviews, if you do some more searching around, besides Lowes.
I normally do some investigating before I buy something, but come on, for light bulbs?
Bottom line is..... GE, other corporations, doing outsourcing, has been an issue since such practices started.
I was surprised when I read the label and it said "For Instant Start Ballasts", thinking, this is a setup for failure. A great majority of electricians do not know what an instant start ballast is.
These led lamps are imo ??? how many lumens do they put out? compare that to a regular F32T8, which is around 2800 mean lumens, with a >90% lumen maintenance over 20k+ hours. The electronic ballast in a new fixture has a ballast mfg 5 year warranty.
I purposely use high BF instant start ballasts which give out ~20% more lumens. We need as much light as we can get with our old eyes and smt. I solder smt all the time, with no glasses, I am blind as a bat, the more lumens the better, just like a seedling starting out its journey.
I understand this is supposed to be audio, so we might as well educate in lighting too. I have some sot-23-6 to solder up today, lots of good lighting. On the solder/assembly bench I have a fixture with two FT40W, I got it from the recycle joint, took out the old buzzing mag ballast and put in a proper programmed rapid start ballaat, I have a few boxes of them, from my lighting job
These led lamps are imo ??? how many lumens do they put out? compare that to a regular F32T8, which is around 2800 mean lumens, with a >90% lumen maintenance over 20k+ hours. The electronic ballast in a new fixture has a ballast mfg 5 year warranty.
I purposely use high BF instant start ballasts which give out ~20% more lumens. We need as much light as we can get with our old eyes and smt. I solder smt all the time, with no glasses, I am blind as a bat, the more lumens the better, just like a seedling starting out its journey.
I understand this is supposed to be audio, so we might as well educate in lighting too. I have some sot-23-6 to solder up today, lots of good lighting. On the solder/assembly bench I have a fixture with two FT40W, I got it from the recycle joint, took out the old buzzing mag ballast and put in a proper programmed rapid start ballaat, I have a few boxes of them, from my lighting job
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I've had problems with a number of LED bulbs, but not those replacing fluorescent fixtures.
Learned the hard way, don't screw a LED bulb into an energized ceiling fixture.
If you come to NJ you can see Edison's laboratory in West Orange -- operated by the National Park Service so it's still closed to visitors but should reopen soon.
Learned the hard way, don't screw a LED bulb into an energized ceiling fixture.
If you come to NJ you can see Edison's laboratory in West Orange -- operated by the National Park Service so it's still closed to visitors but should reopen soon.
Well, my neighbor and I took a ride to Lowes today, so that I could return the crap bulbs.
He needed some flower pots for his patio so his wife could do some yard decorating..... so..off we went.
As I was walking through the store, some ghetto goon started screaming at an employee, and nearly poking the poor man with his finger.
Nasty, extremely loud foul and stupid language filled the whole store. some people got on their phones - likely to call for law enforcement.
I really don't understand why these types have to be so loud, violent and nasty.
I envisioned the increasing escalation might bring on flying bullets, it seems that's how they solve issues these days.
It doesn't make you look good.
Anyways, I got the non-adjustable LED tubes, same price, with 6500K color 2500 lumens/per tube, and hoped for the best.
So far.......... so good.......My workbench is nice and bright...... I just hope they last more than a day....... they "claim" to last 25 years at 6 hrs a day.
He needed some flower pots for his patio so his wife could do some yard decorating..... so..off we went.
As I was walking through the store, some ghetto goon started screaming at an employee, and nearly poking the poor man with his finger.
Nasty, extremely loud foul and stupid language filled the whole store. some people got on their phones - likely to call for law enforcement.
I really don't understand why these types have to be so loud, violent and nasty.
I envisioned the increasing escalation might bring on flying bullets, it seems that's how they solve issues these days.
It doesn't make you look good.
Anyways, I got the non-adjustable LED tubes, same price, with 6500K color 2500 lumens/per tube, and hoped for the best.
So far.......... so good.......My workbench is nice and bright...... I just hope they last more than a day....... they "claim" to last 25 years at 6 hrs a day.
China makes high quality and low quality things. Dirt-cheap is usually bad quality. It is bad by design - the rock-bottom price was on top of specification list. You get what you pay for.
I am using Greenworks battery-powered tools. It is a Chinese brand. Very good quality, but it is not cheap.
Btw, Chinese LED bulbs from dollar store aren't bad.
These days it is difficult to find anything that is not made in China.
I am using Greenworks battery-powered tools. It is a Chinese brand. Very good quality, but it is not cheap.
Btw, Chinese LED bulbs from dollar store aren't bad.
These days it is difficult to find anything that is not made in China.
Coincidentally my 60 cm (2') bathroom tube went broke couple of days ago, checking one store and discover there's almost nothing left of the old tubes, they had some unbranded stuff left but I'm not very keen on trying unknown brands with poor light fidelity.
LED's are apparently now everywhere which was a different story some 3 years ago I last replaced the tube.
Further on reading on the package of the equivalent 60cm LED tubes I see they are only 900 Lumen while the old tube was 1350 Lumen is quite a difference, 1/3 down in luminosity, these were Ra 80 so not sure about the light fidelity either as it can be just anything that looks crap (if it would have been at least Ra 90 it would be much better, LED's have been around already for years so there's no reason to be stuck with poor light fidelity from ancient LED tech years ago), so didn't buy anything yet.
It also mentioned on the package that the starter must be changed to one for LED's but couldn't see any LED starters on the shelf, what a wonky start on the tube replacement mission, have to visit some more stores for a viable solution.
Did you wrote "6500K", that's quite a bluish color tint even for working light, it's the typical light I rarely see only in refugee homes usually from middle east, africa etc, they have some "fondness" with that blueish tinted light burning their retinas which stands out by watching at an apartment complex from the outside you can tell where they are living, these lights aren't normally available in the big store but found in some of those small exotics stores selling food from asia, middle east etc.
LED's are apparently now everywhere which was a different story some 3 years ago I last replaced the tube.
Further on reading on the package of the equivalent 60cm LED tubes I see they are only 900 Lumen while the old tube was 1350 Lumen is quite a difference, 1/3 down in luminosity, these were Ra 80 so not sure about the light fidelity either as it can be just anything that looks crap (if it would have been at least Ra 90 it would be much better, LED's have been around already for years so there's no reason to be stuck with poor light fidelity from ancient LED tech years ago), so didn't buy anything yet.
It also mentioned on the package that the starter must be changed to one for LED's but couldn't see any LED starters on the shelf, what a wonky start on the tube replacement mission, have to visit some more stores for a viable solution.
Did you wrote "6500K", that's quite a bluish color tint even for working light, it's the typical light I rarely see only in refugee homes usually from middle east, africa etc, they have some "fondness" with that blueish tinted light burning their retinas which stands out by watching at an apartment complex from the outside you can tell where they are living, these lights aren't normally available in the big store but found in some of those small exotics stores selling food from asia, middle east etc.
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Yes, it's electronic (solid state SMPS) type ballast.
Not an old fixture, I bought it at Lowes in 2016.
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