4' LED Shop Light, 3700 Lumens at Costco. NOW $20 in Massachusetts Dec 8, 2015

Yes, I would like to know also. I’m guessing that there will be a constant current driver in there and that it will look similar to the solid state ballasts used in most of the new, cheaper florescent fixtures. I have found that those new SS ballasts are the weakest link in the cheap 4’ florescent shop lights. Hence my interest in this LED

The label on that box says “No lamps to replace.”

Huh?

Did you see the Feit tubes a few posts up. Those fit into any fluorescent fixture. I'm sure that's all this is. I'll take apart the next one I get.

Thanks! Looking forward to it.

Long cords didn't bother it. Cords were 150-250 feet.

Great to know… thanks.

2 weeks ago I was able to go back to the Costco store in Waterbury, 40 miles away, where I snapped the pics in the OP. They were completely out. I asked customer service about them and they told me they were a 1 time thing, they were not going to restock. I asked them why, was there a problem with them, were they pulled from the shelves? They looked it up and said “they sold through”. I asked them to check the other Connecticut store in Enfield, 35 miles from out house in the opposite direction, and they had 27 still in stock. By the time I was able to get there a week later, they too were out of stock. I was able to see the display model, still hanging and still shinning brightly. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyway as a consolation I will put up this as an imitation shoplight. Is 3 feet long and with 6 LED screw in bulbs it will have 4800 Lumen, about the same as the LED shoplight. The light will be spread out along the length of the fixture to reduce shadowing. It will do until I get another chance at that Costco light. The 6 screw in LED’s came from Costco and they were 3 for $10. Not the best bulb, a little cool and the light is not quite omnidirectional. But for this usuage both of those “flaws” are actually good features because for a work light I prefer a cooler light and also because the bulb will be upside down, all the light will be directed downwards were it is needed. I have used this kind of fixture before in work areas mounted to the ceiling with CFL’s and they work quite well. They look funny installed but they get the job done. Besides, when a bulb glows, it is easy and cheap to replace. I got the fixture free.

They’re back, I shot these pics the other day as I did a quick walk through my nearest Costco. When I am out that way I always do that as it isn’t often that I get a chance to visit there.
Last time they had these I passed on them and when they ran out regretted that I didn’t get one. Funny thing is, now that they are back, I passed on them again! I now regret that too, I need to replace the innards of a 4’ florescent kitchen ceiling fixture. The tenant is complaining that it “hums”
Sorry about the last pic, I used the “pano” function on my new iPhone and I didn’t pan smoothly enough for the phone to stitch the picture correctly. LASTS 45 YEARS! :smiley:


ROFLOL!
45 years?
it is possible but highly improbable .
some of mine are older than that.one in my bedroom is from 1946!and i trust its safety over that cheap led thing anyday.

Long cords going back to a generator might be a whole different scenario…

LED shop lighting is definitely a topic I’d like to keep a weather eye on.

I bought some of those 60 watt LED bulbs from Lowes for $6.97 a while back…they too have a slight delay when you flick the switch on, maybe a few tenths of a second…but definitely a slight delay (but no flickering)

We bought 50+ of these “LED Shop Lights” and replaced all of the fluorescent tubes in the office with the hopes that they will last longer without needing bulbs or ballasts to be replaced.

I strongly suspect that there will still be a ballast to eventually change out, if you got this same kind, since it appears to just be using off-the-shelf LED replacement tubes, which were made to directly replace fluorescent tubes in a working fixture.

Is that how these things work? I thought you had to replace the electronics in florescent fixtures retrofitted with LED tubes.

my guess is its a cheap capacitive ballast driving a full wave bridge with a cap to knock the ripple and thus the flicker down.
most gensets will run it ok but squarewave inverters might damage it.
its going to be a very cheap n nasty thing.i saw one at the flea market a few weeks back and its color rendering was poor.
definatly optimised to look bright with that big green spike in the spectrum.
i will pass……

I had to create an account. Bought 4 of these yesterday. The first thing I did was take one apart. They’re basically a led light strip in each acrylic tube with the electronics for each at the beginning and end. So you can separate them if you want. Forget “tubes” and “ballast”, the tube is only there to diffuse the light, it’s plastic, and when you unclip the electronics the led strip slides right out. They’re on sale for $32 right now. Seemed a good price for what you get. Thinking about making valance style lighting in the kitchen with a few, using an old vacuum cleaner cord instead of the 6’ one supplied.

Welcome to BLF! :wink:

Would it be possible for you to upload a few pictures?

FYI: JohnnyMac - HowTo: Adding pictures to posts

Whird is right, these shop lights at Costco have been reduced to $32.

I finally picked one up yesterday. I brought it home, plugged it in and it ran for about 5 seconds and ……………………

……………… then I unplugged it and decided to take it apart. :slight_smile:
The deflector simply clamps onto the 2 tubes, but those tubes are not replaceable bulbs. This light is simply 2 sets of strip lights configured to look like a florescent light fixture.

That’s OK for me as I don’t expect to ever have to replace anything. It is supposed to last 45 years, LOL, and even so it is a “throw away”
In the fixture there are 2 sets of driver circuits driving the 2 LED strips. Whird mentioned this, and I confirmed it. The LED strips seem to be driven on BOTH ends, ala our conversations over at this post by texaspyro

Here is a pic of the power supply board at the plug end of the light.
Bottom of the board, looks like a full wave bridge? and some current limiting resistors?

Top of the power supply board, plug end of the light.

There are 60 LEDs in each of the 2 Aluminum strips and they simply slide into a track in the tube which is clear on the side facing downwards and white on the other.


I didn’t check each LED, but they all seem to be wired in series, all 60 of them.

This is the driver board at the OPPOSITE end of the strip, top and bottom of the board.


There are 2 sets of these power supply and driver boards, 1 for each strip.
This fixture is rated at 3700 lumen and without being able to confirm it, I am ready to believe it. It puts out a lot of light and I am satisfied with it.
BTW, I didn’t have time to take any voltage readings as I was in a hurry to watch the Super Bowl.
I hope that is excuse enough for not being as thorough as I should have been. :wink:

I hope I can get them to honor the price reduction…

This is a manufacturers instant rebate, not a Costco price reduction so I would expect it to be reduced at all Costcos that have them.

EDIT: Now I wish I spent more time while I had the light apart. IF all 60 LEDs in each strip ARE in series, then I don’t see an advantage in driving the strip at both ends. I am thinking the driver was split from the power supply and placed at the opposite ends for space and perhaps heat considerations.