Morris Minor Owners Club

Some of them, in my late father's garage, were best part of fifty years old and some, in my garage, are best part of thirty years old. They were all twin tube fluorescent units and my father's had worked well until about five or six years ago (My fluorescent units still do and only one tube has needed to be replaced). Then my father just couldn't seem to get decent tubes or starters and we put it down to them being Chinese rubbish , so were replaced them with LED units, four of which we fitted. I had two to add to what I had in may garage and there was one left, to be fitted in my father's garage. Soon after my father's health began to fail and it was only last year or the year before, that I fitted the remaining units. Now, some of the LED, that were fitted in late 2018/early 19, are giving up the ghost. Better than the last lot of tubes we had but still nowhere near so good as the old fluorescent units and it's more work and cost to replace them, than tubes. Are there any makes of fluorescent or LED light units, that are still made properly, in Britain, Europe, North America or Japan?

I might add that LED bulbs don't seem that great either. Perhaps better than the current offerings, in conventional bulbs but still not good. As an example, my mother has some candle bulbs, in a unit and had quite a supply of conventional bulbs but now the new ones are LED. Some of the LEDs (Branded names) are failing before some of the conventional bulbs, that have been there for years . Seems the spivs have taken over there too .

I fitted these Ebay panels a couple of years ago



And these strip LEDs to the workshop end



So far no problems and they give off a nice even light.
I'll be fitting a couple more of the panels on the other side when the Commer is finished and out of the way

Blaketon wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:08 am Are there any makes of fluorescent or LED light units, that are still made properly, in Britain, Europe or North America?

LabCraft (https://www.labcraft.co.uk/product/) are still on the go.

Blaketon wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:08 am Some of them, in my late father's garage, were best part of fifty years old and some, in my garage, are best part of thirty years old. They were all twin tube fluorescent units and my father's had worked well until about five or six years ago (My fluorescent units still do and only one tube has needed to be replaced). Then my father just couldn't seem to get decent tubes or starters and we put it down to them being Chinese rubbish , so were replaced them with LED units, four of which we fitted. I had two to add to what I had in may garage and there was one left, to be fitted in my father's garage. Soon after my father's health began to fail and it was only last year or the year before, that I fitted the remaining units. Now, some of the LED, that were fitted in late 2018/early 19, are giving up the ghost. Better than the last lot of tubes we had but still nowhere near so good as the old fluorescent units and it's more work and cost to replace them, than tubes. Are there any makes of fluorescent or LED light units, that are still made properly, in Britain, Europe or North America?

I might add that LED bulbs don't seem that great either. Perhaps better than the current offerings, in conventional bulbs but still not good. As an example, my mother has some candle bulbs, in a unit and had quite a supply of conventional bulbs but now the new ones are LED. Some of the LEDs (Branded names) are failing before some of the conventional bulbs, that have been there for years . Seems the spivs have taken over there too .

I had trouble with poor quality florescent tube starters too. The Philips S10 starters seem very reliable. As to fluorescent tubes, Sylvania or Philips tubes still seem good.

Stephen

I've had led bulbs from these guys

Good on price with decent delivery times as well

Www.tekled.co.uk

Based in Leicester

More to the point, which is the best inspection light? there are a lot of rechargeable led lamps on the market from exceptionally cheap to very, very expensive. Any recommendations?

millerman wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:54 pm More to the point, which is the best inspection light? there are a lot of rechargeable led lamps on the market from exceptionally cheap to very, very expensive. Any recommendations?

I’d be interested to hear the answer! I broke my ancient inspection lamp and I can’t find a suitable replacement. I bought what I thought was similar to what I had from B&Q (a lamp with a globe and a cage round it) but it was absolutely rubbish and fell apart after a few weeks. I then bought an LED hand help inspection lamp made by Ring which has a magnet on the back too. It’s rechargeable but it cannot be used when plugged in and charging. My jobs usually take far longer than planned so I need a lamp that can be used connected to the mains. It is not unusual for me to work on the car for 8-10 hours at a time because I am slow. The ideal is rechargeable but can be mains operated when the batteries are flat. At the moment I’m just using a head torch which is not ideal.

Stephen

"My jobs usually take far longer than planned..."
Yes, that is my experience too! Its never quite as straightforward as it *should* be

[quote I then bought an LED hand help inspection lamp made by Ring which has a magnet on the back too. It’s rechargeable but it cannot be used when plugged in and charging. My jobs usually take far longer than planned so I need a lamp that can be used connected to the mains. It is not unusual for me to work on the car for 8-10 hours at a time...

Stephen
[/quote]

Why not buy a second lamp, thereby enabling you to have one in use and one on charge?

I use a Briticent Gripper mains powered inspection light fitted with a heavy duty inspection light bulb.
It has a bulldog type clamp which can be attached to any near bodywork/suspension part.
The bulb is surrounded by a metal cage.
I have had the light for over 40 years and it is as good today as it was back then.
There are several on 'e' bay at the moment.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225962733276 ... R5LblJ29Yw
I also have a couple of battery LED lights with magnets which are useful for having a quick inspection.

Chief wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:44 pm

Blaketon wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:08 am Are there any makes of fluorescent or LED light units, that are still made properly, in Britain, Europe or North America?

LabCraft (https://www.labcraft.co.uk/product/) are still on the go.

Alas they advise "
Unfortunately this is out of our product range scope and designated intended applications.

I am sorry we are unable to help you with this enquiry."

When I saw their category of "General Interior Lighting" I admit I didn't click it but thought that meant they were doing building interior lighting now, but having clicked it I see they still only cater to vehicles so I guess their response makes sense.

Presumably it wouldn't stop you having them plugged into step down transformers etc. since mains powered LED bulbs step down their voltage.

I did think Pankys' eBay panels looked good, especially when our own garage is lit by just one single LED bulb hanging from a rafter which means it's better to just open the doors if you want light (the one rafter is pretty much the only place a light can go).

As for inspection lamps, I have a couple

For work I have a ring RIL8100 from Halford. £21, or less if you have access to a trade card and does work while on charge

One at home is a Phillips one but that was nearer the 60 quid mark

I decided to do my own, so fixed some bulb holders to a piece of wood. I seems to work well enough and is easy to fix. It's not likely that all the bulbs will go at once. The photo doesn't really do it justice; there is more light than it suggests. The wood is 2m long and the end bulbs six feet apart with 2 feet between the others.

Some may ask why not just put up four pendants. Since the hooks and the ceiling rose were already in place, this way was easier than going up into the attic void and disturbing the insulation. They can also be moved.

I decided to do my own, so fixed some bulb holders to a piece of wood. I seems to work well enough and is easy to fix. It's not likely that all the bulbs will go at once. The photo doesn't really do it justice; there is more light than it suggests. The wood is 2m long and the end bulbs six feet apart with 2 feet between the others.

Some may ask why not just put up four pendants. Since the hooks and the ceiling rose were already in place, this way was easier than going up into the attic void and disturbing the insulation. They can also be moved.