I’m wondering what kind of upgrade for lighting a buddy of mine who is a fur dealer needs. He has a buyers room and a dressed fur room. Each room has four to six four foot t8 flourescent fixtures with four tubes each. He’s looking for more light and better lighting to highlight the dressed fur. Maybe switching to t5, or led? Any ideas?

Metal halide lighting works good in a big room. but the lamps burn hot.

Go with LED

That’s what I was thinking, thanks.

What Toad said go with LED

Can't say about highlighting fur but one of the best moves I've made was switching from flo. to led. Fire right up in the cold, way brighter.

LED rated as DAYLIGHT

I built a new shop this summer. Bought 10,000 lumen LED's 18"x24" x2" thick each cost $45. 4 IN A 20' X 24' space is almost too bright. No hum, no start/stop delay. Technology has come a long way.

Color of the light will be as important as the brightness, I find every thing looks off under most LED lighting. Adam may be onto something, I don't think I've seen those.

I will check into the daylight leds. Thanks to everyone who responded. I appreciate it!

5000-6500 Kelvin is daylight color.

You also need to consider what you want, is the goal to make the fur look beautiful (the sales room) or to show up every flaw (the grading room)?

Incandescent or something like "day glow" fluorescent lighting will add yellows to the fur color which you don't really want.

Monster Tom's is right it's bright and the op's buddy might not need to replace as many. I'm not sure how the daylight brightness LED will affect the color variations in fur but think it should show clearer as it's a "clean light".

Like the others said there's basically 2 LEDs. The daylight "cool" and soft "warm". The daylight is a white almost blue light. The warm is your traditional yellow tone. I learned about the difference when I was moving into my house. Half the lights in the place were burnt out. Figured I'd pony up for the LED bulbs. Why in the world do some throw white light and others normal yellowish? Opps lol.

I don't grade fur. But I put 2 good sized daylight LED shop lights over my bench where I build flintlocks. It's like an operation table. Only time I use anything different is when I'm carving I use an incandescent flood lamp.

The fur auction houses use a particular type of florescent lighting along with walls and counter tops where the fur is graded that's painted a light blue with maybe a bit of gray.

That's cool and good to know

I was there today and talking to him and looked and he has 5000 kelvin rated t8s. Since he has the both rooms I’ll get with him and see what he wants to do. I told him I would give him a hand replacing them. We can always get one daylight led luminaire, install it and see what happens.

It is going over 3500 Kelvin that you get the bluish tint to led lights stay at or under that and they will be clear and sharp.
In Minnesota we pay ( contractor) right around 70.00 for 2' x 4' led drop in panels. All commercial construction/office space is going to them and they can be dimmed. Huge energy savings.
I have them in my shop now, very little effect from cold on them.

Osky

There are a number of out fits making LED lighting with remote control adjustment for brightness and shade.