I don't like them, they're thick and have removable bulbs for no reason. You're gonna be bumping your head or objects on the LED tubes and knocking them out, all the time. They are basically their bottom shelf fluorescent shop light bundled with LEDs. If you want that, search Craigslist for free fixtures and rewire them for your own LEDs! 1/3 the cost lol. It's what I'm doing.

Anyway your real problem is that disgusting ceiling of fiberglass batt, which is dingy and is absorbing all your light. 3 problems there.

• People don't like it when I say this, but fiberglass batt and asbestos aren't that different, yet everybody thinks asbestos is plutonium and fiberglass is A-OK. No it's really not. It's not as cancerous but still not something you want in your lungs.
• the fiberglass is all stuffed wonky, which means it's not working properly. Glass doesn't insulate, look at a glass of ice water. The ^airspace between the fibers^ insulates, and when you mash it all up like that, you kill the airspace so insulation turns to crud.
• Being exposed to the room is letting dust mat up in the fibers, and then condensation is wetting it. Bad for the insulation performance and could be growing nasties in the organic material (skin flecks etc.) found in dust.

So I would sort out that fiberglass so it's clean and properly installed, and then panel over it with something (doesn't need to be drywall, just not pegboard lol). Then paint that white. That'll help your light situation a lot.

Then thoroughly clean that space to get rid of fiberglass dust.

 

Walmart and other discount stores carry these things much cheaper. Generally, the light output from the LED shop fixtures is fantastic. Pick a style which works for you and buy one. You can get the classic shop light style; big, bulky and with a reflector shade on top. Or you can get thin strips. And everything in between. You can even get "rope" style LED lighting.

In addition, consider the color "temperature." I've found a cooler temp is OK for shop areas, but many people prefer warmer temperatures, especially for living spaces.

Yeah, the fiberglass will absorb some light. Covering it would also make the whole place look cleaner, and you won't have to worry about disturbing it and all the dust and crud it probably contains. But even if you don't do that, you'll be amazed how much brighter it'll be with a few LED strips.

 

@seharper Noted on the insulation. I didn't do that I recently purchased this house and it has been on my to do list. Didn't realize exposed fiberglass was harmful. Thanks for letting me know. I'm going to fix it.

What do you think of this light? :

BEYOND LED TECHNOLOGY 30-Watt Equivalent 48 in. Linear Tube LED Light Bulb 6500K (4-Pack) 151717-1 - The Home Depot

Light up your home with this beautiful look by installing this BEYOND LED TECHNOLOGY Equivalent Linear Tube LED Light Bulb.

www.homedepot.com

 

Pretty expensive

 

It's $17.62 per 4ft bulb

 

It's time to fix the abysmal lighting situation in my basement so I can use it as a workspace. I would like 4ft led shop lights that are hardwired and flush mounted. Most of the integrated LED models are hanging and plug in. I found a few that meet my criteria but they cost at least $100 and I really don't want to spend more than $50. I believe I will need to get 6 4ft fixtures to light up the basement like an operating room. This is the light that I think will meet my needs: EnviroLite 4 ft. T8 LED White Strip Light Fixture, 5000K ST702T1850

Is it a mistake to go with LED tubes? Is 3600 lumens enough?

<snip>

Those old rock walls bring back memories.

The are LED tubes that mount flat and can be daisy chained.. I have them in my garage. They use a snap in clip like some brands of shades. I think I paid about $10 each on Ebay. I plugged them into the ceiling porcelain sockets using a screw in adapter. My 2 lights were already wired to be on the same switch.

LED tubes are integrated. When they die they are done. Consider terminating your wiring as a duplex plug where you want the lights. They it is very simple to unplug the old and plug in the new.

That lumen count is about the same as an old 4' fluorescent fixture. Depends on your use of space. I have 2 4 bulb 4 foot ones in my 12x16 basement shop area.

Wally World sells 10 4' LED tubes for a little over $50 and they work with a ballast style fixture, 2000 lumens per tube. Those suckers are bright. Look like they've gone up a few $ Robot or human?

Edit: More genius moves from the IT guys at the wanna be web seller. The link does work.