LED Tubes
What are the advantages of LED fluorescent tubes?
Compared to conventional fluorescent lighting, LED tubes offer many advantages! LED fluorescent lighting is considerably more energy-efficient. This ensures that you will save up to 70% on energy costs. Also, you have the purchase price of a LED fluorescent tube quickly earned back, while the cost of maintenance and replacement due to the longer life of a fluorescent tube is also lower! The various LED fluorescent tubes in our wide range have a lifespan of over 70,000 hours.
That is with an average consumption of 60 hours per week (office and production environment) a life of over 22 years! Another advantage of LED fluorescent is that it cannot break because of the polycarbonate housing, while a LED fluorescent tube also does not heat up. Eye strain or headaches will not occur, because LED fluorescent lighting is flicker-free when the light is turned on. Moreover, buying a LED fluorescent tube is good for the environment, because there are no toxic substances such as mercury in it.
What should I pay attention to when buying a LED fluorescent tube?
There are a number of points that are important to check in advance when buying a LED fluorescent tube.
The fitting. The most common fitting is the G13 fitting, which belongs to the T8 LED fluorescent tube. On the other hand, there is the G5 fitting, which in turn belongs to the T5 LED fluorescent tube. The difference between both types of LED fluorescent tubes is the diameter. The T5 tube is narrower than the T8 tube.
The length. You can choose from different lengths. The most common are 60cm, 90cm, 120cm and 150cm. Check what the length of your current fluorescent lighting is. You can then look for a suitable 1 to 1 replacement in the same length
The color temperature. Again, there are several options. Ask yourself what effect you want to achieve with the light. Do you want to add atmosphere or do you need a lot of light? In terms of light colors, Lampdirect has LED fluorescent tubes in extra warm white (2700K), warm white (3000K), cool white (4000K), and daylight white (6500K). Bear in mind that the light from a LED fluorescent tube is brighter than the light from a conventional fluorescent tube. More information about color temperature can be found in our blog: What is color temperature (Kelvin)?
Type of ballast. Does your current fixture have a starter and does the light from your fluorescent tube flicker when it starts up? Then there is a conventional ballast in your fixture and a LED fluorescent tube with a LED starter is suitable. Is there no starter in your fixture? Then you have an electronic ballast and you, therefore, need a LED fluorescent tube without an LED starter.
How do I replace a fluorescent tube with a LED tube?
Planning to trade in your conventional fluorescent tube for a durable LED tube? We are very happy about that! The switch from fluorescent tubes to LED tubes is not difficult. For your convenience, we have explained in the following steps how you can quickly and easily replace your fluorescent lighting with an LED variant.
- Switch off the power and the fuse.
- Remove the cover of the fluorescent fixture until you can see the contacts of the tube.
- Turn your old fluorescent tube about 90 degrees forwards. Be careful and wear gloves, because if the tube breaks, shards of glass can injure you
- Pull the tube downwards out of the holder.
- You are now ready to install the LED tube. Dispose of your old fluorescent lighting at the recycling center or a collection point in your neighborhood.
How do I install a LED fluorescent tube?
If an LED starter is needed, you should first replace the old starter with an LED variant. You only need an LED starter with a conventional LED fluorescent tube. Do you want to buy these online? Then we will automatically provide you with an LED starter.
- Make sure that the power is turned off.
- Remove the protective caps (if present) from the fixture.
- Remove (if necessary) the old starter at the end of the fixture and place the LED starter in the same place.
- Push the LED fluorescent tube with both hands into the fitting of the fixture and turn the tube a quarter turn to secure. Connect the side with the N / L sign to the side of the mains.
- Switch the power back on and test if your new LED fluorescent tube works properly. Dispose of your old fluorescent lighting at an environmental center or collection point in your neighborhood.
Do you have trouble installing a LED fluorescent tube or do you have doubts about something? Then you can always consult our blog!
Can I install a LED fluorescent tube without having to replace my complete fixture?
Yes, in most cases you do not need to replace the fixture and you can easily and quickly replace a LED fluorescent lamp 1 on 1 for your old fluorescent lamp. If you want to hang a completely new fixture, including the housing, choose a LED surface mounted beam, or LED batten.
Which ballasts are suitable for a LED fluorescent tube?
Here we can go two ways. A conventional ballast (EM) is the most common. There is always a starter present, which ensures that the fluorescent tube lights up. This starter is located between the end of the fluorescent tube and the fixture. For LED fluorescent tubes that work with this type of ballast, you need a LED starter. On the other hand, there is the electronic ballast (HF). This does not use a starter and that means that nothing in the fixture has to be adjusted and therefore no LED starter is needed.
Do LED tubes need a starter?
Only conventional LED fluorescent tubes need a starter. This is a starter for LED tubes. You connect a LED starter to a LED tube that is suitable for conventional ballasts (EM). Would you like to buy a conventional LED fluorescent tube? Then you will automatically get a LED starter from us. LED fluorescent tubes that work on electronic ballast (HF) do not need a starter. Want to know what type of LED fluorescent tube you need? Simply look at your current fixture and check whether a starter is present.
What is a Universal LED fluorescent tube (UN)?
The letters UN stand for universal. This means that a LED fluorescent lamp is suitable for both fittings with electronic ballast (without starter) and a conventional fitting (with starter). With the purchase of a universal LED fluorescent tube, you do not have to check in the fixture which ballast it is, but you can place the same tube in any fixture. Click here to view all our Universal LED fluorescent tubes.
In what lengths are LED fluorescent tubes available?
LED tubes are available in various different lengths. The most popular are 60cm, 90cm, 120cm and 150cm. In our assortment, you have the choice of many top-quality LED fluorescent tubes of top brands such as Noxion, Philips, Osram, and Sylvania at each different length. Using the filter menu on the left of the page you can view all suitable products based on the desired length.
Furthermore, LED fluorescent tubes can be sorted by diameter and fitting. Here you have 3 different variants:
- T5 LED fluorescent tubes have a G5 fitting with a pin spacing of 5mm and a tube diameter of 16mm. This size is smaller than a standard fluorescent tube.
- T8 LED fluorescent tubes T8 have a G13 lamp base with a pin spacing of 13mm and a tube diameter of 26mm. This is the standard size for a fluorescent lamp.
- T9 circular LED fluorescent tubes have a G10q base and are characterized by the round shape. These LED fluorescent tubes are especially suitable for use in ceiling fixtures.
Is a LED fluorescent tube cheaper than a fluorescent tube?
In terms of purchase, a LED fluorescent tube is slightly more expensive than a conventional fluorescent tube. However, because of the low energy consumption, the purchase price of a LED fluorescent tube is often earned back within 2 years! Moreover, LED fluorescent tubes last longer than conventional fluorescent tubes, so in that respect, you are also better off. Where you normally have to buy 2 or 3 fluorescent tubes for a certain period of time, this is not the case with LED. So you also avoid extra maintenance costs. Moreover, with the purchase of a LED fluorescent tube, you make a nice contribution to a cleaner environment. So choose LED!
Why switch from fluorescent tubes to LED tubes?
Are you planning to say goodbye to your old fluorescent lighting and make the switch to LED? That is an excellent choice, which will make you better in more ways than one. Below we have listed a number of advantages of LED fluorescent tubes:
- Low energy consumption / high energy savings
- High switching resistance/load capacity
- Unbreakable thanks to polycarbonate housing
- Long life span to over 70,000 hours
- Fast payback time
- Excellent color rendering of at least 80-89Ra
- Full light output right up to the end of life
- Flicker-free over the entire lifetime
- Free of toxic substances such as mercury
Are LED fluorescent tubes dimmable?
Most LED fluorescent tubes are not dimmable. However, there are some product lines that are equipped with this feature. These include the Philips LEDtube Sensor tubes. These can be dimmed with a separately available sensor, so you can adjust the brightness to your own liking. Please note! If you replace an old dimmable fluorescent tube with a dimmable LED tube, you should also replace the dimmer. The total power is often below the minimum power of the dimmer. As a result, the LED tube is more difficult to dim and flicker. To avoid this, you should therefore also replace the dimmer with an LED model when you replace the tube. You can find these in our category LED dimmers.
Which LED tubes are suitable for outdoor use?
If you are looking for a LED fluorescent tube for outdoor use, you should take into account the IP protection of the product. You can not just hang a LED fluorescent tube outdoors without protection, because LED fluorescent lighting is not waterproof. In that case, we advise you to choose a waterproof luminaire that is especially suited for outdoor use instead of a LED fluorescent lamp. These are the so-called waterproof LED luminaires or LED mounting strips. Luminaires with an IP65 value or higher are waterproof. You can click on the desired category below.