Which lighting over a pool table is more favorable, fluorescent or incandescent? Or what about the new LED lighting?? Any opinions??
Flourescent or incadescent lighting
- Thread starter yankee817299
- Start date
Old Nine Baller
Banned
Length of table fluorescent tubes are more preferable to me. They give a nice, even light everywhere. The 3 or 4 incandescent bulbs usually create 3 or 4 shadows around each ball and it's distracting.
I've never seen LED over a table.
ONB
My suggestion is you'll have to find the right lighting for your room. Fluorescent ones do not give the same shadowing effect as the incandescent but they don't provide the variability in warmth of light. Visit your local hardware (homedepot/lowes) and see the lighting chart they provide in the lighting dept. I myself dont mind the shadowing effect so long as the whole table is lit. I also notice that fluorescent bulb undulate the light. Something like a strobe effect and the noise it makes too. I like the idea of LEDs, but I've never seen them on a table. If you go that route, please report back. I'd love to read how it turned out.
I'd be very interested in LED's. With the buzzing noise, and the cycling of the fluorescents at 160 per second, this type of lighting is a concern for long play and it wears on the eyes. The incandescent is the best but cost and elimination of light bulbs is a concern. Fluorescents are the most prevalent and inexpensive to install and fixture sizes are applicable.
I used to have a florescent fixture. I found the light from it harsh. Switched it out for a 4 light incandescent and although there are some shadows, the light is quite a bit more enjoyable to play under.
JC
Coos Cues
I second this as an inexpensive upgrade. We put some of these bulbs in the fixtures at our pool league tavern and they really make a difference over incandescent bulbs. Plus they aren't burning out all the time.
JC
I have always preferred a flourescent 4-foot "shop-light" style fixture over a table. They give off more light coverage IMO and reduce ball shadows. The days of having only one cool or warm choice of lamp flavor available are gone. There are many spectrums of light available now and the tubes are relatively cheap.
A friend told me his bar-owning buddy told him about a study that fluorescent lighting over the pool table will result in patrons leaving the bar early, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT PLAYING POOL. So he always uses incandescent bulbs in his bar.
Kinda surprised to hear that, but I get it. My sister, for example, can't stand those lights and won't stick around long. Maybe there is a subconscious aversion to the damn things?
Jeff Livingston
Cool White fluorescent is a very harsh light and women know it is not "flattering." The bar owner discovered that the Cool White harsh light makes his bar seem uninviting and sterile, so much so that customers leave.
But as someone mentioned earlier, you can now get fluorescent tubes in nice Warm Whites too.
If I were building a new table light I'd use LED (in a warm white version). The initial cost is higher but they last forever, use almost no power, emit a very even light and are only 1/4" thick. You could make a light fixture that is only 1-1/2" high. That would look great IMO.
DIAMOND RECOMMENDED BULBS
9' - 59 watt - single pin - F096/741/ECO
7' - 32 watt - double pin - F32-T8/SP41/ECO
http://www.diamondbilliards.com/index.php/accessories/lighting
9' - 59 watt - single pin - F096/741/ECO
7' - 32 watt - double pin - F32-T8/SP41/ECO
http://www.diamondbilliards.com/index.php/accessories/lighting
The newer T8 bulbs are smaller than the older T12 bulbs. Brighter too.
They come in temperature ranges (color) that run from bright to warm.
I have four T8 bulbs over my table. 2 fixtures lengthwise, 2 bulbs each.
All the light you'll ever need, with negligible shadows. Just my opinion.
T-8 daylight Flos for me. When I got my light I replaced the T-12 fixtures that were in it with T-8 ones before even putting it up.
Gotta go with T-8s. The old gen T-12s just seem finicky in my experience. And often when a T-12 goes out on me it seems to take the ballast with it.:angry:
Gotta go with T-8s. The old gen T-12s just seem finicky in my experience. And often when a T-12 goes out on me it seems to take the ballast with it.:angry:
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I have a four bulb fixture over my GC1. I started with incandescent bulbs and they were fine, but switching to CFLs are at least as good while costing less to operate. It does take about a minute for them to reach full brightness, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone.
The commercial room I play at has some high end fluorescent tube fixtures. They don't seem to light the balls at the ends of the tables as well as my four bulb fixture. Some of that may be due to the good reflective shades on my fixture. No one that has ever played on my table has ever had anything but good things to say about the lighting.
The commercial room I play at has some high end fluorescent tube fixtures. They don't seem to light the balls at the ends of the tables as well as my four bulb fixture. Some of that may be due to the good reflective shades on my fixture. No one that has ever played on my table has ever had anything but good things to say about the lighting.
I have a table that I put LED lights over. we had to run a wire in the ceiling for the light, but the walls were brick. So I put a track lighting strip on the ceiling running the length of the table. Then put three adjustable fixtures on the track so I could slide them and point them. Then because the walls are brick we couldn't figure out how to wire a switch. So we put a switchbox in the ceiling at the lights, and put one of those motion detector switches up there.
Just walk into the room and the lights come on. 10 minutes after you leave they go off.
Carl
Just walk into the room and the lights come on. 10 minutes after you leave they go off.
Carl
Incandecent are too hot and will be fazed out soon. Whatever you choose here's what you want:
5000 Kelvin
1600 lumens or better
100 watt equivalent
I use CFL's
I will build you a custom set for about 700 plus shipping.
Ray