Pool Table lights

Da Bank

Da Bank

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am looking at doing a pool table light over a table I'm about to pick up. I'm probably going to do a cheap-o fluorescent fixture with some T8 bulbs. My question is, what should the length be and how many bulbs am I going to need?

I know 8 would be enough, but I wanted to see if I would be just fine with 4 or 6 bulbs.

Any info would be very helpful on this subject :thumbup:
 
Congrats on the table......4 should be fine....worked fine on my table for years...

Whatcha gettin?
 
I just bought a used table and did a garage conversion, and of course a new light was part of the deal. I posted about it here:

I love the brightness from the 8 T-8 32 watt bulbs. You could easily get away with half that, but I'm happy as a clam and the extra cost was small indeed. I hope to do video some time in the future, and I'm sure the extra brightness, and the 6,500 degree color temperature will help quite a bit.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.
 
I have 6 8' bulbs and the light is great. Diamond lights use 4.
 
Not sure how old you are and this may not be of interest. As we age our eyes tire more easily. By the time you are 50 or so the problem can become significant, tired limbs, tired eyes, and a decreased desire to stay at the table but not necessarily knowing why. For this reason I installed eight four foot lights (two lamp holders with four lights each). The table is day light bright at all times and at my age (65) I can play until the competition quits.

While you can get away with less light you might find that more light extends your playing time. This is also the reason I use the 65K color corrected lights. To some extent I guess it depends on how much time you spend at the table. I get a lot of table time.

I built my lights in such a way that there is very little off table lighting (Jay Helfert's duct tape suggestion was the solution). So my buddies and I get to sit in the dark recesses of the room with drink in hand while the shooter has excellent lighting.
 
If you can find a fixture that holds the new slim style tubes, GET IT! They are brighter and last longer (like forever!). A four tube (4' tubes) fixture is all you'll ever need. Costs a little more but well worth it in the long run.

A cheaper solution that will work nearly as well, is a two tube fixture with conventional tubes, both being T-96's, or 8' each.
 
My dad has a 8foot table and its been just fine with 2 lights for the last 35 years.

I just got an 8 footer and am designing a fixture a) to match the wood and contours of the table, b) with reflectors and cut offs designed to illuminate the table but nothing beyond the table, c) avoid any hot spots in the illumination pattern, d) a hole in the top so that the ceiling is illuminated for a more pleasant room atmosphere.

The final part of this light fixture is two ceiling fans operated in counter rotation coupled such that the blades stay in sequence so that the table is supplied (optionally) with a gentle down draft of air. {As I write this its 105 outside.}

I like the idea of color correct/balanced lighting--thanks for reminding me.
 
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