The main advantages of LED Tubes is the perceived ease of retrofitting you existing fixtures. On the surface this “plug & play” seems to be a simple solution, but not when you consider all the factors and really ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish.
- Average of 200,000 hours life with LDR vs 50,000 hrs for LED tubes. – Over lifetime that means three complete sets of tubes vs. one of the LDR.
- Lower per fixture installation charge.
- Drivers are mounted separate from LED chips creating cooler operating temperatures and longer life. – Heat is the enemy of LED drivers.
- Less connections/components to go wrong. Simple solid state design.
- Replacement tubes can void the UL listing of the fixture. LDR is UL listed.
- Some LED tubes use the existing ballast, which now combines old, possibly worn out technology with the new LEDs creating a weak link in the system.
- Other LED tubes require you to bypass the ballast. This leads to potential problems down the road if someone tries to reinstall a fluorescent tube to diect line-voltage.
- Cosmetic Upgrade – Transform your old outdated fixture to a new modern look with better volumetric lighting.