LED Tube Lights vs. Fluorescent Tube Lights: Which One is Better?

While conventional fluorescent tube light uses low-pressure mercury vapor to emit ultraviolet light after being electrified, led tube light is a semiconductor device that can convert electrical energy into visible light directly without wasting any energy.

To these days, more and more people plan to upgrade their tube lights from fluorescent to led, as led tubes offer greater energy efficiency and a longer lifespan when compared to fluorescent ones. But that's not all. Read on and you will find out more advantages of the LED light tubes.

LED Tube Lights are 30% More Efficient

LED tube lights are more efficient than every other lighting type available on the market. Their light efficiency ranges from 37 to 120 lumens/watt. Since their solid semiconductor converts electrical energy directly into visible light, almost no energy is wasted. However, due to the loss of electrical energy and the need to redirect the light to the desired area, fluorescent tube lights are much less efficient, which usually less than 30 lumens/watt. As a result, at the same wattage, tube LED lights are much brighter than the fluorescent one.

LED Tube Lights Contain No Harmful Substance

For the fluorescent tube lights, they work based on a layer of phosphor on their surface. When phosphor and ultraviolet ray contact, they will emit light. In other words, they produce ultraviolet radiation. In this case, like the one that contains no toxic materials, LED tube lights are environmentally friendly and can even be recycled.

Tube LED Lights Provide a Directional Light Source

Tube LED lights are usually designed to be directed, which is a typical advantage if you want your light to brighten a target area. Then, when it comes to fluorescent tube lights, they emit 360 degrees of wide-angle light, which means that the brightness of the light is somewhat reduced while wasting energy.

Tube LED Lights Do Not Need Warm-Up Time

Surprisingly, LED tube lights do not need to warm up. Once plugged in, they reach their maximum brightness in an instant. Fluorescent tube lights, on the other hand, require a noticeable warm-up time before lighting up. What's worse, early fluorescent lights even flash during the start-up process.

LED Tube Lights Have No Flicker & Noise Issue

As we all know, fluorescent tube lights use ballasts to stabilize the internal current that generates light. When the ballast is slightly defective or damaged, the light will produce a buzzing noise, which is really annoying. While illuminating via using direct current, LED tube lights effectively eliminate the visual fatigue caused by the flickering of traditional lights, which brings you a comfortable visual experience and bright lighting effect.

LED Tube Lights Have Higher CRI & Lower Heat

Typical fluorescent tube lights have CRI values between 62 and 80, while LED tube lights have a wider range of CRI values, usually between 65 and 95. CRI(Color Rendering Index) refers to the color rendering ability of a light source to objects. The higher the CRI they have, the higher the color reduction of objects. Further, since LED tubes emit almost no heat, they do not adversely affect the temperature of the surrounding environment. Therefore, they are especially suitable for places with temperature requirements.

LED Tube Lights Have Long Lifespan & Outstanding Performance

Working up to 50,000 to 100,000 hours, LED tube lights have a super long lifespan and always remain at the same brightness until the end of their life. In contrast, fluorescent tube lights have only about 15% of LEDs' lifespan and usually need to be replaced after 7,000 to 15,000 hours of use. Plus, as the use time goes by, their brightness will gradually decrease, or even turn pink. So, although LED tube lights are more expensive than the fluorescent one, using them can significantly reduce the frequency of lamp replacement and save a lot of money later.

As you can see, LED tube lights are better than fluorescents in terms of energy efficiency, safety, using experience, etc. That said, whether you want to install or replace lights, LED tube lights are always the best choice.

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