I’m about halfway through a garage remodeling project. My primary objective is to make it an extremely bright and pleasant place to work on cars and other casual industrial projects. By trading a couple of half-broken fluorescent shop lights for four high-end LED fixtures, I’ve made a lot of progress to that end! Check out this little video for some insight and inspiration on how to light up a garage space yourself, and make your installation look decently clean with relatively minimal effort by using hardware creatively.
The Car Autance YouTube channel is still finding its way (please like and subscribe!), so I’d love to hear what you think about what I put together here in the comment section. I mean, besides, “buy a decent camera,” because… I know. More production value is coming, I promise. But if you like the vibe, there are a few other videos already up there that you might want to check out too. You’ll find them embedded as you scroll down a little more.
Meanwhile, the main point of the video above is to walk you through:
- How I picked the PrimeLights Bolt as my illuminator of choice
- What I thought of the product once I had it in my hands
- Some insights on how to do a clean installation without working too hard (or cutting drywall)
This is not a start-to-finish LED installation guide — there are plenty of those online already. But if you’re thinking about changing the lights in your garage or you’re just curious about how one might do it, I think I’ve given you some valuable things to think about, especially when it comes to non-standard installation techniques that don’t involve cutting walls.
Unfortunately, the question of whether or not this light is worth the money remains tough to accurately answer, because I haven’t run any alternatives in this space. PrimeLights’ products (which you can check out on Amazon if you prefer shopping there to the company’s own site) are definitely not cheap. Related affiliate disclosure: Car Autance’ publisher gets money if you buy things on Amazon through our links. These lights are actually more expensive than a lot of other garage ceiling lights. However, they also claim the highest lumen rating of anything else I’ve been able to find in the size and design you see here, which is ultimately why I decided to pull the trigger.
I spent about $150 per eight-foot light. Multiplied by four, that’s $600, but I got my set for around $550 shipped thanks to a little Cyber Monday discount back in November. I was initially somewhat grumpy because of the polish issues I pointed out in the video, but overall I’m happy with the lights and would consider myself a satisfied customer. Whether or not these lights truly provide optimal value-per-dollar I can’t really say, though. I hypothesize that I paid a lot more than competitive products for just a little more light and quality, but that was (and is) a deal I’m willing to take.
It’s really important to me to preserve the old-school shop look you get with these straight-tube fixtures while getting the absolute brightest possible and most pleasant light output. Based on specs and now what I’ve seen myself with these lights, I think I made the right move. I am looking forward to reading comments about other setups and alternatives, though.
One last thought I’ll leave you with as you check out the video and ponder how much you spend on garage lighting: There’s a range in light quality that’s hard to quantify in specifications and even tough to articulate. I said I hadn’t run other lights in this garage space, and that’s true, but I have used multiple LED tubes in other locations in the past. And in my anecdotal experience, oftentimes cheaper no-name lights simply don’t look as nice as expensive offerings from expensive brands, even when the lights should be the same on paper. Just something to think about.
I said in the video that Car Autance has no sponsorship deal with PrimeLights and that remains true (this description will be updated if that changes). I purposefully didn’t make the company aware it was getting reviewed, and everything you see in the clip was purchased with my own personal money. However, Car Autance’ parent company does get paid when you buy things from Amazon links off our site like this one. Looks like Amazon only carries the four-foot lights, but you’ll find the exact lights in the video on PrimeLights’ site here.
I’ll also plan on updating you with a new post in a few months’ time, after I have more hours working under these lights, to provide an even more valuable long-term review.
Meanwhile, I hope the clip is entertaining and educational. For real though, please do like it and consider subscribing to our little channel!
More videos from Car Autance:
How Much Lexus IS F Is in the New IS 500: Explained
Completing Land Rover’s Trophy Competition Left Me With New Friends and Sore Arms
Lancia Delta Integrale Is Among The Ultimate ’80s Cars
