LED Tube vs Fluorescent Tube Comparison
Retrofit comparison for linear lighting.
A tube-for-tube swap is the cheapest way to cut lighting energy, but the ballast decides how it is done: bypass, ballast-compatible or a new driver. Get that wrong and the tubes flicker or fail early.
| Comparison | Option A | Option B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy | 100-160 lm/W | 60-100 lm/W | LED tube |
| Mercury | None | Yes | LED tube |
| Lifespan | 50,000h | 8,000-15,000h | LED tube |
| Retrofit | Ballast bypass or compatible | Baseline | Application-dependent |
Conclusion
For volume retrofits, bypass the ballast and rewire once — it removes a failure point and gives the longest life. Use ballast-compatible tubes only where rewiring is impractical, and never mix the two in one fixture.
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Post a sourcing brief → Compare more products📋 Authoritative Standards Reference
IEC 60529 · CIE 13.3 · ANSI C78.377 · IES LM-79 / LM-80 · UL 1598 / UL 8750 — data verified by the CompareDeals team.