LED battens have come along way in the last few years with the technology of LED, now batten lights have loads of different options as oppose to every batten being 2 x 36 fluorescent battens. LED battens now are much more streamlined with a slim and minimalist look but yet still put out the same brightness, this is great because 4 foot fluorescent battens are a real eye saw but now with LED battens they can manipulate the fittings to give a much cleaner and less commercial look. The best thing about battens is they are super practical with a real bright light and wide beam angles. When buying your LED battens there are a few considerations to make so in this blog I will run through what questions to ask before buying and our favourite best selling LED battens.
IP Rating - The IP rated refers to the light being suitable for indoor or outdoor. If your application is outdoors then go with IP65, this is a high rating which will protect from water and dust. If you are buying for indoor you can still go with a IP65 as it will still protect from dust and physical impacts, otherwise an IP20 is fine as well with most batten still sealed.
LED - There are still loads of fluorescent batten and tubes out there with people still replacing the tubes and ballasts, this is a bad idea as you can now buy for T8 LED direct replacement tubes. LED tubes use 50% less power and last 5 times longer than fluorescent tubes, LED tubes also now perform better in brightness and imitate a fluorescent tube without you knowing the difference. So always go with LED for all these reasons. LED tubes are also much safer and better for the environment with fluorescent tubes containing mercury.
Integrated LED or LED Tubes - Most LED battens sold today are integrated which means once the light batten dies basically throw it out which isn't ideal as you will need to replace and get an electrician to come back and replace, this can cost around $200 with the call out fee. When a manufacturer makes something integrated they can make it better with heat sinks and pushing up the performance as there is only so much technology you can fit into a tube. So if you are buying a LED integrated batten, only buy from quality brands, these brands include Trend Lighting, Domus Lighting, Atom Lighting, Sunny Lighting or CLA Lighting, buying from these brands means you are buying from a manufacturer with strict quality control. Avoid cheap brands as you will only get headaches and they maybe not even comply. When buying anything, i think practical and purchasing a batten with LED T8 tubes means you can always replace the tubes yourself so literally can't go wrong, however with T8 battens they look much more bulky and commercial, with LED integrated battens they much more slimlined.
Size - Battens come in many sizes such as 1 foot, 2 foot, 3 foot , 4 foot and 5 foot, always try and go with a 4 foot as this is the most common batten sold so it will be much easier and cheaper to replace as they are mass produced. If you need a smaller batten then look for 2 foot. 1, 3 and 5 foot can be tricky to find and replace.
Colour Temperature - This is crucial to get right if you are installing LED battens in work environments such as garages, car parks, warehouses, workshops, kitchens etc, you should always look to use a temperature of a minimum 5000k as this colour spectrum reacts with the brain most in keeping alert and active. If your application needs to suit a heritage or traditional set up then you could look to use a 3000k or 4000k per perfuably and this will soften the light to create more ambience and warmth.
