I know we have a few lighting experts here and a few more of you with experience replacing 4 foot fluorescent tubes with equivalent LED tubes. I have been tasked with updating about 40 four tube troffers in our church basement and miscellaneous rooms (but not the sanctuary which has custom incandescent fixtures, which is another story). Many date back 35 years and folks are getting tired of switching out tubes only to find that the issue is with the ballasts. It has been suggested (possibly by me...) that we ought to consider bypassing the ballasts and popping in LED bulbs so we can be done with the ballast issues. Many manufacturers are coming out with replacement LED bulbs and the price is dropping fast. So, what has been your experience and what, if any, bulbs would you recommend?
As one example, I see HD has Phillips cool white 17 watt, 2100 lumens, 36,000 hour life at $6.18 each. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-4...6590/206402867 Is the pin spacing on a T8 same at the T12's now in place?