It’s been a while since I tested some LED fixtures for my garage. One company that really impressed me was Barrina. In fact, I called Barrina’s T5 LED tube fixture “the best wrong light I’ve ever used.”
I wanted to get it right this time, so I picked up some Barrina T8 LED lights. It’s a more powerful and efficient tube light designed for garages, basements, workshops, and large rooms.
It can be easily installed by plugging it in or hardwiring it to a wall switch, and up to six lights can be linked in a series.
When I first purchased the Barrina T8 LED Shop Light, I thought it was a bit expensive. However, after installing it and seeing how much it lit up the room, it was definitely worth it.
In this article, we’ll discuss what makes the Barrina T8 LED shop light so good, what come’s in the box, the fixture and bulb options, and how to install it.
Let’s get started.
Who Is Barrina?
Barrina Lighting is a French company that started in 2010. They specialize in LED tube lights, linear lighting, and grow lights and have received several industry awards for their products.
When I tested several of the best Amazon shop lights I could find, I was impressed with how well the Barrina T5 lights worked, even if they weren’t designed for how I used them.
I think if you’re a homeowner looking for new garage lighting, Barrina Lighting gives you something with better performance and quality than the same-old, generic brands you’ll find on Amazon.
The Barrina T8 Fixture Design
The fixture I ordered from Amazon was model number NWT504014650Dc, which was a 4-foot, 5000k LED light fixture.
Here are the full specs:
| Brand | Barrina |
| Part Number | INWT504014650Dc |
| Item Weight | 1.85 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 47.1 x 1.3 x 1.38 inches |
| Style | Hanging or Fixed Mount |
| Shape | Tube |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Finish | White |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Specific Uses | Indoor use only |
| Light Direction | Downlight with reflectors |
| Power Source | Corded-Electric. Hardwire adapter included |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Type of Bulb | LED |
| Luminous Flux | 5000 lm |
| Wattage | 40 Watts |
| Color Temperature | 5000k or 6500k |
| Bulb Length | 4 feet |
A couple of things immediately stood out when comparing this T8 fixture to the older T5 fixture I tested previously.
For starters, the new Barrina T8 LED fixture has a ‘V-shaped’ design that features dual-row LED tubes. This gives it a beam angle of 270 degrees. You can add optional reflectors, which help increase the light efficiency by 17-20%.
I’ve heard other reviewers have difficulty installing the reflectors, but I didn’t need them during my tests. I found that the lights were plenty bright enough without them.
The V-shaped design is supposed to be more efficient than a standard flat LED ribbon, providing about 40% more lumens than standard flat LED tubes.
The bulb housing is clear plastic, not frosted like the older T5 model. I recommend clear lenses, especially if you’re going for a higher (cooler) color temperature. It’s tough to explain, but I find that everything looks sharper when you’re working on small items.
The all-aluminum housing is exceptionally light. The entire 4-foot fixture weighs under two pounds. It also helps with heat dissipation, even though LED lights don’t give off that much heat.
There are several different connection options for the Barrina shop lights.
There’s a 59″ AC power cord that also includes an on\off toggle switch. Or, you can use a short adapter to hardwire the LED lights to your home’s wiring.
You can link up to six light fixtures in a series using the 48-inch connecting cords. This helps reduce installation costs and wiring time, but you’ll have to find a way to hide the connecting wires.
The Barrina T8 LED shop light is available in either 5000k or 6500k color temperatures.
I chose the 5000k color temperature because it’s close enough to natural daylight for my needs. I’ve tried 6500k bulbs in the past, and the blue-white light was jarring to look at for any length of time.
While playing with the fixture before installing it, I did encounter a few minor issues.
The light diffuser blades were thin and did not click into place, requiring some effort to slide them down the channel on either side of the light. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t need them, so this wasn’t an issue for me.
Additionally, the 59″ power cord is shorter than it sounds. You may need an extension cord to get to your electrical outlet if you’re not hardwiring them.
Barrina T8 LED Lights: Installation
These Barrina T8 LED lights comes with hanging and ceiling clips, so you can install it one of two ways.
You can mount it directly to the ceiling for a cleaner look or use the clips to hang it if you have tall garage ceilings.
How you mount the lights does not impact how you choose to power the lights. You can still plug in or hardwire them to a wall switch.
The fixture is lightweight, making handling and aligning it much more manageable.
Installing these Barrina T8 LED lights were relatively easy. However, there were a few minor issues that I touched on earlier.
First, it wasn’t clear from the instructions how to best assemble the light reflectors.
After some trial and error, I discovered that the reflector blades slid in from the side, with the lip fitting into a small channel on either side of the light.
Once in place, they noticeably increased the light output. In fact, it was so bright that I removed the reflectors and returned to the standard fixture.
The fixture comes with brackets that screw into your garage ceiling. Then the light simply clips into them. I prefer this to a traditional chain mounting. However, I highly recommend using a laser level to ensure the brackets are perfectly straight during installation.
I appreciated the ability to link up to six light fixtures in a series. The connecting cords are 48 inches long, giving you plenty of room to work with.
Minor issues aside, installing the Barrina T8 LED shop lights was mostly hassle-free.
Wrapping It Up
Overall, I love these Barrina T8 LED light fixtures. The build quality is excellent, and they’re incredibly light, so they can be mounted almost anywhere. The V-shape design spreads the light throughout the room, with or without the optional reflectors.
Although I found the fixture more expensive than other models, my overall experience was positive. These Barrina shop lights are a great investment for anyone wanting a bright, energy-efficient garage LED lighting.
