The Lamp Room

T5 (HE/HO) and HF gear in general has been rather disliked by many in the lighting community over the years, with good reason given the reliability issues etc. but how does everyone feel about them now that they are on the way out like everything else with LED?

I never used to like T5 HE/HO very much due to their mostly HF only gear requirement, but in more recent times they have become a lot more appealing, being fluorescent with good light quality and easily serviceable despite the HF gear, especially when compared with the junk they are being replaced with.
Like all lighting, they have their place, the slim profile of the tubes gives them some useful applications that are less suited to other lamps.

Compared with LED, then I'll take T5 any day. However, it can go one of 2 ways. Some T5 seems really reliable - I know of installas now that are well into double figures in terms of how many year service they've seeen. I also know of installas that have proved just as unreliable as LED - ballast failures before the first set of lamps, stuff like that. One huge hate tho is the fact that there are 2 wattages for all tube lengths and not all HF ballasts can run both. Some of the early ballasts were HE or HO, but couldn't handle both. Newer ones can and in some instances, even a wide range of tube lengths too.

I'll take mag ballasted fittings over HF ones, as they are qyire simply more reliable (so long as you don't leave failed lamps and stuck starters in them for ages). I suspect we'll still see the odd mag fitting around long after HF has vanished for this very reason.

I not struggle to get hold of replacement HF ballasts, but can still easily get mag gear.

Indeed I'd definitely take T5 over LED no question, just the light quality being a triphosphor fluorescent is a great benefit on it's own, most of the supposedly "840" LED stuff seems noticeably harsher and whiter than a brand new (not old and colour shifted) 840 fluorescent.

I've always heard good things about Philips HF Performers in most types, they'd probably be my HF ballast of choice most of the time.
Seen HO tubes in HE fittings etc a few times myself too, those Aquaproof's I posted the other day originally had HE only Tridonics in them, while the new quicktronics are for both.
Magnetic will always be my favourite, it's so predictable that if you look after it, it will last, and the ultra low loss ballasts run nice and cool so should last even longer, especially in enclosed fittings like weatherpacks and bulkheads where standard magnetic's seem to sometimes run rather hot.

Yes I can see HF vanishing sooner as ultimately they all end up the same way, even the best ones will eventually suffer degrading capacitors etc causing performance to drop/erratic behaviour or just going bang when switched on one day as they do. Noticing a lot of that with the 20+ year old HF (those that haven't already EOL'd) that's getting on a bit now having seen off a few lamps. I did re cap a 90's Helvar a while back which got it working like new again though.

Where have you come across the ultra / super low loss ballasts Tom? They are ultra / super rare! The only place I ever saw them was in BHS in Truro they had hundreds of 3X36W mods all switch start with electronic starters and these tridonic ballasts that were the size of a 6’ but were rated to 4’ there must of been a couple thousand ballasts in total in that store I remember going in and lamping up they all worked.
As for T5 they are very hit and miss i don’t get much life out of the 28W tubes but the 54W last bloody years especially the German osram type.

Like this

I've got a Thorn Leopard 38W 2D with a Tridonic EC36 in, seems to be the ultra low loss type as it's definitely bigger than a normal EC36 and has a dt of 35°C, also think I've got a Fern Howard 38W fitting with one in too. I've got some in 13W PL-C too, they look about as big as a 18W T8 normal choke compared to the little cores the normal PL ones use.
That VS one looks even bigger and cooler running, would really last forever! What became of the old BHS installation?

I like the Osram T5 tubes, the GE's seem to go a really yellowish colour by the time they are getting to EOL, a brand new 840 looks much brighter and cleaner beside them. Philips also seem to keep their colour through their life better too.

I've seen some good designed T5 high wattage fluorescent fixtures - one local shop had them until CO-OP took over that building and chucked them away for LED. As for HF electronic ballasts I am more accepting of them since the ones that do pre programmed starting are the actual good ones compared to instant start ballasts. Instant start ballasts are the ones that made me dislike the electronic ballast in the first place due to them taking away the true character of fluorescent lighting (I don't want an incandescent style starting up of any fluorescent light source and another reason is that they cause sputtering/wear on the electrodes)
I wouldn't mind having fluorescent fixtures with electronic ballasts if they are pre programmed. I do make exceptions though, picked up some Eterna branded 28W 2D fixtures last year because they are a great design despite them using an instant start electronic ballasts

What I learnt was that electronic ballasts (pre programmed) extend the life of the fluorescent tubes/lamps compared to magnetic/switchstart fixtures, but even so magnetic ballasted fixtures are far better in terms of reliability and majority just take good care of the lamps, especially electronic starters. Also back to electronic ballasts is that the high frequency output makes it easier for ppl who are not very good with the lower frequency flicker of the magnetic ballast

In summary = electronic ballasted fluorescent fixtures (T5 and T8 made fixtures) are miles better than LED

Heck I'd even put a electronic ballast (pre programmed) into a T12 fixture

I never really *didn't* like T5 and HF tbh. They were what they were tbh.

Instant start ballasts are rather boring and also generally seem to be the cheap rubbish ones that don't last anyway. The proper professional grade programmed start ones are definitely the only ones worth bothering with tbh.

I do quite like the dimming functions you can get with HF and have a couple of dimmable T5 fitting which are quite good.
I also like the earlier HF ballasts from the 90's which also tend to be a bit better built than some of the modern ones, though Philips HF-Performers and HF-Regulators always have been quite good for reliability I believe.

I don't really mind the old HF Performer stuff from around 2004. They were very reliable in my experience and the good quality T5 tubes lasted AGES and they were quite efficient. They weren't the most interesting though.

The only HF fitting I use regularly is an 8w fitting which I fitted a Philips HF Matchbox Blue into after the original Kengo ballast broke. It's instant start, however it runs the tubes very well.