Resource Center Contact Us My Account
Home » Lighting Fixtures, Lamps, and Luminaires » LED, CFL, and Fluorescent Lamps » Linear LED T8 and T5 Replacement Lamps

Linear LED T8 and T5 Replacement Lamps

Replace your old fluorescent linear lamps with our T5 and T8 LED replacement tubes. These affordable designs are available at Take Three Lighting in in multiple wattages and styles to fit your application. T8 bulbs are primarily used in commercial and industrial applications. LED lamps operate with high efficiency, so you never waste energy. They also operate at a cool temperature and are more durable than standard bulbs, holding up to everyday wear and tear with gusto. Plus, they are better for the environment as they do not contain any harmful mercury as found in traditional fluorescent tubes.

Get a Custom Quote for LED Linear Lamps

Contact us today and let us assemble a custom quote for your bulk LED linear T8 or T5 lamp needs for your project.


Ballast Bypass or Ballast Compatible?

Linear LED lamps are designed to replace aging fluorescent lamps in existing fixtures. But when it comes time to purchase your linear LED lamps, which is right for you? There are two main types of LED linear lamps and it is important to know these two different distinctions and how they can affect your installation.

  • Ballast Bypass: These "retrofit" lamps have their own internal driver and are designed to be supplied with line voltage input at one end of the tube. This requires that the fluorescent ballast in your existing fluorescent fixture must either be removed or bypassed. The installation of a ballast bypass lamp is not difficult, but it is best performed by an electrician. The benefit to this style of lamp is that you enjoy greater energy savings and longer lifespan.
  • Ballast Compatible: Also referred to as "direct fit", "instant fit", or "plug and play", these replacement lamps are designed to work along side with the existing ballast in a fluorescent fixture. This makes installation a snap. Simply remove the old fluorescent lamp and snap in the LED one; that's it! The benefit to this style of lamp is the ease of installation and the reduced man-hours required (which can add up over dozens or hundreds of fixtures). But the drawback is that the lamp is still relying on power supplied by the fluorescent ballast, which means that you have to contend with the lifespan of the ballast, which often will fail prior to the LED lamps.


Each style has its positives and negatives. If you need a quick replacement of lamps that are easy to reach, a direct-fit (ballast compatible) lamp might be best. But if you are replacing lamps in luminaires that are hard to reach, such as high-bay lights, and it is an ordeal just to get up to reach the lights, go with the tried-and-true ballast bypass. It might take longer to replace the lamps in each fixture, but the solution will last longer...and you definitely don't want to have to go back up to the fixtures prematurely due to ballasts failing.

Our name-brand T8 and T5 bulbs offer rated lifespans of 50,000 or more hours, so you can depend on these bulbs to perform capably in your commercial or industrial application, even after years of use. Find the affordable and reliable linear replacement lamps you need at Take Three Lighting. We have a range of T8 styles that will be accompanied by a manufacturer’s warranty and the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) seal of approval, helping you to get possible incentives and rebates to lower your cost.

Additional Resources

Converting a Fluorescent Tube to LED

Retrofitting your aging fluorescent tubes and fluorescent fixture with LED tubes is a quick and easy way to save money on your energy bill with little upfront material and labor costs. View article >>

Lumen to Watt Comparison

When converting or comparing fluorescent tubes to their newer LED equivalent, it's important to compare apples-to-apples and understand the difference between watts and lumen output. View article >>