Hey Lee

Unusual topic  for the DIY section, well as you probably know High frequency has many advantages too switch starting, e.g. quiker starting, less power consumption, less strain on lamps/tubes etc

It is more expensive and harder to get hold of, however all electrical wholesalers would be able to order you HF fittings to your requirements, and CEF, if you have a local one, will stock most of the office type fittings in HF, including sealed fittings etc

Unfortunately you wont be able to get HF fittings in the diy outlets, I wouldnt expect the HF fittings to be alot more, but a rough guide would be to add 20% to a switch start fitting to give an idea.

If your looking at having alot of fittings then you may find the cost just a little too much to have all HF, HF is the way forward and more energy conservant but I would stick with switch start fittings if you can, if you could give some indication of where you need these fittings for, and what type of fittings I can give you some prices

hope this helps

Hey Lee, I see why HF is a particular requirement for you now, with 3-phase you can unbalance them so they flicker at different rates, however HF should solve your problem, be very specific with the wholesaler as they will/may try and give you a switch start, not necessarily on purpose, best to check them once you have them to make sure.

4x double or single 1500mm fittings (58W per tube), should suit well.

Keep us updated  

Hey again Lee

I would suggest for maximum light output you get double fittings, double 1500mm/5ft tubes, and this well give you enough light for woodworking easily

With regard to the tubes you want they come in the following

White
Cool White
Warm White

White is your best option, your total light power will be 464W, this spread out will give adequate light output for your work, expect to pay around £120 for all the fittings.

The Lamp details are as follows

8x 56W T8 (26mm) Tubes

Thanks for your imput there Jason, Double fittings are always better where you need more concentrated light.