When your ceiling height above 20ft,are you considering to buy high bay lights? If you need high bay lights, it is recommended choosing LED high bay lights first,UFO or linear high bay light,which is better? if you don’t know the difference between them?Don’t worry, this article will explore the difference between UFO and linear high bay light and when to use it . You can choose it according to your actual needs.
What is UFO high bay light?
UFO high bay light is also called a round high bay light,sometimes called “UFO light” because it looks like a saucer,and its sturdy and beautiful appearance is also artistic in application. In fact, it is a common lighting fixture. With the easier installation, excellent performance design,which are very suitable for ceilings height at 15ft or more.
Compared with HID light,UFO high bay lights do not need to be equipped with a larger reflector, so they can be smaller in size.Generally, they use a fin-tail design that helps to uniform heat dissipation and ensure a longer lifespan.
Characteristics of UFO high bay lights
The feature of UFO high bay lights is that they are equipped with a larger aluminum heat sink, which helps to dissipate heat evenly and improve stability and durability.
What is linear high bay light?
If your project is a large opening space, you want to reduce the size and cost of lights to obtain the required lighting brightness, you should carefully consider a LED linear high bay light may good option.
Different from the round design of UFO high bay lights,LED linear high bay light is a linear structure light with a larger beam angle, which can be long and thin or long and wide, no matter which design used, it is to ensure to illuminate a larger area as much as possible under the maximum light output. Obviously, it is ideal for long narrow aisles or other large opening space.
The best occasions to use linear high bay lights:
Retail
The installation of light fixture first needs to obtain its goals. In retail stores, a proper lighting is beneficial for improving the experience of shopping. Therefore, providing proper and even brightness can make customers enjoy the shopping journey more happily. However, some retail stores face many challenges in the selection of lighting fixtures. For those shopping malls or retail stores that have large and high ceiling areas, LED linear high bay lights are an ideal lighting solution,Which can provide uniform distribution in these large areas. The shape of light and the overall style of the interior are also very match, making people feel comfortable.
Warehouse
When choosing warehouse lighting fixture, we should first ensure that the lighting should be glare-free and even. In this case, we can choose UFO LED high bay lights or LED high bay lights according to actual needs. If the ceiling is very high, and the shelf is relatively short, we can give priority to use UFO high bay light due to its easier installation and high brightness. If the warehouse shelves are very high, the high shelves will separate the interior of the warehouse at this time, forming a long and narrow aisle. It seems that the choice of light is facing challenges at this time, don’t worry, you can use the latest LED linear high bay lights to solve this issue, these longer lights can evenly distribute the light in this long and narrow area, so that the warehouse can avoid darkness or insufficient light.If you are interested in how many high bay lights for my warehouse?
Stadium
The stadium has proper lighting to ensure the safety of athlete and better show their skills. Therefore, the stadium must be equipped with a scientific lighting system. LED linear high bay light can provide sufficient and even light for the stadium without glare. There are many power of LED linear high bay lights on the market, but the higher the power, the more efficient. In this case, a 300 watt linear light is a good choice.
Pros and cons of using linear high bay lights
Even light distribution
Compared with UFO high bay lights,linear high bay lights can be designed to be longer and a wider beam angle. In addition, the light distribution is rectangle, which is very suitable for narrow and long areas such as aisles.
Lower cost
Compared with fluorescent light and incandescent lamps, linear high bay light not only have a longer lifespan, but also under the same brightness with fewer numbers,which can reduce costs and save energy.
Wider application
Linear high bay light also can be used for outdoor application. Compared with other light, in addition to being used for warehouses, they can also be used for other commercial occasions, such as stadiums, open retail stores etc.
Cons
Compared with UFO high bay lights, linear high bay lights generally have only 120 degree beam angle options, and the installation and maintenance is a little more time, and there are no other shortcomings.
Pros and cons of using UFO high bay lights
There are advantages and disadvantages to using UFO high bay lights depending on their application.
Pros:
Small size, easy to install
Compared with linear light, it is smaller size and easier to install. When you use a UFO high bay light with 120-degree beam angle in the ceiling at 15-25 feet, it can not only provide good brightness but also illuminate larger area. In addition, UFO high bay lights are also high protection level, suitable for dusty or outdoor application.
Long Lifespan
Compared with metal halide high bay lights, UFO high bay lights are thinner and more compact. The aesthetic appearance and space area match very well. LED UFO high bay lights have a long lifespan up to 5,000 hours and save the maintenance cost.
High Efficient
Compared with metal halide high bay lights, UFO LED high bay lights are more higher efficient, save more energy consumption and reduce your electricity bills.
Cons:
If it is used in suitable occasions, there are almost no other shortcoming. If you use it in the aisle, it may need more light and consume more energy. If there is too much, some areas may be too bright. If there is too far, Maybe the central area is brighter and the surrounding area is not evenly distributed.
The difference between UFO and Linear high bay lights
Through the above introduction, compared with ordinary high bay lights, LED linear high bay lights have greater advantages in cost and light output.A low-cost, energy-saving and long lifespan LED linear high bay lights brings a good solution to large-space area lighting. but why sometimes we still choose to use UFO high bay lights, what are their differences?
| Type | Shape | Light distribution | Beam angle |
| UFO high bay | Round | Round | 60,90 or 120 |
| Linear high bay | Rectangle | Rectangle | 120 |
Different Aapplications
UFO LED high bay lights can make the light more focused, and the central area is brighter than the peripheral area. UFO LED high bay lights are very suitable for large-space occasions with brighter central areas, such as illuminating dining tables in restaurant,illuminating shelves in warehouses , etc. On the one hand, LED linear high bay lights can be designed to be longer and a wider beam angle to illuminate as much space as possible. It is better to choose LED linear lights in high aisles area.
Different beam angles
UFO high bay lights and linear lights have different beam angle options. There have 60, 90 or 120 beam angles for UFO high bay that suitable for different ceiling height. They can make focusing light to the center area, which means that if there are too far, the place where the light cannot be reached will appear darker, while the central area will be brighter,resulting in a great contrast. The beam angle of linear high bay light is generally 120, which can provide more evenly light distribution. Within a reasonable distance, it will enjoy the same brightness.
Different light distribution curve
Due to the different shapes, their light distribution is different. UFO high bay lights are circular light distribution, and the light intensity gradually decreases from the center to the surroundings area, while linear high bay lights are rectangle even distribution brightness from middle to surrounding area.However, the brightness will drop suddenly in the edge, so if you use UFO high lights in aisle, it will cause more light waste and energy-consumption.
Wrapping up
In this article, we introduced what are UFO and linear high bay lights, and their various advantages and disadvantages, and the different between them. LED linear high bay lights are used more widely and the light distribution is more even, while The installation of UFO high bay light is more convenient, and the central area of the light distribution is brighter. How to choose depends on the actual requirement.