Everybody loves cheap, but cheap comes with some specific costs.
Want a low-priced CFL bulb? No problem, but don’t expect color rendering to be very reliable. Want a cheap bulb housing? No problem, but be prepared to work with some crappy mounting options, limited flexibility and a 6′ cord.
Fluorescent lighting has become ubiquitous in our daily lives as an energy-efficient and cost-effective lighting solution, but that familiarity can lead one to believe incorrectly that fluorescent light is interchangeable with other common sources. The truth that both pure sunlight and electric incandescent lighting are fundimentally different from fluorescents, and to completely understand the potential pitfalls of fluorescent lighting, one must come to understand the basis of these differences.
Since I’ve challenged myself to try and create a lighting solution similar to the Lowel Ego light, understanding some basic fundimentals of fluorescent light will greatly help in choosing an “off the shelf” system that will produce optimal results.