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Warning ! This will not be technical, scientific, and hopefully not boring. Cheap fluorescent fixtures are also dangerous for anyone working w/ table saws, chop saws, radial arm saws and any other tools w/ spinnning cutters because their flickering can create an optical illusion - in other words, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if a turned off machine's blade is still spinning. There are documented cases of lost fingers and worse from such a situation. Also, fluorescent fixtures, esp. cheap ones, and those that have an accumulation of shop dust (which may be flammable material), have been identified as the cause of fires in shops, garages, etc. Some very expensive car collections and shops have been reduced to cinders because the fluorescent lighting was left on for extended periods of time, unattended, until the fire department showed up. The recommended bulbs for replicating sunshine have a CRI of 90, which is a measurement of color shift when an object is illuminated by a light. CRI ranges from 1 to 100, with natural light and incandescent light equal to 100. Kitchen & Bath has a CRI of 70. Lower CRI #s are typical of both warm (53 CRI) and cool (62CRI) whites. In wood finishing shops C-50 bulbs (85CRI) are recommended for balanced and accurate color rendition and matching of finishes. The lower CRI rated bulbs will cause muted and odd looking colors. The higher CRI bulbs cost a bit more than the standard warm or cool ones more commonly found in shop fixtures. If you don't have your fluorescent bulbs protected by a plastic diffuser or grill work, consider putting the clear plastic tubes or sleeves (avail. at home centers) over the bulbs. If you should strike one of the tubes, the glass shards will be contained in the sleeve and not rain down on you and your scenery. Hope this sheds some more 'light' on the subject.
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