Can't you buy shoplight fixtures cheaper than ballasts and remove them?

I used to buy $7 plastic wrist watch bands at Walgreens, until I noticed that I could buy a $1 watch with a plastic band.

I'm not sure I follow you? I am looking for the cheap fixtures with the ballasts in them, they sell the cheap fixtures but now they have the magnetic ballasts in them instead of the electronic ones. I don't want magnetic ballasts. Maybe that explains it better?

I don't want magnetic ballasts.

Why? Somebody in this forum was complaining that there is a high failure rate for electronic ballasts. I would want ballasts that are cheap and reliable. If your point is that you can't find cheap shoplights anymore, then you might have a point because the last cheap sale at Menards was this:

Magnetic ballasts make to much noise. I have over 50 electronic ballast shop lights and have never had one fail......ever. Most are over 4 years old.

Dale

Neither have I. On second inspection, I don't know whether this guy was complainting about electronic electronic ballasts, otherwise, I would suggest you trade ballasts.

Do you know whether the one in that ad is electronic?

The 4' 2 bulb fixtures I bought from lowes $8.99 have magnetic ballasts and they do not make any noise after the initial power up. They do hum a little at startup but so do my electronic ones.

The electronic ballasts in my $1.99 fluorescent light fixtures are noiseless and start instantly. I run 14 lights at a time so noisy ballasts would create a cacophony. The magnetic ballasts in my basement lights do make a noticeable hum on the other hand.