The quality of light from a solar tube is excellent.
Doesn't work too well at night, but you get a surprising amount of moon "light".
The kits usually include all the flashing and rubber membrane needed to seal up the hole.
Lowes carries a line of solar tubes if you want to see some in person.
You might consider adding new windows or skylights? You are paying a lot for the hole flashing and the reflective tubes in a Sun Tube. Many installations necessitate routing the pipes thru an attic and into odd locations.
If you have a "simple" shop roof, the costs might be much less.
The direct cost comparison to lightbulbs is hard to justify. But, in many cases, the sun tube saves money overall in the end. Like, if you have to hire an electrician to run lights, have a light you want on all the time (dark hallway), concerns about heat gain, etc.
Sun tubes are a neat idea, work well, and last as long as, well, the sun works.
Jim
