You can select different incandescent and fluorescent bulbs with different
characteristics, so the answer is all over the place and always right. How
much light you get from a bulb depends on where you measure the light,
spatially and spectrally.
E.g, a 100 watt par 40 spot will have more and less light than a 100
watt par 40 flood and it can have more light at some illuminated areas than
do some 100 watt fluorescents.
There are standards as to the shape and distance used to get that bulb's
lumen/light reading on the package, but most bulbs don't track you around
the room, so you have to make a few decisions.

For the home, it is a bit simpler than choosing light commercially- many
books on the subject leave your head hurting over candela, lumens, lumens
per, temperature K, etc. - but the basics still apply:

Primary decision is what do you want to do in the space?
Usually, and obviously, it involves seeing detail (like sewing), or not
seeing so the imagination can fill in gaps (like in a club).
Hence there are dimmers in multi-use spaces on some overhead fixtures,
and there is incandescent spot lighting on tables and wall decorations mixed
with fixed fluorescent overhead area lighting.

Some guidelines -
- Seeing well requires 1) contrast and 2) proper kind of lumens on the
surface and 3) lack of conflicting contrast.
In other words, you see better with more light and less shadow, and it
also means that the less contrast you have (e.g., sewing dark on dark), the
more lumens you need. (The rule of thumb for commercial space is that a
10% decrease in contrast in the work requires a 100% increase in the lumens
on the surface.)

- often, where you put the light has more effect than how much. Spots vs.
floods, a 60 watt par 30 spot on a table vs. a 40 watt tube in an overhead
fixture, etc. and placing sources so there is little shadow and yet a light
source isn't in your eyes, either.

- bulb efficiency is measured in lumens per watt (almost always measured
at a voltage), and overall efficiency is measured including the cost of
changing the bulb - which is why a 130 volt bulb giving poor lumens per watt
(vs. the same 120 volt high lumen-per-watt bulb) is sometimes more
cost-efficient when the bulb is hard to get at.

Consider using several kinds of lighting to supplement the likely ceiling
fluorescents (avoid shop lights, imho), and consider adding low voltage
halogen spot lighting to the fluorescents, which often doesn't require the
same level of electrical work that a 120 volt installation does

---hope it helps

"Eric and Megan Swope" wrote in message
news:Ibhoe.3219$zT2.1802@trndny04...
Hi everyone. In my basement, I have a drop ceiling. In the spot where I
have the 2 clear tiles for lighting, instead of fluorescent lights, the
original homeowner pout in light housing for normal screw in light bulbs
that are nailed to the floor joists. The maximum watt light bulb I can
put
in these housing is 150 watt. So in my basement now I have 2x150 watt
light
bulb illuminating my area. My question is this, what will give me an
overall brighter basement, 2x150 watt light bulbs, or if I buy two
fluorescent worklights, each one holding 2x40 watt fluorescent tubes for a
total of 4x40 watts (I believe the brightest fluorescent tubes are only 40
watts?). I know simple math seems to say the 300 watt total from the light
bulbs would do it, but I would say every 2 months or so one of the 150
watters blows out (we use our basement a lot, so the lights can be on for
hours at a time). Cost of these bulbs isn't a major issue however, the
lighting is more so. Any advice is appreciated.