What lamp fixture to use?

[RayB]

I have a choice of two kinds of florescent lamp fixture to use for marquee lighting... One is made to be "wired in", which means it has three wires (green, black, white), and the other has a standard 2-prong socket plug which I'd have to cut and splice.

The pronged style is cheaper. Which should I go for?

~Ray B.

[Flinkly]

prong, all the way.  cheaper, DIY, and if you get lazy before cutting, you can just plug it in.  also, the first might not have a ballast...this all gets confusing if you know nothing about lighting, but since your considering wiring it up manually, i'm guessing you know that already.  also, it's always nice to have extra plug ends to wire things up too.  

[RayB]

I don't know what a ballast is, but the "wire it yourself" version I mentioned is a complete working fixture with light and everything. (Meant to go under a kitchen cupboard).

[DrewKaree]

I don't know what a ballast is, but the "wire it yourself" version I mentioned is a complete working fixture with light and everything. (Meant to go under a kitchen cupboard).

the ballast is that little silver round "Donkey Kong Barrel shaped thing" that is the "starter" for the light.  You'll need one for both fixtures, the pronged one will include it, saving you time/trouble/headaches.

[RayB]

I don't think you understand. The "wire it yourself" unit is a COMPLETE and closed unit. It looks pretty much the same as a plug-it-in unit except there's wires instead of a prong. The are sold as complete and working, so presumably they have starters, ballasts and whatever inside already of course! (Also comes with a bulb).

[Tailgunner]

I prefer the hard wire fixtures as they're grounded, but either one should work.

[KrawDaddy]

Both versions will be grounded.  You wont find a UL approved fixture that does not include some type of an equipment ground.  It may even be just a green screw- just waiting for you to attach your green equipment ground wire to.