What do you mean by "regular"? Do you mean T8? Does your shoplight take both 32W T8 and 40W T12? If so, it will most likely also work with 40W T8 and 32W T12 tubes. It will have an electronic ballast that automatically provides the correct voltage and current for the tube being used.

If so, use whichever tube you like. Generally look for the one with the most lumens. T8s tend to produce a more intense light because they are narrower, but a 40W T12 may well produce more total light than a 32W T8. Pick the one with the most total light. You might want to try a 40W T8, it may be the best-performing tube you can find at a box store, but check the specs. There are good 40W T8s and bad ones, same with the T12s. You can compare the price yourself. Lifetime will be marked on the package, it can vary a lot and expensive tubes may last twice as long. Expensive tubes will also fade less over time. I swap fluorescents out of my propagator after less than half their life because they have got dim, and then I use them in my kitchen light.

What I mean by "regular" is the larger around 40 watt bulbs. Are they t8?
The shop lights we got from HD use the t12 32 or 40 watt.
They will not take the "regular" tube.
So I am trying to find out if they are better than the "regular" shop light tube.
i want to start buying tubes by the case, and don't want to have to maintain two cases if there is no reason to.

I'm still confused. The "larger" tubes are T12, one and a half inches wide. T8 is one inch wide. There are even narrower tubes, T5 (5/8") and even T4 (1/2"), but I guess we aren't talking about those because they come in different lengths.

No general rule, some T12s are better than some T8s and some T8s are better than some T12s. I would say there are fewer "good" T12s available, but others on the forum contradict me and find them in their local stores. All things being equal, I would pick a T8 because it produces the same results from a smaller package.

In either size, I would almost always look for a modern 40W tube. The 32W tubes are designed to save electricity by producing the same amount of light that a 40W tube from the 1970s produced (caution, these crappy old 40W tubes are still available, but they are just a waste of money). A modern 40W tube will produce more light than that, and more light is best for plants. Look for a 40W tube producing more than 3000 lumens.

This was an interesting thread; however it missed from very important aspects of lighting.
First is the Kelvin rating as it pertains to PAR. You cannot even come close to comparing a 4100 K cool white to a 6400 K daylight bulb that has the correct PAR for necessary plant photosynthesis.
Second is the lumens per watt and space in which these lumens are produced. No one even mentioned the relatively inexpensive yet very productive SHO or T2 lamps that are now available.

I highly recommend any readers here follow the URL link I added for further information about lighting that is more current as to its information.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aquarium Lighting

Personally, my preference is with the Ushio T10 lamps that work on a T12 magnetic ballast and electronic ballast. they're 5000K and have a 3500 lumen output. the 6400K lamp works well with aquariums because water scatters light more than air does, for land growing this Ushio tube is phenomenal, and it can last for 30,000 hours, and has exceptional lumen maintenance (it doesn't get dim with age).

Here is a link that might be useful: Ushio case of 25