LED Christmas Lights?

[ChrisinNJ]

I need some new lights this year. I know the LEDs have been out a while, and that they are supposed to be more energy efficient, but they are so much more $$$.

I don't mind making the investment IF they actually hold up. I have bought many cheap strands of lights, only to have them last for 1 or 2 seasons. So how do they hold up?

I saw LED lights at Costco, 100 lights were about $18. Is this a good price?

Thanks

 

[Judyat]

I just bought 2 sets of 50 led lights from CVS for $10. They are on sale this week. They have the multi color and the clear. It's the first time I've bought them since they are more expensive. They are definitely brighter and more colorful than the regular ones.

 

[dcfromva]

I have been really disappointed with the quality of the LED lights that we have purchased (in view of the cost). We replaced all our conventional lights a few years ago. Now, we are finding some with light failures and in some cases it means toss the entire string of lights. I expected them to hold up better than the old style of lights.
On a brighter note, the increase expense to the electric bill during the Christmas season is almost negligible. DH also likes no glass bulbs, so no breakage.

 

[scrapquitler]

I need some new lights this year. I know the LEDs have been out a while, and that they are supposed to be more energy efficient, but they are so much more $$$.

I don't mind making the investment IF they actually hold up. I have bought many cheap strands of lights, only to have them last for 1 or 2 seasons. So how do they hold up?

I saw LED lights at Costco, 100 lights were about $18. Is this a good price?

Thanks

I bought snowflake shaped ones last year at Walmart for about $15 a string. I really liked them, I thought the light was really pretty, but half the string (on both strings) was dead before the end of the Christmas season.

Pretty much the same experience I had with compact flourescent light bults...they cost more and didn't live up to they hype about long life.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I love how bright they are but I cannot find any where if one bulb goes out the entire string doesn't go out.

 

[maggiew]

We bought 12 packs of LED lights last year - 10 packs for our house and then 2 spare for next year in case a couple burned out. Well, when we put them up this year, 5 packs were DEAD! I took the 5 packs back to Lowes and they gave me a complete refund this year. We used the remaining 7 packs, but could only do the first level of the roof - not the peaks - because we didn't have enough and they don't make this particular brand/style any more.

The LED lights we bought were GE lights with a 3 year warranty. So they weren't cheap Walgreens brand or anything.


We haven't had good luck with lights - any kind, LED or regular. I think from now on we might just get cheap ones and plan on replacing each year.

Maggie

 

[4GoofyCrew]

I bought LED ones last year because I got them for less than $5 per box (it was a Thanksgiving weekend sale). Otherwise, no, I would not have spent the extra money.

I am not blown away by them.

I like how bright they are but sometimes they are too bright. Just last night at dinner our daughter was squinting and we asked her what was wrong - there was a blue LED shining RIGHT into her face! I looked and it was SO scary bright that I was seeing spots after looking to see what was going on!

The wire/cords are the same as the non-LED ones.

They leave strange shadows on our wall. For example it looks like our wall behind the tree has polka-dots on it. I think it sort of takes away from the beauty of the tree.

Will I buy more if/when these go? Probably not.

 

[jstbcuz]

We bought LED lights for the house...........Im not impressed either. DH likes that they arent glass, but I dont think they are near as bright as the other lights. They look ok, just not what I was expecting. Ours are size C7 and we got them at Walmart for 6.98 or something a box.

 

[amcnj]

Also try and see them lit as the colors can be very intense and not what you are looking for. I have some "white" ones that are a bluish color that can almost hurt your eyes if you stare at them too long! I have read that there are now some white bulbs that are more like the yellowish white the non LED bulbs had. The other colors can also be different than you are used to. Mine still work after a few years of indoor use. Some houses near me that put up vast numbers of strings outdoors, covering the whole house and grounds, switched a few years back and have had success with them.

 

[letsgoreds]

I'm a big fan of Costco's business model. They do all the research on finding the superior products at the best price and offer only that to you. Can you find them cheaper, maybe, is the quality going to be there, probably not.

I switched our big 9 foot tree over to LED (blue/white color) and am not sure if I like it as much. I considered the warm white LED as well, but that seemed like it was trying to be something it wasn't...something seemed wrong. It was just off enough from the other traditional warm white lights I had to drive me bananas.

Last year after Christmas Target deeply discounted a bunch of their LED lights online...so something to consider. I remember reading about it on slickdeals dot net.

I prefer LED for outside lights....am I going to unravel the 15+ strands of lights off of my big tree, NO. Hopefully they grow on me : )

 

[trinchick]

DH bought them a couple of years ago, and they have become the source of an annual Christmas argument. I hate them; I think they are too bright make our house look like the Las Vegas strip. He thinks I'm a Christmas snob who doesn't like fun.

Now this year, when he put them up half of one string was dead. He wants to replace the string. I think we need to scrap them all and go back to the traditional lights. I prefer all white but will compromise and have color -- but not LED.

 

[dcfromva]

I have read that there are now some white bulbs that are more like the yellowish white the non LED bulbs had..

You just reminded me of something else we have observed. Different brands have different "colors" of white. Some have a yellow tinge, some are bluish and others are a brighter white. Every year we add or replace and it seems impossible to get the same shade of white.

 

[tinkerbell9227]

We have had great luck with the philips brand LEd lights that Target sells!

We've had them for quite a few years now and not a single lights burned out! They look great still.

I never have good luck with walmarts lights, or menards, they all seem to be bad quality (have not bought their LED lights though)

I would reccomend the phillips ones though !

 

[cari12]

I love how bright they are but I cannot find any where if one bulb goes out the entire string doesn't go out.

I have a string with one bulb not working and the rest still look great.

 

[cari12]

I have had all LED's inside for the last few years, colored ones. I like them but I don't like that you cannot change the bulbs. If one goes out, you just have a dark one then I guess once most or all stop working you throw the whole thing out. Also the wires on the ones I have are like 3 wires twined together but after a few years they start to become untwined and it gets a little messy especially because I like to sink my lights in the tree so little to no wire shows.

 

[rock_doctor]

I have had all LED's inside for the last few years, colored ones. I like them but I don't like that you cannot change the bulbs.

You can replace the bad LEDs. They just snap out like the old bulb style or at least you can with the ones that i have seen.

 

[sorcerormickey]

We have bought a bunch of LEDs over the past few years: Home Depot (lines were dead after a few days, refunded), WalMart (AWFUL, burned out bulbs immediately out of the box, refunded), Lowe's (OK so far), but the best have been from Costco.

We have LED icicle lights on our roof line and multi-color lines in our shrubs and trees, all from Costco. No problems so far and we have had them for a couple of years. The icicle lights are replaceable bulbs, but the other multi-color lines we have are not. They all look great.

Please also remember that white/clear lights come in 2 colors: warm white (what you would see on a regular line of clear/white lights) and cool white (they have that blue-ish glow to them).

 

[LJSquishy]

You have to buy decent LED lights. The cheapo store brand ones like Holiday Time (Walmart) are horrible. The cheaper sets also flicker like a strobe light.

This is my first year trying the GE LED light strands from Costco. I bought 2 strands of C9 (warm white) and 2 strands of standard mini lights (warm white). They both have faceted covers which makes them not as intense and more soothing, plus I think they look fancier. I'm not a fan of the cool white lights that have the bluish tint to them, but the pure white ones are pretty if you want something more modern. I prefer the traditional warm white myself. The biggest thing is making sure you buy all of the same brand because they all differ in lighting temperature. I figured Costco was the way to go with Christmas lights because I won't hesitate to return them if they stop working within a reasonable amount of time (and I am not one to return things to Costco).

 

[Swimalie]

We have used Phillips brand LED lights for about 6 years now. We bought them at Target. We love them. We love how bright they are and how well they hold up. So far none have burned out.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

You have to buy decent LED lights. The cheapo store brand ones like Holiday Time (Walmart) are horrible. The cheaper sets also flicker like a strobe light.

That flicker is because they are half wave lights which is a cheaper way to make them.

There have been trouble with the non sealed bulb type getting wet and rusting the contact. With the raise in copper price steel wire was used.

I have all LEDs on my house and would not have any thing else. I purchase in January for the following Christmas from Creative Displays, Holiday light express, of Magic in the sky lighting.