Shop the best outdoor Christmas lights to decorate your home, per experts
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While you may do your market research when it comes to buying replacement lightbulbs for your ceiling lights and lamps, there’s at least one kind of light product that you want to spend as little time and money on as possible: Christmas lights.
You are watching: Shop the best outdoor Christmas lights to decorate your home, per experts
That’s totally understandable. You might only use Christmas lights for one, maybe two months every year. So as long as you choose ones with positive reviews, you’ll probably be fine.
However, having an expert show you which lights are actually worth your money — without costing too much, either — is a far better approach. It doesn’t require any extra effort on your part, and you get products that will last longer, perform better and make your home more beautiful.
Enter Jennifer Klestinez, who owns a lighting installation company in upstate New York and offers home lighting advice as @thebrightboss on TikTok.
While there are some pro-grade lighting products that Klestinez prefers over commercially available ones, she shared plenty of helpful recommendations of holiday lights you can buy at Amazon, The Home Depot and Walmart.
Klestinez’s main piece of advice is to avoid incandescent bulbs. “They get hot, you can’t string many together, they use a lot more energy and the glass shatters,” she told the New York Post. That’s why Klestinez focused on LED lights, which are more durable and reliable.
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Length: 25 feet
Colors: Warm white, white, red, yellow, green, pink, purple and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: LED bulbs offer reliable brightness, and stringer can be used with other C7 bulbs
One of the most important things to look for in Christmas lights is how easily you can replace bulbs that burn out. The bulbs in this set can all be replaced as needed and swapped out for different color C7 shaped bulbs, which makes it so much easier to maintain your design once it’s set up. These lights can also work with a dimmer and are exceptionally durable. Rated to last for up to 60,000 hours, too.
“This one in particular is just classic fun Christmas vibes with LED perks,” Klestinez said. “They’re the most versatile size, and if you use the stringers with wider spacing, it looks better and is easier to scatter in trees than a heavier string with more bulbs.”
Length: 25 feet
Colors: Warm white, red, white and blue
Noteworthy Features: Ability to connect with up to 45 strands
If you’re covering a large area and want to save money, these value lights are a smart option. While their LED bulbs aren’t replaceable, their wiring is designed so that if you have multiple strands plugged into each other and one strand goes out, the others will remain lit.
“The construction is more promising than the majority of others at big box sites,” said Klestinez. “The shape also diffuses the light more widely, which you want outside.”
Klestinez also recommended these because their length is easy to work with. “Don’t get big rolls of 100-feet and 300-feet of lights,” she said. “Shorter lengths are better to control for a neater final project.”
Length: 10 feet
Colors: White (with more colors available here)
Noteworthy Features: Easy to replace with other G50 bulbs
Vickerman offers their large, rounded bulbs in a rainbow of colors, so after you get this kit that includes plain white bulbs and a stringer to plug them all in, you can experiment by switching out different colored bulbs.
While the shorter strand length means you may have to buy more bulbs, these are noticeably bright and can be a great choice for highlighting smaller areas such as a window frame or door frame.
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“I love the bigger round shape which spreads the bright LED light nicely,” said Klestinez. “The globe style is visually much more versatile and can work beyond the holiday season. Use them on rooflines and in big tree canopies.”
Length: 17 feet
Colors: White, red, green, blue, yellow, purple, teal and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Remote controlled and customizable
Instead of buying different colored bulbs that you have to switch out, you can more quickly access a wide range of colors with this programmable set. Choose from eight color options and 10 lighting modes for a ton of versatility and easy customization.
“These RGB string lights have a rich, bright color, and it is super fun to play with the preset color and motion options using the remote,” said Klestinez. “The control is more reliable than an app-connected light set and is especially fun for the kids. They’re also very well made with lock-together connections and solid-molded bulbs that won’t break off and are meant to handle the outdoors.”
Length: 25 feet
Colors: Warm white, white, red, blue, green and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Removable stake attachments let you use these lights in the ground or around your home
Made by the same company as Klestinez’s pick for best overall lights, these have two important features that make them work buying: Easily replaceable bulbs and stake attachments to plant in the ground. The polycarbonate material on the C9 bulbs is more durable than glass, so you won’t worry about broken bulbs, and they work great with a dimmer.
“Nice and bright and available in different lengths and colors. I don’t use these much in the northeast for Chrismas because we get buried in snow, but I have used the same brand’s bulbs in custom configurations for path lights during summer events that always look great,” Klestinez said. “The stakes included could make for an easy installation, and unlike most path light strings at big retailers, these can connect together for long runs without worrying about using more extension cords.”
Length: ~1 foot per tube light, pack contains 10 tube lights
Colors: Blue, white, warm white and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Built-in sequencing function
Instantly add a wow factor to your outdoor light setup when you incorporate these novelty lights with a simple rod shape and cascading effect. You can hang them from trees or on the outside of your house, and you don’t need many to create a mesmerizing look. Best of all, you have the freedom to hang each light on its own or connect multiples together.
“I like the interesting motion these meteor tubes offer,” Klestinez said. “You can connect multiple strings and use them to add some drip to a tree, scatter under a pergola or covered entry, or accent railings and rooflines.”
Length: 17 feet
Colors: Warm white, white, blue, gold, green, orange, red and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Lights pulse independently for true twinkle effect
These acrylic bulbs are slightly shorter and less pointed than standard Christmas lights, which makes them much harder to break in case they get stepped on or smushed. The subtle twinkling effect they provide is a lovely alternative or complement to the rest of your outdoor light setup, and because these are rated to last for up to 50,000 hours, you won’t have to worry about replacing them any time soon.
“Unlike a typical twinkle motion, these slowly fade on and off independently, evoking enchanting fireflies or an otherworldly fairy utopia,” Klestinez said. “The single-molded bulbs don’t pop off or let water in, and you can string up to 45 strands together. They look amazing for your summer garden or event lighting, too.”
Length: 68 feet
Colors: Warm white, blue, red/green, red/white and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Hinges let you rotate bulbs up to 180º
Save time and effort on your installation job with these Christmas lights that come with detachable mini clamps for setting in place. The set includes 100 clamps (one for each of its 100 bulbs), and you have the option of clipping on every single light or alternating between them to save even more time. The C9 size bulbs aren’t as easy to replace when they burn out because they don’t screw in, but for this amount and length of lights, you get a great deal.
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“Having the bulb attached to the clip is nice, especially for removal time,” Klestinez said. “It can be tricky to maintain a unified look as you make your way around changing features of your roofline, and these seem helpful with some of that. You will get the most brightness facing them straight out and sometimes a preferable glow on the architecture of your home if you face them down.”
For an even quicker and easier option, Klestinez also recommended this projector light that requires zero installation. “What’s easier than a ton of color in minutes? These three-color spot lights are versatile and pack a great little punch for quick decorating,” she said.
Length: 17 feet
Colors: Warm white, white, blue, green, purple, red and multicolor
Noteworthy Features:
At 5 millimeters long, these are about as short as you can go with Christmas lights while still maintaining visible brightness and outdoor durability. Their wiring is designed to eliminate unwanted flickering effects, and you can connect dozens of strands together — up to 45 strands — to cover a ton of surface area. Klestinez recommended grabbing at least two boxes so you can play with mixing colors together.
“These are made to be outdoors and are going to be easier to work with and more durable than some other lights you see that come in rolls and super long lengths,” Klestinez said.
Length: 25 feet
Colors: Multicolor, warm white, white, blue, red, green, orange, yellow, pink and purple
Noteworthy Features: Choose between smooth or diamond patterned bulbs for different textured looks
These lights use similar bulbs as the Wintergreen Lighting option that Klestinez recommended for pathways, and are an Amazon Choice product. The set uses easy-to-replace C9 size bulbs, which let you create customized light patterns by mixing and matching colors, and they work well with a dimmer if you want to incorporate that into your design.
To attach these lights to your roofline, Klestinez recommended pairing them with these tabs that can slide into shingles, or these clips that go over gutters.
For styling your roof lights, Klestinez suggested adding warm white bulbs into a multicolor set or alternating with three bulbs of one color, then three bulbs of another color. “Take time to screw the bulbs in straight and you will get the best results by pointing them out for the most light or down for a pretty glow against your home,” Klestinez said.
Length: ~3 feet tall
Colors: Warm white, white, blue, pink, green, purple and multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Two lighting modes (steady and flash)
While solar-powered lights aren’t always a great choice as your main light decoration for the outside of your house — because they’re often not bright enough — Klestinez has found some solar-powered accent options that perform well. You can stake these in the ground or in planters, then bend the individual light strands into different shapes to create eye-catching ornaments (including a heart for Valentine’s Day).
“One of my customers has these, and if you take the time to really set all of the malleable twigs just right, it really does look beautiful to see them peppered through landscaping at night,” Klestinez said.
As a second option, Klestinez recommended these leaf-shaped solar-powered lights. “I like the idea of these for a frozen forest look and similar standalone-type lights for going with solar,” she said.
Length: 11.5 feet long x 10 feet wide
Colors: Multicolor
Noteworthy Features: Battery-powered, includes rechargeable AA battery
As a general rule of thumb, Klestinez cautioned against using net lights. While they’re intended to quickly provide neat and even coverage of an area, they can easily clump up and look messy. As an alternative to regular net lights, Klestinez recommended this set that uses a star at the top end and string lights on the bottom to create a sort of customized installation look without very much effort.
“I would not use these on bushes because they just look like nets,” Klestinez said. “As a workaround, this seems to be my best option. Otherwise, it is tangle-city and never looks good!”
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Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor
This post was last modified on 29/10/2023 20:12
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