However, the bulbs and wires are packaged separately, forcing you to screw in each of the bulbs by hand. These large lights come in several lengths, ranging from 25 to 100 feet. If you’d prefer them to be less bright, they can even be dimmed with a compatible switch. These lights feature large, faceted C9 bulbs made from durable polycarbonate, and we found them to be extremely bright and beautiful, lighting up our whole yard during testing. If you’re decorating a large outdoor object-such as your roofline or an oversized tree-you’ll want large bulbs to match the scale, and the Wintergreen Lighting C9 OptiCore Commercial LED Christmas Lights are unmatched in terms of aesthetics and quality. These lights aren’t commercial-grade, which means there’s always the possibility that moisture will get into the bulbs, but they’re a great value if you're decorating on a budget.īulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: T5 mini | Length: 29.5 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 30 They have a slight strobing effect, which is caused by a lack of rectifiers on the LEDs, but it’s not as noticeable when they’re actually hung up. We thought these lights were of average brightness, and liked the traditional appearance of the warm mini lights. Each strand is 29.5 feet long, and they feature 100 bulbs on classic green wire. These indoor-outdoor lights might not be the most durable, but they’re extremely affordable and give you the flexibility to connect up to 30 strands of lights together for large-scale decorating. To get the most bang for your buck, the Home Accents Holiday LED Mini String Lights are a solid classic option for decorating your Christmas tree or around your home.

Still, we love that you can connect up to 30 strands on one outlet-ideal for decorating your house or yard-and the lights come with six spare bulbs and two fuses, allowing you to repair any issues quickly and easily.īulb Type: LED | Bulb Shape: T5 mini | Length: 66 feet | Maximum Connected Strands: 30 They have a 'Stay Lit' design that prevents the whole strand from going dark if one bulb burns out, but we did note that the construction isn’t quite as durable as other options. These colored Christmas lights are UL-certified and waterproof, and during our testing, they held up perfectly through several days of heavy rain and winds. The miniature size of the lights makes them suitable for decorating thin railings and branches, but they're still bright enough to cover trees and houses and still make an impact. The fire-resistant lights feature a classic green wire, so they're great for stringing around your Christmas tree as well. These colored lights feature 200 LED mini bulbs on a 66-foot wire, and we found the hues were vibrant and beautiful, especially at night. You can create a cheery and colorful outdoor display with the Yuletime Multicolor LED Christmas Lights, which come in just about every color imaginable, from traditional white and red to multicolored options. We spent three weeks testing and researching outdoor Christmas lights from the top home and decor brands, evaluating durability, brightness, and value.Įditor's Note: This story was revised in December 2023 to include an updated list of recommendations based on our editors' research and past testing data. “With LEDs, you actually have the diodes colored the same as the bulb, so you do not see the fading occur from year to year nearly as much, if at all.” Those aren't the only benefits, either: “Traditionally, incandescent bulbs are dipped for coloring, which results in the sun fading the colors in just one season,” says Matthew Martoccio, founder of The Christmas Guys. Not only do LEDs use 75% less energy to operate, allowing you to connect more strands together, but they also stay cool to the touch, which makes them safer to use around potentially flammable objects and last longer than incandescent bulbs. We also recommend looking for LED bulbs rather than incandescent ones.

Look for a certification from Underwriters Laboratories Inc., commonly abbreviated as UL, to ensure the lights have undergone rigorous testing to confirm they are outdoor-safe. 'One thing to look for when purchasing outdoor Christmas lights is that the lights you’re selecting are outdoor rated,” explains Lance Allen, Decorative Holiday Merchant at The Home Depot. Quality outdoor Christmas lights make your home look festive and stand up to inclement weather, so you can use them for many holiday seasons to come.

The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.

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