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It’s beginning to look somewhat like Christmas October 24, 2009

Posted by ledguy in Christmas lights, Products.
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Though the pumpkins are still out and we still have to get through turkey season, I’m beginning to see Christmas decorations start to appear.

Which raises the question: should you buy LED Christmas lights this year?

My advice: yes, just look for the color temperature in the 3000 – 3500k range.

I’ve talked to a few people who purchased LED Christmas lights a couple of years ago and hate the bluish light. I bought a couple sets of those strings, too, but now LED lights with a much more pleasing, incandescent-like yellowish glow are available (see picture).

Comparing "cool" (left) and "warm" LED Christmas lights

Comparing "cool" (left) and "warm" LED Christmas lights

In my front hall, I have these two fake trees to fill the tall space. When I replaced the incandescent strings on them with LED, at first they were the bluish light on the left. When I changed them out for newer “warmer” light on the right, I took this picture for the comparison.

Last year I bought some GE Lights at Costco, $10 for a 30 foot string of 100 lights and used them outside. No one knew the difference.  Prices are definitely coming down, as the string in this picture was $20 for a 24-foot 70-light strand from the Brookstone catalogue but a no-name manufacturer.
More of my posts about Christmas lights:
Review of Brookstone lights: http://ledlightsathome.com/2007/12/07/more-led-christmas-lights/
Review of lights from my local hardware store: http://ledlightsathome.com/2007/11/22/led-christmas-lights/
A plea to GE to us a little “Ecomagination”: http://ledlightsathome.com/2007/11/24/ge-bring-ecomagination-to-christmas-lights/
The National Christmas Tree: http://ledlightsathome.com/2007/12/29/led-christmas-lights-are-a-hit-this-year/

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Comments»

1. Warren S. - October 25, 2009

I got LED Christmas lights last year. While trying to arrange them on the tree while lit some burnt out. I think it was due to static electricity. So beware of this problem.

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2. Jim - December 10, 2009

The warm white lights are a vast improvement over the bluish “cool white” LEDs, but they still have a long way to go before they can compare to incandescents. The smaller “dome” or “button” LEDs seem to be closer in terms of brightness and “twinkle” but the colors are still off. The blues are too prominent and the other colors too subdued. Hopefully the technology will get better in terms of color. I like the fact they are cheaper to burn and don’t break their glass counterparts, so if the manufacturers can get them to look more “incandescent” like, it would be the perfect replacement.

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Warren S. - December 24, 2009

I purchased some LEDs that change color. They are about the size of a gum ball. They individually change color from red to blue to green. They also change speed of color change from slow to fast to slow again. Each bulb marches to its own drummer so speed and color is not synchronized. They were expensive but I got them as they were being marked down.

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