What type of lights do you prefer and why?

[fertsy]

I am curious what people prefer as far as lights for an outside display. I bought my first bunch of LED's and plugged them in an was not impressed. They were Phillips (see link below) and I could see the flickering and it was quite annoying. However I love the energy efficiency of the LED's. Is the flickering less noticeable once they are all strung out outside at night?




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[fasteddy]

I have taken a different approach for my lighting upgrade and actually have very little light strings in my display.
With the new offerings of RGB there are many types of different light forms that can be used which have advantages in certain installations.

I use RGB strip light for outlines of rooflines, windows and gutters as it is directional and easy to mount on conduit. These lights are a good replacement for light rope but are smaller and thinner and give out a great amount of colourful light.

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I then use RGB modules for my roof tiles mounted to cheap lino tile partitions, again directional and work well for the application

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In then use the strings for my tree. but i use pixel based RGB nodes which can be individually controlled

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So in summary I use strip for outlines and borders, modules for roof tiles, and strings for trees and bushes. I also use rainbow floods to then wash the walls. This way i feel I'm using the different lighting forms to there advantage.

[jnealand]

My biggest issues besides my programming skills or lack thereof are available power and storage.  To solve the power issue I have been converting to LEDs  I don't see any flcker, but maybe I don't have good eyes.  All my LEDs came form local stores, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Hobby Lobby, Costco, etc.  I have never seen a package of LED lights marked half or full wave so I could not even tell you what I have.  But to me it does not make any difference as I suspect that few, if any, viewers of my display would even know what I was talking about if I tried to explain the difference between half and full.  Besides when the lights are flashing on and off I would never be able to tell if there was a flicker.  Maybe in steady state always on mode, but that is not animated lighting.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to me it is only the owner of the display who cares.  Just my 2 cents.  If you like incandescents, and I have friends that do, then use what you like.

[fertsy]

I am not sure what I like yet, lol. You make a great point about when their flashing you'll never see them.

The only full wave lights I have seen so far are the Martha Stewart brand.

[Rainlover]

Since this is my first year of blink/flashy, I knew that I was going to either have to have additional electrical service put in or convert to LEDs. I decided on LEDs. The money I spent on LEDs was probably about the same as I would have spent for an eletrical upgrade and hopefully I will be using these lights for a long time and be using less power. The LEDs I bought from CDI are bright and beautiful.

John

[CW]

I like 5mm LED full wave because they are very bright and do not flicker.  I have used them for 3 years and had very little issue with them.  I also buy from CDI, great prices and excellent prompt customer service.

Craig

[Kwajtony]

Another Advantage to LED's is the power consumption issue.  I had 4K lights last year 3500 led, and my power bill was not noticably different from November.  This year I'll have 12K mostly led so we will see.  I have both full wave and half wave led's, the half wave's aren't as bright and they dim a little oddly.

R<
Tony "C"

[inzeos]

I am not sure what I like yet, lol. You make a great point about when their flashing you'll never see them.

The only full wave lights I have seen so far are the Martha Stewart brand.

How did you figure these were full wave?  I noticed them at Home Depot this year; however, I looked at the box and did not see any markings indicating they were full wave.

[fertsy]

If I am not mistaken I believe they say flicker free on them. I have not looked at them in about 3 weeks.

[tbone321]

Flicker free could mean full wave or half wave with a cap to keep them lit between voltage pulses.  How well do they dim?

[fertsy]

I do not own any

[CW]

The full wave have rectifiers 2 to 4 per string.  They look like stubby cigar at each end and in the middle on some brands.  The full wave dim smoother then half wave but not as good as incandescent lights.

[magic8192]

I use incandescent mini lights because they are bright and cheap.  If I have a bad string, I just toss it.  No worries.

[Jeffl]

I just figured what it would cost to convert my display from incandescent to LED based on 2009 CDI preorder prices.   About 8K.

I like LED's but unless I win the lottery I'll be using and fixing those incandescent lights I already have.   Either that or I will have to downsize my display which in some bases might be ok as well.

[fertsy]

The lights at Home Depot are very reasonable right now. If you bring in an old strand to recycle you get a coupon that will give you $3 off per strand, The coupon says up to five but if you go to self check out it works for a seemingly unlimited amount. The 50 bulb mini LEDs are $2.97 after the coupon.