Looking for more energy efficient mini lights or cheap led

[cubbieco]

I'm sorry to ask more questions.  I'll try to answer as many as I ask in the future when I'm smart.

I'm looking for 1 of 2 things:  Either really cheap LED minis or energy efficient regular bulbs. 

Basically I bought a few of these but I don't think I have enough:

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These are energy efficient minis that use up around 48 watts per 200 string.  The info says you can plug 8 200 strings of these end to end.  Regular price on these is around 5.5 cents per bulb.  Target also had some similar bulbs from philips in single colors with similar power specs (maybe 52-53 watts per 200) which I bought some but not enough.  I'm planning my display now and taking an inventory of what I have and based on what I want to do I'll need more red and green lights.

I seem to be able to find similar prices on non-energy efficient that runs in the 82 to 85 watts per 200, but I can't even find more energy efficient lights.  If they don't publish the wattage (or amps) you can usually tell if regular bulbs are energy efficient by how many that you can plug in end to end (yes I know that is a function of the wire and a bunch of other things I don't know about but this is a simplified example).

So - basically I'm looking to keep it well under 10 cents per bulb (node?).  The best LED price I've found works out to be around 15 cents per node bulk.  Anybody found anything better either LED or energy efficient? 

To make the math easier I'm trying to beat $10.00 per 100 string or $7.00 per 70 string of lights, led or energy efficient.

Thanks

[cubbieco]

Sorry to hijack my own thread but has anybody tried ones like this?  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Little worried they might be indoor only but with RJ's waterproofing video for simple strings these might work...

[mokeefe]

Well, the major issue with those lights is that it has a built-in pattern controller. I suppose it might be possible to hack around the controller, but then you don't know if they are full wave or half wave LED's which will affect their dimming capabilities. The shipping from China is $4.55 per string with basically no discount for ordering multiple sets.  So you end up paying about $5.50 per 100 LED string and don't know if you can get around the controller, are weatherproof, or can be dimmed.  The initial price of $0.99 per string looks appealing but I'm not sure final cost and questions make it a good deal.  One could gamble $5.54 and see if you could make a string work.

-Mike

[tbone321]

I know that many like to go as cheap as possible but that is not always the best way to go.  The first thing that you really need to think about is how big do you want to go and how long to get there.  If you want a really big display then I would go LED without a second thought.  Sure, they are MUCH more expensive (for the good ones) then the low cost incandecents but they also use much less power.  I know that many don't think of that but they should.  It is not so much a matter of saving money on electricity as it is being able to set up large numbers of lights without needed to figure out how to get 100 or more Amps worth of power into the yard.  If you intend to keep your display small then it really doesn't matter and go with what looks best or costs the least.