Christmas lights have come a long way over the decades. For many years incandescent lights ruled the chicken coop, from the day that if one of a string went out, they all went out and all were made of frosted glass until the last few years when wiring problems were solved and clear bulbs went out. became more popular. Today, advances in electronic technology have led to the introduction of LED lights, or light-emitting diodes.
LED lights don’t rely on a filament, like incandescent lights do, or a mixture of gases, like fluorescent or neon lights do. Instead, they transmit current through a semiconductor material that emits light when excited by current. There are actually two styles of lights commonly known as LED icicle lights. The first is made to look like an icicle; the second is more properly known as “network lights”, which consist of LEDs strung on cables in such a way that when installed they dangle and in the dark resemble a series of icicles.
LED icicle lights of any style have certain advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, they consume significantly less electricity than other types of light for equivalent brightness. However, there is disagreement on how much less electricity they actually consume in real-world environments. Still, they are less expensive to operate than incandescent ones, in particular.
Another advantage of icicle-style LED lights is that they don’t get hot, so they can be safely placed where children can touch them. They are available in a range of colors including white, blue, red, green, and orange. Some people now use orange LED Christmas Lights lights in their Halloween decorations.
As for the disadvantages, the main one is the fact that they are more expensive than other varieties. However, as time passes and the demand for them fills up and more manufacturers build production capacity, prices have been steadily declining. One thing to keep in mind is that, as with everything else, they have huge discounts after Christmas, so planning the year ahead will pay off. Also, for those who attend yard and property sales, they are often available from these sources at very reasonable prices.
While vendors of LED icicle lights tout a lifespan of hundreds of thousands of hours, it’s unclear if they will actually perform that well in the real world. Lab results are one thing; Shock, inclement weather, and the heat of an attic throughout the summer tend to reduce lifespan, as the plastic housings in which LEDs are mounted are not as durable as the LEDs themselves. For those who decide to invest in these lights, they are usually available at Home Centers and specialty Christmas stores after Halloween. There are many sellers on the Internet throughout the year, and the price competition is increasingly there.