If you are tired of your dull front porch, backyard, patio, or garden, you seriously need outdoor string lights to liven up your home. This is probably the easiest and cheapest way to make your outdoor setting become wonderful again; there is absolutely no need for those costly garden landscaping items. What I love most about these string lights is the fact that they do not only serve as a decoration, they actually serve a practical purpose too. Their lights are actually bright enough to provide sufficient outdoor lighting. Anyway, as promised, I will give you some of the things you need to know about these string lights.
Safety First
Every time you purchase any electronic device, outdoor string lights included, you must
Unless you want to see these guys, be safe with your string lights.
always think about safety first. It is extremely important that you choose lights that are durable enough to withstand any harsh conditions outdoors to avoid any injuries or damage; after all, the most common cause of fire is faulty electrical wiring. First things first, check the label of the light to see if it can be used outdoors; if not, don’t even dare use it outside your house. You should buy ones that are guaranteed to have been made for outdoor use because they are the ones that are usually more durable.
Incandescent vs. LED Lights
If you were not living in a cave or hiding under a rock the past few years, you should probably have an idea what LED lights are. There are three general aspects of the battle between LED and incandescent lights that we need to focus on: durability, color, and cost of power consumption. Each of which will be discussed further as we go along this article. I just need to point out that string lights can either be LED or incandescent lights; both of which have their own strong and weak points and all you have to do is choose what works best for you.
Let us start with durability – LED lights win in this category with bulbs lasting for more or less five years. However, you can choose from a wider variety of colors with incandescent lights than you can with LED lights. But since LED lights are smaller, it is still easier to decorate them than the incandescent ones. Regarding the costs, you can look at it two ways: either incandescent lighting is more cost effective because they are much cheaper compared to LED lights; or LED lights are the more cost efficient ones as they consume less power so you could save a lot of electricity money in the long run. If you ask me, I would say LED lights are cheaper if you try to look at the bigger picture.
So there go some of the things you need to consider before buying outdoor string lights. There are honestly a lot you can choose from so it is best to narrow down your choices first using these tips before heading out to the store.
