I admit it. I'm a sucker for holiday lights and decorations on homes around Christmas. Seeing them makes me feel like a kid again, and I got a pang to put some lights up after a nice walk around our festive neighborhood on Saturday night. I hadn't put them up for the past couple of years because 1) I'm lazy and 2) I don't like all the extra juice the strings suck out of the grid.
Well, now you can buy newfangled LED Christmas (or Hanukkah) lights that use up to 90% less energy than the old incandescents. What's more, they've gone mainstream and you can buy them at Walmart, Lowes, wherever. I've used LED blinky lights on my bike for years and I love their brightness and long battery life. I'm sure they've prevented tons of cars from pummeling me on dark nights. Great, right?
Well it turns out that what's great for blinkies and flashlights is not so great for Christmas lights. I bought two white Phillips-brand strands at Target today and I am sorely disappointed. Not only are they expensive ($11.99 and $14.99), but they are way, way too harsh and bright. When I plugged in a strand, it was like 60 mini flashlights staring me in the face. They also have an almost imperceptible flicker that gives me a headache. Yikes! I really, really wanted to like the LED lights, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be returning them to store.
Now, it's possible that the colored strings are more pleasing, but based on what I've been reading online, I have my doubts. Manufacturers need to work on making LED's easier on human eyes. It's the lighting technology of the future, but in my opinion there's a long way to go.
My recommendation? If you must put up lights, you might want to stick with your old incandescents rather than buying LEDs that you'll end up tossing when better models come out next year. Just do what my dad did and keep them to a tasteful minimum and don't leave them on all night. Target sells a bunch of automatic timers and that might be the ticket.
Did you try Light Emitting Diodes this year? What's your take?
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
LED Christmas Lights Not Doing It For Me
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2 comments:
I am even more glad that my only concession to the holiday is to put up a teeny (two-foot) tree with its only teeny strand of lights and less-teeny ornaments. No big strands of lights for me! No glowing Rudolph and Santa madness! That's how I conserve energy during this time!
Not all LED Christmas lights are that bright and sores your eyes.
led string lights
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