Using less energy is always a good thing, but until recently the Christmas LED lights left a lot to be desired. If one wanted to use a white/clear light, the pure white that was offered was too bright, harsh and “blue”. It might be all right for an outside decoration, but not for an inside tree. Even outside, the glare and color did not give decorations a traditional feeling. Fortunately progress has been made, manufacturers are making them more like the traditional lights we’ve been used to over the years and the technology has finally reached the breaking point.
Energy saving LED Christmas lights have been on the scene for several years, but only in the last few years have we even considered using them. There were lots of pros and cons to switching to LED Christmas lights, but the “cons” are being addressed and in a few years will no longer be an issue.
For instance:
- The LED light is more costly than the standard incandescent mini-light, but it lasts longer.
- Numerous strands can be strung together, a big plus when outlets are not plentiful or when one uses hundreds of lights.
- The LED light uses 15% of the energy of a standard incandescent mini-light with a brighter light for a greater impact
- It has no glass cover or filament to break.
- The temperature of the bulb is safer than a standard bulb that can get quite warm.
Comparing LED Cool Whites vs New Warm Whites
The biggest hang-up was the “blue” harsh color of the clear light. Today that pure “cool” white color is rapidly being replaced by the more pleasant “warm” white light. In previous years the warm white light didn’t look like a true incandescent light, it looked more yellow than gold. But in recent years the technology has finally come around and today’s warm white light is almost identical to incandescent lights (see picture above). Mr. Christmas Lights exclusively uses the newest warm white Christmas lights.