CelebrationsLed C9 Ceramic Light Set 16' Multi-Colored Lights

ADDED 12/01/11: After reading the by Tyson Brown it appears that my review from a year ago is no longer valid. I thought about deleting it but I thought that people should be aware that they have changed sets but the photo and description is still the same. Both the variety I received and the ones received in 2011 by Tyson Brown appear to be good sets, just different.Original review:I've been thinking of replacing my gaudy, multi-colored, old-fashioned C9 incandescent Christmas strings with LED strings of equal taste. I've been unable to find either the right price or ones that weren't made of odd clear-faceted bulbs. The strings that weren't faceted never had a regular white bulb. The photo for this item (at least as I write this) shows a string that looks just like my current bulbs. However, the string you receive has no white but does have orange, yellow, red, green and blue. I've posted photos to show what the string really looks like. Also, the bulbs are not quite as large as the C9 incandescent bulbs I've been using.OK, I admit I was disappointed that I had not found the LED version of my current display. However, after showing the string to several family and neighbors they all liked them and thought they were of a taste consistent with my current display. I ended up deciding that the lights were worth it and ordered several more to replace all of the strings I've been using. While my children claim that they will be disappointed to no longer be able to comment at school on how in our house you cannot run the vacuum at night while the outside display is ablaze, I think we will all feel a little better about not sucking nearly as much electricity.Most importantly, years from now my children will still be able to look me straight in the eye and tell me "You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination".ONE YEAR LATER (added 11/29/11): I now have these lights up on our house for a second holiday season. I still would give them four stars but I do have somewhat mixed feelings about them. I miss the glaring loveliness of the old C9 incandescent bulbs. Also, these don't have a white bulb and it is a different look, sort of more bluish.On the positive side, they don't burn out, they are easier to put up and take down in that they don't break when I slam them up against the brick (because I like to) and they certainly don't drink electricity like the old ones. They are still more festive than the lights of my neighbors with their classy little white bulbs and that makes me happy.A commentator asked for photos of them on the house at night so I have added them.ADDED 11/30/11: Someone else asked how many watts each string uses. I have a meter that I didn't have before so I went out and checked. I don't know how many watts each string uses but the nine I have connected through one plug draw a total of 13 or 14 watts. That compares to the 175 watts just one of my old 25-bulb C9 strings used. That sort of quantifies why we no longer blow circuits.

I was looking for a set of C9 lights for my tree this Christmas. I was hoping to find an LED set that would look just like the older, less energy efficient sets from previous years. I found these online, and based upon other reviews purchased them. This review will compare this LED set to the older C9 sets.Out of the box, this set looks very similar to the older lights. The size and appearance are all similar, but they do feel slightly lighter in hand though. Plugging them in reveals the biggest difference, they are significantly dimmer than the traditional C9 lights. Other reviews have stated this, but I underestimated just how significantly dimmer they truly are. I have uploaded a picture to try and show the difference. The other large difference is in color. The LED set looks just like all other LED christmas lights you have seen, the colors are more vibrant and colder compared to the older C9s. The picture uploaded does not quite show how different they look in person, but if you have seen other LED sets, you'll know what to expect. The other big difference is in heat. The new LED's are relatively cool to the touch after being plugged in for a few minutes, while the older C9 sets get quite warm after being plugged in shortly. I cannot comment on the durability of these sets, as I only used them briefly.For me personally, I was less concerned about energy efficiency and more concerned about how closely they resembled the older lights. Unfortunately they fell short of my expectations, so I ended up returning them. This should not deter you though. If you love the look of newer LED colors, or if you are concerned about the heat produced by the older sets, then these are a great option for you.

I purchased 10 of these light sets last year, 8 on Amazon and two at Ace Hardware.Initially, these are beautiful lights. They have the glass covers with the ceramic colors on them that make them look just like the lights that were on my childhood home. That's the look I was going for, so Viola!I already knew to expect the dim output because I know that's what LED lights do. To me, that was an acceptable loss in exchange for the difference in electrical usage (I wasn't too concerned about electrical usage as a child).I had a real hard time keeping these lights lit during the season. Blustery winds banged the lights against the trim hard enough to break some of the VERY FRAGILE light covers and the bulbs were burning out at a rate of at least two a day (Across all 10 sets).Replacement LED bulbs are expensive! I ran out of the included spares about a week after installation.Replacement light covers are not available (Except now, I'm selling mine on a major auction site).It was easy to demonstrate the fragility of the light covers during removal of the lights. You CANNOT drop these onto your lawn nor can you drag them across your roof. In two instances, I broke a cover just trying to put the hanger clip on the light.So, My spare LED bulbs came in before the lights came down. I replaced the bad bulbs, plugged the lights in. They all worked. I put them away (I won't put them away unless they work 100%).This year...yesterday to be exact, I got the lights out, getting ready to go through my Christmas decorations and I plugged them in. Only two sets work at all!I started trying to find a loose bulb and I took a bulb out of the socket and one of its leads (cathode, anode...blah, blah, blah) were rusted apart! So I replace the bulb and the lights still didn't come on, so I went to the next one. SAME AS THE FIRST!I am not going to buy more bulbs, I am not going to spend another dime or another minute trying to restore a warm fuzzy feeling from my childhood, so I took the light covers off and I'm selling them.That's $150 bucks and a LOT OF TIME...WASTED!What's more? When I bought these lights, I threw out all my minis. Now I have to buy new lights AGAIN!I highly recommend that you purchase another style of light set unless you'd like to put dielectric grease in every single socket, which is, perhaps, how they should be sold!