Scrutinizing Celebrations Classic (Ace Hardware) LED Christmas Lights, C9 and Mini

[@LemontTheFanMan]

Beautiful and colorful Christmas lights bro good video featuring Kevin I enjoyed the video

[@JordanU]

Thanks bro glad you enjoyed it.

[@Slippedndipped]

This is finally the year! I think these will finally reset the market and we will see alot more lights that are just like these. Like you said i think they are perfect for outdoors and the trutone can be used inside due to the nicer cable. Also all 4 of my local Ace stores are sold out of only this type so people must have been hearing about them already, I had to order them online.

[@carsonthorpe6696]

In the midwest, Menards has them too, and I finally upgraded to LED. I had been keeping my incandescent going as long as possible, but for me there indistinguishable so I can finally save some on my electric.

[@JordanU]

I think it can go either way, may depend on the area. Ace Hardware here still has a full shelf.

[@MatthewBooher-oz7ke]

Great video. I just ordered 7 boxes of the C9 multi from ACE. They had a promotion for $25 off a $100 purchase so my total with tax was $121.xx which I think is a good deal. I'll continue using my Tru-Tones for my indoor tree, but these will be fine for outdoors. I love Tru-Tones but just couldn't afford that many from them right now. If these last a few seasons I think they're worth it.

[@JordanU]

Thanks. I am definitely curious as to how long these would hold up.

[@AllLoudNation365]

When it comes to Christmas, tungsten is the way to go in my opinion. It just gives it that old charm which the LEDs don't really have. Those replicas though are impressive.

[@TheTornadoSirenFan]

The Only Problem With Older Lights Is They Take More Energy. (Not Hate)

[@JordanU]

I agree. The replicas are getting better, but I'm not sure there will ever be an exact replacement. I'll be running incandescent again this year, and probably for the foreseeable future.

[@AllLoudNation365]

@@TheTornadoSirenFan No you're good. That is one of the biggest downsides of incandescent lights after all.

[@worldwidehidcollectorusa3519]

I really like how the C9 LED string comes with preinstalled retrofit lamps. For me, I think Wintergreen’s OptiCore LED retrofit Christmas lamps are the best in my opinion due to their ability to produce vibrant colors.

[@JordanU]

Thanks for letting me know.

[@PMLKlighting8801]

They are cool string lights,

[@JordanU]

Yes, no heat at all.

[@versedbridge4007]

120hz is not an issue with my eyes at all, those seem quite good when compared to the false tone light bulbs I bought last year.

[@JordanU]

The flicker is about the same as the False Tones.

[@Kevinsrack]

I think I might have an explanation for why the Home Depot LEDs you can tolerate don't "flicker" as much or show banding on the caaaaaaaaaaamera. It looks like those use only a single, or at most dual, LED chip, which would seem to prevent such a phenomenon. In contrast, the True Tones and Celebrations Classic's LED bulbs likely utilize a string of tiny LEDs, making it more noticeable. I'd like to see what happens if I run these lights at a higher frequency, such as 400Hz, which we can try sometime.

[@JordanU]

That would be an interesting experiment.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

Also , out in California it would probably cost around $500 a month to run your display. Its harsh 😂

[@JordanU]

It costs about $2,000/month to run the display here, I'm sure it's more than that in California.

[@cultivatingcuriousity5542]

0:24 I have some doubts about that.

[@JordanU]

Me too.

[@Gabo_Koopa]

I love more the incadescents mini lights

[@JordanU]

Thanks for letting me know.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

ACE Leds are half the cost of true tone , considering you get the wiring as well. And also it appears the bulb bases are nickle plated.

[@JordanU]

Correct.

[@dodgeman338]

BIDINFLATION

[@JordanU]

Not good.

[@MrScottie68]

Those C9 style LED lights are much better looking than LED miniature lights for outdoor use. However, several years ago, I spent almost $15 for an outdoor rated miniature light set for an outdoor wreath “to.save money” on electrical use. However I got fooled. Halfway through season two, it stopped working and close inspection revealed rusting in the socket contacts. It would have been MUCH more cost effective to buy an incandescent set for $3.99 even with increased energy use. Bottom line, nothing from China lasts more than a few years so unless LED lights drop dramatically in cost and become more reliable they are not worth the investment.

[@JordanU]

That's my biggest fear of switching over the outdoor lighting to LED -- how long are the sets really going to last? I don't expect more than a few seasons, but with the quantity that I use, it may pay for itself even if it only lasts 2 years. I would need to do a lot more calculations before giving any further consideration to it.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

I bought led C9 bulbs from 1000 bulbs 6-7 years ago and have only burned up maybe 3 bulbs out of 200 ? Vivid core bulbs I believe with nickle coated bases

[@carsonthorpe6696]

I know you have special condition with your eyes, but I bought some true tones myself to use outside so I don’t blow fuses anymore and I have to say I literally cannot tell the difference between those and my incandescent, but I understand your dilemma

[@JordanU]

The majority of people seem to not be able to tell the difference. I unfortunately am not in that group.

[@hellhound-si5oz]

I'm going to be really honest on this if you want flicker free LED or DEL you're going to want to pick up a high frequency inverter off of alley, express 12V in OUT 120V AC and I believe it's up to 20 kilowcycles per second switching, no visible flicker, at that frequency. Not all DEL sets will work on it.

[@JordanU]

I'd much rather buy something of better quality that can be operated safely unattended.

[@showbizwisconsin8350]

If you had purchased the multicolored version of the ACE hardware classic minis, I think you would be far less nice to them. The color is extremely bad. The blue is incredibly monochromatic, like a typical LED string, and they also include a harsh purple. This also applies to the transparent multi variant of the C9 strings, although I believe they use pink. It's strange how only half of ACE's products are approaching competence.

[@JordanU]

I have the same suspicions.

[@Warp2090]

I would only buy old fashion style ones from Trutone

[@JordanU]

I tend to agree, I would rather support the better company.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

@Warp2090 isn't true tone just a marketing company for light bulbs made in China with their logo on them ?

[@JordanU]

@@RobertSilva-n5w The bulbs are made in China, which aside from the flicker is another major holdout for my purchase considering the high price (I could understand the high price if made domestically). That being said, myself and another collector have been in contact with TruTone since last year and I can say it is definitely a better, small, independently operated company that cares more about the customers than whatever OEM is behind the Ace Hardware lights.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

Last year I bought about 300 bulbs from true tone and the paint had chips and dings, after 5 weeks outside with a little bit of weather the paint was peeling down to a clear bulb. I'm not impressed after a few hundred dollars. My opinion

[@JordanU]

@@RobertSilva-n5w I had one string outdoors for a portion of last year, I inspected it closely a few days ago and noticed a few chips here and there. I encounter this on all other C9 lights I use, but when the other things are a fraction of the price, it is a little more excusable.

[@djbrucebanner9882]

I like it

[@JordanU]

OK

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

I doubt anyone will notice any Flicker on your outdoor displays 😊

[@JordanU]

There is no flicker in my displays.

[@RobertSilva-n5w]

I admire your dedication and enthusiasm 😊

[@loudspeakertestsmorebyaida3804]

I think it should be a crime for manufacturers to sell any flickery light source. I really wish there are many flicker-free LED Christmas lights that would match up to the brightness of the incandescent ones. They also should provide options that provide cool color tones because I do like the deep blues and greens, but I absolutely hate the 60Hz flicker they provide and aren’t bright at all.

[@JordanU]

It shouldn't be a criminal matter, it's simply a matter of consumer choice and corporate greed. If consumers refused products that were poor quality, manufacturers would make products that are good quality. Unfortunately the majority of the population seems to run out to the store the second a new product is released and buy it out regardless of how good it is, and then we get stuck with garbage since it sells. Consumers are largely responsible for the quality of the products on the shelves.

[@loudspeakertestsmorebyaida3804]

@ Ok

[@Butchey24]

LEDs are more expensive to operate in the sense that they last much longer than incandescence.

[@JordanU]

That makes no sense.

[@Butchey24]

@JordanU I know

[@KeithMelps]

The flicker of led lights is so annoying

[@JordanU]

I agree.

[@dodgeman338]

Bright white LED lighting is horrible. Especially headlights and new street lights. I wish they would go back to incandescent and high pressure sodium. The LED blue light spectrum is awful and damages your eyes

[@JordanU]

I agree.

[@FletcherRSmith]

Ugh! LED Christmas lights… blasphemous in my book.

[@JordanU]

I agree, there really is nothing like a traditional incandescent light set.