When comparing strands of lights vs. spools of 1,000 ft wire, we were wondering which is better. It seems that buying Christmas lights in strands with lights already in will save us time, however, we have to connect each strand and the lengths are never exact on what you need. The spools seem to be a great product when you can cut your own exact length. The problem with the spools of course is that you have to screw in your own Bulbs. Which is better time or accuracy?

Then there is the economic factor:
I’ve also noticed that the LED C-9 retrofit bulbs are very expensive ($30 to $40 for a pack of 25) for spools. My thought is you might as well buy the LED C-9 individual strands with the lights already in them. You can get them at a significantly cheaper price this way. Traditional Incandescent bulbs are more affordable for spools. The best reason I can find for the cost difference is that LED C-9 lights are secured permanently on strands. You will never have to remove or replace the bulbs. The C-9 retrofit bulbs are removable making them more expensive. In conclusion, am I correct in saying that C-9 incandescent bulbs are the better option for spools and the LED C-9 lights are more economical to purchase in individual strands?

haven’t been impressed with LED C9’s yet .. still pretty buggy technology when you’re converting power.

We use the 1000 foot strands, and while their great for being able to cut the to length, the wire is a cheaper guage and the sockets do break and come off.. it’s lower quality than the strands that are packaged.

Screwing in the bulbs doesn’t take that much effort .. but I do find the strands easier to work with for several reasons… not least of which it’s easy to keep track of voltage with fixed sets.

My favorites are still the Strawberry LED’s … I like them better than C9’s