The New LED Warm Clear Christmas Lights

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 prices are coming down.

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 cool bulb is safer than a standard bulb that can get quite warm.

Cons

• The small bulb is not necessarily attractive when the lights are turned off.
• LED lights can be quite a bit more expensive than traditional sets.
• Colors are typically too harsh and bright.

As all new things, lots of progress has been made since the initial offerings. The prices are still quite a bit higher, but are coming down. Some manufacturers are offering different options for the coverings, making it look more like a traditional bulb. But best of all there are different whites now available! No longer is the bright pure, read "blue", light the only option available.

The biggest hang-up in our household was the "blue" harsh color of the clear light. A set or two was bought in the early days of LED lights, but was quickly discarded. Today that pure white is still the most popular type sold. But if you look for them, the "warm" lights are available at a few stores and online.

Shown in the picture is a comparison between a GE LED light set (blue color) that is available locally and a set I recently received for product review of the "warm clean" from Christmas Tree for Me.

Disclosure: Product to review was provided by the vendor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.