Brightech Ambience Pro - Waterproof LED Outdoor String Lights - Hanging, Dimmable 2W Vintage Edison Bulbs - 48 Ft Commercial Grade Patio Lights Create Cafe Ambience In Your Backyard

Unlike many reviewers, I paid full price for this product and did not receive any discount from the manufacturer. I wish that had been offered to me, but alas.Despite the large number of reviews that indicated they'd received a discount in return for their review--which frankly makes the positive reviews seem suspect, even with the disclaimers (the appearance of impropriety is impropriety), I purchased these lights anyway because they looked like the quality product I'd been searching for to rebuild a vintage set of (cheesy but much-loved) colored lanterns that we use on a screened porch at our little summer cottage. The old lantern string featured a bulb base size that I could no longer find, and when the bulbs started failing I was stuck. I tried adapters, but they didn't work. This plastic set of colored lanterns probably cost $1.99 30 years ago, so rebuilding it with a $120 LED light string probably is ridiculous, but we love these lanterns and feel they're irreplaceable, and were therefore worthy of a high-quality upgrade. (Plus, it seems like I throw away 4 or 5 Christmas light strings every season, so I was sick of buying cheap lights that can't even last for a year and didn't want that sort of lousy quality for our porch.)Much searching had still not uncovered the perfect solution to rebuild my lanterns, at least not till I stumbled upon the Brightech LED light string. I debated for some time whether to buy the incandescent version for half the cost, but in the end I felt LED was the way to go for the long term...and these lights really ought to last just about forever, I have to say. This is probably the nicest light string I've ever seen, and just the ticket for our requirements.Our application has only twelve colored lantern shades (the light string is 15 sockets/lamps), so I ended up with three unused sockets, which isn't a problem for us but in case anyone's counting the lights in my photos, that's why. This means I have four spare bulbs, as the product shipped with a full case of 16 excellent-looking LED bulbs, all packaged carefully in padded boxes. Not that LED bulbs should really ever require replacing from a realistic standpoint, but there you are.For my application, I fitted the sockets into the existing plastic lanterns that we have, and the brightness of the bulbs is perfect with the shades and for our use. The bulbs alone are quite bright, so don't be surprised by that if you're expecting something dimmer like Christmas lights. The bulbs fit into the sockets well, and the rubberized socket ends seem like a good fit and appropriately water tight given the string's outdoor rating. Ours will be used in a covered porch, so that's not strictly a major concern, but again, it just seemed like a quality choice.I'm sure this light string isn't for everyone, but I expect that it will outlast me, and that's just fine. We can't wait to rehang these when our season begins again in a couple months. I feel like it's money well spent, but I suppose only regular use will really tell the tale. Compared to the usual cheap junk out there, however, I feel good about these right out of the box.If they work (and last) as well as they look, then this is a great purchase. The proof is in the pudding, but we'll just have to wait for a season or two to go by before it's possible to report on longevity. On the fence? Buy them. I did. And I'm glad.

We have installed 9 sets along our backyard fencing and two in the front Ligustrum trees. We absolutely love how these bistro lights illuminate our back yard and front walkway! We've installed them along the top framing boards all along our red stained fence. We used exterior wood screws at each bulb and also 3/8" black plastic clips between bulbs to keep the wire tight against the fence. These lights are professional quality for sure. The bulb base forms a watertight seal when screwed-in. We used to run cheap Holiday lights along the fencing, but grew tired of constantly identifying and replacing burned-out bulbs. We prefer LED lights that run directly from 110VAC. An added benefit to running these sets along the back fence line is I now have AC power all the way in the back yard for use if needed. The Brightech lights will illuminate with all or just one light bulb installed. All the bulbs were securely packaged and all arrived in working order. None have caused any problems and all are still illuminated nicely. We like having our backyard illuminated for a nice nightime lighting scene as well as for security. The Edison style bulbs look great, especially when dimmed. Home automation wall switches automatically light from dusk to dawn. We look forward to seeing the lights come on during our evening wine walks in the yard. The Lights are on! We are glad we waited for LED lightbulb technology to advance prior to purchasing these quality bistro lights. We are so happy we made the investment in these lights from Brightech. We couldn't be happier. These bistro lights are very bright at full illumination. We had to install dimmers to achieve the right illumination level. Reading all the reviews I was convinced these bulbs were dimmable. I purchased knowing a dimmer may be required. At full-bright I can mow the backyard at night. That was fun! We normally have them nicely dimmed. This X-10 dimmer wall switch (X-10 Pro Three-Way Dimmer Switch Model XPDI3-IW) works perfectly with the Brightech bulbs as-is. No need to run one incandescent bulb. Fully dimmable from full-dim to full-bright. The X-10 switch remembers its last setting. We used the Lutron Credenza C.L Plug-In Lamp Dimmer for dimmable LED, Halogen and Incandescent Bulbs, TTCL-100H-WH, White dimmer for the front lights in the Ligustrum tree. We can assuredly state that this dimmer does NOT work properly with these bulbs. That's OK since we just installed one incandescent appliance bulb into the string. It's actually fun trying to spot that one bulb during our evening wine walks in the yard. With the one appliance bulb, the lights are now fully dimmable from full-dim to full-bright. Boy are they bright! Illuminates the whole front yard and into the street! Turn those babies down a bit. These are great lights and we are absolutely ecstatic in our selection.

We finished hanging two strands of lights under our patio canopy yesterday. The spans between posts were greater than 20' so we stretched parachute cord between the canopy posts and attached the light strands to the parachute cord with small plastic (cable) zip ties. Installation difficulty was equivalent to stringing lights on a Christmas tree; anybody can do this. The wire and the plug ends are heavy duty and definitely commercial grade. The sockets for the bulbs are molded to the wire and are weatherproof. The 2W LED bulbs have elongated/decorative filaments which are attractive and provide a warm light. We connected the two light strings to an outdoor LED dimmer which adjusts the light output to 100%/75%/50%/25% which provides a better control of the ambiance.This product earns a solid 5-star rating for quality construction and components, easy installation, and affordable comparable cost. This product has received some unfavorable and unfair reviews from some who were dissatisfied that the wire could not be stretched to their liking or without failing. This is a wire product made from copper and rubber and neither of those components provide the tensile strength which will allow the light strands to be pulled taunt without failing. Allowable span lengths for unsupported wire vary by municipality. If you are attempting to span a length without so much sag or tensile pull on the light strand (and you want to do so affordably) you may want to consider stretching a 3/8 polypropylene rope or even a parachute cord between your spans onto which you would attach the light strand with plastic (cable) zip ties.