Christmas lights

traditional color christmas lights 2 traditional color christmas lights 1

I love well done christmas lights, but I’m really fucking particular about them.
My absolute favorite is to have a both normal white lights, and those randomly twinkling color lights. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXFLJP1/ is my go to for those.

Now, incandescent lights have some really nice things about them

  • The enclosure is painted glass. Glass has high hardness (scuffing resistance) has a much higher refractive index than most plastics. The combination of incandescent element and glass is just beautiful to look at up close. The things are like gems. In contrast led lights have noticeable imperfections and scratches, and I’m not a fan of the way they emit light.

  • The color balance. The overall color they give off is warm. Because it’s painted glass, the green and blue lights aren’t harsh or very noticeable. The red and magenta look like wine. In contrast, led christmas lights seem to all make use of eye searing blue, which completely fucks up the scene.

  • Twinkle lights. Incandescents make use of a heat based twinkling mechanism. This combined with normal manufacturing differences effectively make it fairly random. Additionally, because this affects the voltage across the line, ALL lights will have a subtle shifts in brightness. The effect is like flickering candlelight. In contrast, commercial LED lights seem to all be robotic with their twinkling.

Now the downsides

  • The fuckers like to burn out. Frankly if it weren’t for this I wouldn’t even be making this post

  • Comparatively high electricity use.

So has anyone come across any LED lights that manage to emulate the good points of traditional incandescent? Every year I look, but end up disgusted by everything I see.

Feel free to post about anything christmas light related.

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I don’t think it has to do with manufacturer emulate 2700K because all the LED bulbs I have home emit light in around that temperature value. I think it’s more about the 5600K being easier to produce and the LED look that some people like.

I have only white litghts on my tree this year and they’re two series of incandescent white lights. I have the same coloured ones as yours that date back late 80s early 90s but most of the bulbs on them have broken unfortunately. I should really buy some new, if they still make it.

I totally agree with you!!! No one else talks about this! But i fucking hate the look of the overpowering blue in the led color lights! I miss the painted glass see thru warm feeling of the 1980s lights! The blue back then almost look teal

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A new video in a series of Technology Connections continued descent into madness mentioned that there’s now a company offering C-9 sized “jeweltone” lights for those interested. No news in regards to minilights though.

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hope this is okay

home made bubble lights:

He says they are christmas lights but not exactly…you could make them all christmassy though! the pics you posted and those little thin white fiber ones which sparkle on a tree are my fav.

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