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

We needed lighting under the patio roof. The reviews of this brand were good enough for me to give them a try.They look like a quality product, and all the bulbs lit up. They were easy for me, 73 years old and never been toohandy, to put up. I used adhesive backed hooks from Amazon for the job, and they worked great. Had them for two weeks, no issues. Up and down the ladder 20 times , yeah...

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.

I purchased 4 of these light sets and I found them to be exactly as the description said. They are definitely heavy duty, the construction of them is excellent. The packaging was also exceeded my expectations. All of the bulbs were individually wrapped in bubble wrap and packaged in their own individual box inside another box which was inside the main box to prevent damage during shipping (yes, 3 boxes, plus the amazon shipping box). I connected all 4 strands end to end plugged into one outlet. Each "run" (unsupported length) was almost 40ft and I zig zagged them between the pool enclosure and a couple of steel poles I installed. I used a stainless steel cable coated with black PVC to hang the lights from so that the cable carried all the load and the lights had little to no tension on the cords. I did underestimate the "heavy duty" nature of this light set. They were easily twice the overall weight of similar strands of lights I had seen in Wal-Mart, etc... so take that in mind depending upon what you are attaching them to. You will either have a lot more "sag" or a lot higher tension in the cable you hang them from than you would with cheaper, light duty sets.... I am hoping this increase in weight also means more longevity in the Florida heat and sun.Normally I would have treated these like Christmas lights and tested them before I installed them - but the quality and packaging was so good, I just hung all 4 strands. It was a lot of work up and down that ladder 100+ times and I would not have been too happy if I had to take a strand down, but I am happy to report that when I flipped the switch, all 4 light strands and 100% of the bulbs all worked exactly as they were supposed to!The lights are fairly bright and I found that a dimmer is required for our intended use. They are not overly bright, just compared to the other lights in the yard, on the house, and the pool lights - they overpower instead of blend in. I DO like the fact that they are brighter however because after the party is over and its time to clean up - I can turn them onto full power and it helps to see better when cleaning everything up late at night.Like many, I also purchased that -100 dimmer. It did cause my 4 light strands to flicker and it is annoying. I did find one setting that worked to get me through the first couple of nights. I am going to try to use one of the regular light bulbs to stabilize the load as was stated in the "questions" section related to this product. i am hoping this will help give me a little more control over the lighting level.My the neighbors love them and they all commented positively on the quality of the lighting sets. I have only had them up for 3 days - so it's too early to speak about long term - and once I try the new light bulb, I will try to report back on the ability to better control the light levels through the dimmer. All I can say is these are exactly as described, if not even better!