Christmas lights
Compare seasonal lighting formats for the roofline and garden. Use the same measured route when deciding between removable strings and permanent lights; the examples here are simulations.
Every one we cover, in order
The order is the catalogue's. Rank is never printed.
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JMEXSUSS Icicle Lights, 400 LED, 39 ft39 FT · 80 ZONES · 6 IN SPACING · IP44
The icicle string with the cleanest record we could find: 80 drops over 39 ft, warm white only, and IP44 — rain, not gutters.
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Brightown Smart RGB C9 String Lights, 150 LED, 99 ft99 FT · 150 ZONES · 8 IN SPACING · NO IP RATING STATED
The smart C9: 150 opaque bulbs at 8 in over 99 ft, RGB from a Bluetooth app, and the only seasonal roofline string here that can do every scheme on this site.
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Sylampow Net Lights, 120 LED, 6 x 5 ft6 FT · 120 BULBS · IP44
The net for the shrubs under the windows: 120 warm-white LEDs on a 6 by 5 ft green mesh, connectable, and the only thing on this page that never touches the house.
Price tiers are our own rough budget bands, not live prices. Check the listing for today’s price.
The same house, switched on.
Same camera, same minute, same sky. Only the lights changed.
The Two-storey sample house, unlit and then with the Icicle 39 on it — 220 lights at 6 in, its own spacing. See what was placed.
Same house, same dusk, each product.
Count and spacing come from each product's own listing; the dusk is our own render, generated by us rather than photographed.
The listing's numbers, our pictures.
Each product page carries what the listing and the maker's sheet say, on the date we looked, and a render placed by those numbers. We do not print prices, rank numbers, star ratings or review counts: a figure typed onto this page is stale the week after it is typed, and we would rather show you what the thing looks like on a house than what strangers typed about it.
We have not mounted any of them. Every product page has a section headed "What we could not check".
The questions that decide it.
Icicle, C9 or net?
Icicle strings hang from an edge, C9 strands outline it with individual bulbs, and nets cover a surface such as a shrub. The C9, icicle or net guide helps match the format to the part of the house you want to decorate.
How many feet?
Record the edges you want to light on the printable roofline worksheet, then use the calculator. Check the actual lit length and the manufacturer’s maximum connected-string limit before buying. Roofline footage does not size a net for a bush; measure that surface separately.
Is permanent cheaper in the end?
That depends on purchase, installation, maintenance and usage. Compare permanent and seasonal costs using your own figures. If you want permanent lights, check whether 100 ft is enough and the kit’s extension rules.
What should I check before decorating?
Allow time to measure, check permitted fixings, inspect stored strings and arrange help for difficult access. Choose warm or cool white before mixing products across the display. Follow each product’s outdoor-use instructions.
Buying the wrong length is the expensive mistake.
Not the wrong brand. Measure the run first, then pick from the list above.
Work out how many feet