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Creating Ambience: Best Outdoor String Lights

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string lights hanging outside

Ever wondered how to create a welcoming atmosphere of coziness in your dark backyard? If so, then let me introduce you to these beautiful best outdoor string lights that will cheer up your garden and your spirits the very moment you turn them on.

ImageProductFeaturesPrice
Ambience Pro Incandescent 11W 48ft.Ambience Pro Incandescent 11W 48ft.
  • Size- 48 ft
  • Bulbs- 15 hanging 11-watt
Check Price Amazon
Brightech Ambience Pro LED 2W 24ft.Brightech Ambience Pro LED 2W 24ft.
  • Size- 24 ft
  • Bulbs- 7 hanging 2-watt LED
Check Price Amazon
Lemontec SG_B074GM132R_USLemontec SG_B074GM132R_US
  • Size- 48 ft
  • Bulbs- 15 clear 11-watt
Check Price Amazon
String Light Company CLS4824GString Light Company CLS4824G
  • Size- 48 ft
  • Bulbs- 24 clear 11-watt
Check Price Amazon
String Light Company SL4815BLUEString Light Company SL4815BLUE
  • Size- 48 ft
  • Bulbs- 15 cobalt blue 11-watt
Check Price Amazon
Plow & Hearth 11987-WHPlow & Hearth 11987-WH
  • Size- 2 strands x 18 ft
  • Bulbs- 100 white LED
Check Price Amazon
Lemontec 8Q-UBEF-8CVTLemontec 8Q-UBEF-8CVT
  • Size- 2 x 25 ft
  • Bulbs- 50 clear 5-watt
Check Price Amazon
CSKB SYNCHKG086078CSKB SYNCHKG086078
  • Size- 25 ft
  • Bulbs- 25 clear 5-watt
Check Price Amazon

Table of Contents

Fairy lights and open-air events (weddings, birthdays, and proms) – are inseparable if you are aiming at filling the venue with an eerie and charming ambiance of joy. Be it on a porch or in the garden, big or small, with lights like these; you can brighten up your nights and enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of hot drink being surrounded by the peaceful, gleaming shimmer.

Did you know that our environment resonates with our mood and vice versa? So the atmosphere is essential if we want to keep our minds sharp and clear. I recommend installing a few beaming strings to achieve harmony both in our soul and mind.

In this article, I will walk you through the top 8 backyard lights so that you can easily choose the string lights for decorating your patio yourself.

But before we proceed, there are 3 aspects to consider while choosing your own personal decorative outdoor string lights.

Lights Design

Read the specifications carefully. Some of the lights may not be fitted with waterproof sockets so that you will have to shield them somehow not to put your family and guests at risk during the rainy days. If so, you can use the string lights for decorating your porch, pergola, or gazebo – all to your pleasure. If the sockets feature water protection, you can fearlessly install the lights along the guidewire. Also, please make sure that the power connection unit is perfectly secured.

Venue Design

Before purchasing the string of fairy bulbs, look at the space you’re planning to light. Where will people spend most of the time? Are there any trees or buildings? How far are they from one another? Answering these questions will help you choose the most suitable lighting for your garden.

Installation Tips

If the distance between the constructions or the anchor points is long, I insist on using a guidewire. It is an additional wire to which you attach the lights, allowing you to secure your lighting during extreme weather conditions and keep you and your guests safe. Please note that guidewire is required if the span between the anchor points is over 20 feet as well.

Usually, the kind of fairy lights that we are going to cover in this article have loops, so that you can fasten the cord to the guidewire with zip ties. It is better to use zip ties instead of quick links since the latter are more massive and will pull the guidewire to the ground. This may spoil the general picture and double the chances of someone catching the low-hanging bulbs with their head.

Let’s take a look at these 8 gorgeous solar string lights:

Ambience Pro Incandescent 11W 48ft.

1. 48-Ft Ambience Pro Commercial Grade Outdoor String Lights by Brightech

I swear, these could quickly become your best outdoor patio lights, and here’s why. Firstly, they feature a heavy-duty cord that can stand any weather conditions – you can put them literary anywhere. Secondly, Brightech, specializing in innovative lighting, offers the most durable and affordable products in the market.

Lights Design and Versatility

These decorative outdoor string lights have been designed to last. The cord is made with WeatherTite Technology that protects the strand from extreme weather conditions, allowing your backyard to glow all year round. The 48-ft strand contains 15 11W incandescent light bulbs 3 ft away from one another. The suspended sockets are waterproof (you bet!) and feature a cute loop for simple attachment. The lamps follow the style of the old-fashioned bulbs that create an inviting atmosphere with just the right bit of mystery.

You can connect up to 8 strands to one another to illuminate the whole yard. You may also want to consider a dimmer, so that you can change the brightness, creating a softer, calmer mood.

Please note that the dimmer and the additional strand are to be ordered separately.

  • Dimensions: 576″ (48 ft)
  • Weight: 7.7 lbs

Brightech Ambience Pro LED 2W 24ft.

2. Brightech Ambience Pro LED Commercial Grade 24 Ft Outdoor String Lights with Hanging Sockets and Dimmable 2 Watt Bulbs

Another impeccable offer from Brightech, maybe even better than the two mentioned above. This strand features LED bulbs. As you know, LED lights are the most efficient and long-lasting options. They don’t die, require comparatively less energy, and never get hot, no matter how long you had them burning.

Lights Design and Versatility

The string has 15 2W LED bulbs on a weather-resistant heavy-duty 24-ft cord. Each socket is secured and waterproof. So the whole strand will live through the most torrential rains, snows, or winds. However, some users can find the LEDs too bright, and, thus, it is recommended to purchase a dimmer as well.

With it, you can control the brightness and illumination according to your preferences.

These string lights will look gorgeous in a backyard or as a decoration for your gazebo or pergola. However, if you are looking for something to decorate your arbor or a trellis, I would suggest that you look for something smaller. These lights will also look appropriate if attached to the tree branches.

Please note that this strand works with a 110V power source only. Also, a dimmer is to be ordered separately.

  • Dimensions: 288″ (24 ft).
  • Weight: 3.9 lbs.

Lemontec SG_B074GM132R_US

If for some reason the lights by Brightech haven’t convinced you, then maybe you’ll want to turn your attention to these string lights by Lemontec. They look pretty much the same, but the price of this strand is somewhat lower.

Lights Design and Versatility

These are commercial, grade, heavy-duty garden lights which can fit in a room with really high ceilings. The design of these lights allows connecting up to 8 strings together, and the length should be enough to decorate almost anything.

The waterproof cord and sockets will let you keep your yard or gazebo bright and inviting allowing you to enjoy yourself even during the most severe storms. Each electrical outlet has a loop that you can use to fix your string lights to a guidewire or any other anchor points with zip ties or quick links. The cord is 48 ft long and features 15 11W clear bulbs.

You can also replace standard incandescent bulbs with the outdoor string lights LED and add a dimmer, but keep in mind that the darker one may not work as efficiently with the LED bulbs as it does with the glass ones.

LED bulbs, additional strands, and a dimmer are not included in the set – so please order them separately.

  • Dimensions: 576″ (48 ft)
  • Weight: 5.82 lbs

String Light Company CLS4824G

String lights are useful not only during the winter holidays. You can keep them gleaming every single night of the year so that your every day feels like Christmas. With beaming strands like these, you will create a peaceful ambiance to keep you going even in the darkest of your days.

Lights Design and Versatility

These outdoor fairy lights feature galvanized flower-shaped shades that rest just above the light bulb. There are 24 waterproof sockets on a 48-ft string which is more than just enough to decorate a porch or a veranda. You can run a strand-like that around a pretty branchy tree, and there will still be some cord left. Each socket has a convenient loop to run the string along the guidewire and a secure molded rubber cover. The space between the electrical outlets is 2 ft. The set includes 24 11W clear old-fashioned light bulbs.

Please mind that the shade may feel somewhat loose. Other than that, these are durable and decent lights.

  • Dimensions: 576″ (48 ft)
  • Weight: 13 lbs

String Light Company SL4815BLUE

These great garden lights create bright and cheerful illumination wherever you place them. These are a part of the Vintage series. Although they look a lot like those from the City series, you can notice significant differences right from the spot.

Lights Design and Versatility

The first thing you notice about these fairy lights is the copper-colored shades, although their shape and size are the same. This item includes 15 waterproof suspended sockets spaced 3 ft apart on a 48-ft 16-gauge black cord. Each electrical outlet features a protective rubber cap with integrated loops so you can smoothly run these decorative outdoor string lights along the guidewire or a high wall, as well as hang them between the tall poles.

The sockets drop off the string approx. 4″, so make sure not to catch the socket with your forehead. To avoid that, place them higher than you would typically do if you had the regular string lights. And don’t forget to notify your guests of the low-hanging bulbs if any of them are tall.

The string is good for 11W to 25W medium-sized bulbs, but the bulbs are to be ordered separately.

  • Dimensions: 576″ (48 ft)
  • Weight: 8.95 lbs

Plow & Hearth 11987-WH

Plow & Hearth started in 1980 as a small store that provided home and garden products. Over the years, the business grew larger expanding the range of their products and opening new stores nationwide. The company is also committed to environmental issues and supports many green initiatives. These solar LED lights also care about the environment.

Lights Design and Versatility

As you can guess from the name, these fantastic solar string lights run on solar energy. No more wires and plugs! To get things started, unpack the lights, throw them over an arbor or a deck, or wherever you are thinking to place them, put the solar panel so the sunlight can reach it, and voila! Now you have your best solar patio string lights bright and shiny for at least 8 hours. Of course, you will have to wait a few hours for the panel to charge, but you get the idea. This set consists of two strands, 50 LEDs each, with the panel located in the center.

The LEDs are known for their durability, so don’t worry about a dead bulb killing the spirit of your party – LEDs don’t die. Notably, not the solar-powered ones!

  • Dimensions: 432″ (36 ft)
  • Weight: 0.65 lbs

Lemontec 8Q-UBEF-8CVT

It is my favorite item on this list. Just look at those fascinating bulbs! How perfectly round they are! Moreover, it’s not one 25-ft strand; it’s two of them – all in one set! Now, how cool is that? This means twice as many lights and twice as much illumination. Couldn’t this be the best string lighting for your garden?

Lights Design and Versatility

One string of these lights features 25 G40 bulbs on a 25-ft cord. Remember, there are two strings, which means that all together you’ll have 50 ft of wire and 50 brightly burning bulbs. The spacing between the bulbs is 12″. That means that the lamps sit quite close to each other. But this is a good thing since such design allows better illumination.

These are the party lights, because when you are looking at them, and there’s only one thought on your mind – “Let’s have some fun!” Birthday, wedding, graduation, or a regular weekend party – with these lights, anything will feel twice as better. They are quite light, so you can use these string lights for decorating any structure that you have in your garden. You can also run them along the guidewire in the air.

These are neither waterproof nor weather-resistant lights, so consider hanging them in a secured, covered place or take them down when your party is over, not to put any of your guests at risk if the weather seems to worsen. Also, the design allows connecting only 3 strands at the same time. Be responsible!

  • Dimensions: 300″ (25 ft)
  • Weight: 3.2 lbs

CSKB SYNCHKG086078

Alright, you got me! These are pretty much the same as the lights by Lemontec we’ve seen in a previous section – these bulbs are too incredibly round and appealing. But this time, there is only one strand of them. Let’s take a closer look and see other differences.

Lights Design and Versatility

There are 25 G40 glass bulbs on the 25-ft long string. It is a regular string, so it will be safer not to hang them in the open air if the storm is coming. The spacing between the bulbs is 12″, so just like the previous item, these are pretty thick.

The strand casts a soft relaxing light creating a pleasant and joyous ambiance wherever you decide to hang them. I also recommend you refrain from touching the bulbs – these are not LEDs and they might burn you. Also, some customers say that the bulbs are too fragile and have to be treated with care. So if you are a “fast fuse,” maybe, you should look at other options.

These are pretty decent backyard lights, and you can connect 4 of them at once.

  • Dimensions: 300″ (25 ft)
  • Weight: 1.3 lbs

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a plethora of decorative outdoor string lights. Heavy-duty cords, light cords, hanging sockets, or fixed sockets, with and without shades are all at your service. Anything you can imagine is already there; you only have to know where to look and how to navigate through this diversity of fairy lights.

To help you choose your best outdoor string lights, I would suggest that you just stop thinking for a second! You’re not in a hurry, and you need to give your brain some time to proceed with the information you’ve just swallowed. It will come to you.

Now go get yourself a drink and picture this place you are planning to illuminate. No matter what you choose, the only thing you have to remember about these lights is that the spans over 20 ft require a guidewire. The rest is easy. I believe that this unusual tip will help you to make up your mind and decide what you want very quickly.

Hope you enjoyed this article! Feel free to share your thoughts and stories in the comment section below.

Cheers!

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