Let's compare Festoon Lights from a Google search

Oh my, isn't it confusing trying to compare festoon lighting! So many companies are claiming to have 'commercial grade quality' or be the 'festoon lighting specialists' and really what does that all mean? These phrases are some of the most over used and unsubstantiated claims when doing a search for festoon lighting. 

At a first glance you may look and just compare the length and bulbs with the price. However, there is so much more to it than that! 

How do you compare festoon lights across multiple companies? 

See below a summary of the key specs you should look for when you want quality festoon lights. If these specs are not listed then I would be asking the company for them. 

Other Companies

Love Your Lights

Say they have the Commercial Grade, Premium Quality Lights” lights and only offer a 6-month warranty

Minimum 12 month Warranty 

IP44 Waterproof Rated – protects against showers and light rain

IP65 Waterproof Rated – protects against heavy rain and downpours.

0.5mm2, or 0.75mm2 Copper Wires 

1.0mm2 Copper Wires

PVC Cable – material is not as long lasting as rubber. Not as durable against UV rays, wind and rain.   

Rubber Cable – material is durable and long lasting. Ideal for permanent outside installations as it will tolerate all weather conditions.

Bulbs have tiny little led-heads which look tacky in a lot of outdoor areas 

Stylish LED filament bulbs, give character old-school charm, and beauty to the festoon lighting  

Cheap bulbs with 0.5watts and below so very dim

LED bulbs 1w - 5w for an ambient atmosphere. We call 2w and above good for task + ambient lighting while 1w is more ambient but less tsk lighting such as cooking and eating.

Tungsten or Incandescent Bulbs which last 800 – 1000 hours

LED bulbs which use 80% less energy than Incandescent or Tungsten Bulbs and last 20,000 – 25,000 hours.

Occasional use 

Our Festoon Lights are engineered and tested for daily long-term use in all weather conditions 

No product reviews to back up company claims of ‘superior quality’

Product reviews from authentic customers backing our superior quality claims.

Claim they are ‘festoon lighting specialists’ yet they sell a wide range of products with festoon lighting being one of the smaller categories.

Festoon Lights and Fairy Light Specialist because that is all we sell.  We can afford to be the experts in our field because we only focus on these 2 categories and that is what we do best!

 

So to help you out and understand the above better, let's do some comparisons of lights from other companies. 

Company 1: 

  • 20m 24 bulbs was $143.80 and now $114.99

Product specs provided:

  • Bright and mellow glow
  • Low energy consumption
  • Low voltage
  • Commercial-grade weatherproof construction
  • Incandescent bulbs included

This company provides very little information on the product.

We don't know the brightness level other than 'bright' which is subject to interpretation.

Is it warm white and if so how many kelvins? You should look for 2700K warm white bulb which is around 200 lumens for a soft, ambient light. 

It cannot be low energy consumption with incadescent bulbs.

  • Did you know that LED Lightbulbs use 85% less energy and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs?

"Commercial grade weatherproof construction" has no specs to tell us how and why.

  • What is the IP waterproof rating and is the cable a thick 1.00m2 rubber cable? 

Check the Bulbs! Which style bulb would you rather? Note, our one is on the right and designed to give you at minimum 20K hours of light. 

Comapny 1 Bulb 

Love Your Lights S14 LED Bulb

 

Company 2: 

Dimmable Festoon Light | 10M-12Bulbs | S14 2W was $119 and now $99

This is part of an Easter Sale (and it is now July) so are you really saving money or is the sale price their 'normal price?' 

  • Love Your Lights is not a discounting store. We offer the customer our best price upfront. We don't mislead with sale prices being our normal price. 

The price is only $99 without a power cable yet you will need a power cable, right? So you need to add $10 to the price so it is now $109. 

  • We include a power cable with every festoon light cable sold.

Company uses what we call false advertising on their website with how many have 'sold in the last 7 days' as you'll find these numbers don't change week on week. There are many apps companies can download where they 'manually' insert how many they have sold and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it.

  • Love Your Lights find it very misleading to the customer and would never use such an app. 

Claims to be 'Commercial Grade Quality' yet only offers a 6 month warranty on the product, essentially a one season warranty. 

  • We offer a 12 month manufacturing warranty

0.75mm2 Rubber Cable

  • We offer a 1.0mm2 Rubber Cable which is slightly thicker and more durable.

Company 3: 

Festoon LED String Lights 30 LED, 15m Warm White $139 

  • 15m lit length
  • 30 LED Bulbs
  • Low voltage adapter included
  • 9W
  • IP44

As per Company 1 they are lacking some key specs on their website. 

Questions would be: 

1. Wattage of each bulb? 9w could be the individual bulb wattage meaning they would be extremely bright. Or 9w total wattage for 30 bulbs meaning they would be very dim at 0.30w per bulb.

  • As mentioned in example 2 you want to be looking around 200 lumens, approximately 2w for a soft ambient light. Love Your Lights S14 bulbs fulfill this brief. 

2. IP44 means they are shower resistant and not designed to withstand heavy rain. Love Your Lights would not recommend this style for permanent outdoor installations. 

  • Love Your Lights Festoon Lights are rated IP65 and can withstand heavy rain. 

3. What is the cable material made of? Is it PVC or Rubber? What is the thickness. This particular company is renowned for it's 0.5mm2 PVC cables. 

  • Love Your Lights Festoon Light Cables are Rubber with a 1.0mm2 thickness. 

Company 4 

20m 20 S14 Bulbs $127

Product Features:
Lovely bright but mellow glow
Waterproof IP rating: IP44 and above (Outdoor use) 
SAA certified
Bulb type: S14,1.5W
Bulb holder: E27
Bulb interval: 90cm
Distance from plug to connector: 1m

 

Yes an IP44 rating means you can use these lights outside. However, if you want your festoon lights to tolerate heavy rain and all year round outdoor use then choose IP65. IP44 is shower proof so outdoor use can be quite misleading. 

SAA certified is a requirement for all festoon lighting to be sold within NZ and Australia so if a company is selling lights within these countries it is law to be compliant and SAA certified. 

Lovely bright but mellow glow is subject to interpretation. They should be more specific with the colour temperature of the bulb so it becomes either a warm white or white colour. 

If you are confused or want help, please contact us as we'd love to help. If you want a product comparison with another company we can do that too. We love empowering our customers so they are equipped with all the right knowledge to make the best buying decision for their space. No buyer regrets with our lights! 

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