Good deals on fairy lights? 17 December 2016 at 11:21PM in Special occasions & other celebrations 7 replies 3K views

Wizzbang

If you've been buying fairy lights this year, where are the good deals? Doesn't necessarily have to be the cheapest, as want them to last a reasonable amount of time. Want quite a long string of around 100 lights, 20 or 50 won't be enough. Anyone got a good product somewhere and care to share? Happy with plain or coloured, don't need to do anything fancy. Our ancient lights have just bitten the dust. TIA

DomRavioli

Hotukdeals have a heck of a lot of deals up for them. Best to use their search function and see what you like best, as most stores have their half price xmas decs this time of year.

firebird082

Previously we've always gone for Wilko half price shortly before or shortly after Xmas - lights have always been good quality, and very reasonable at 50% off... not sure what they are like this year though, as haven't had a chance to get to one.

Wizzbang

Thanks, everywhere we went had sold out but we've ended up with a set of Argos Simply value lights and they're perfect for our needs. Replaceable bulbs, so they will last a lot longer than these modern 'maintenance free' LED ones which are only fit for the rubbish tip once a bulb goes.

Murphybear

Wizzbang wrote: »

Thanks, everywhere we went had sold out but we've ended up with a set of Argos Simply value lights and they're perfect for our needs. Replaceable bulbs, so they will last a lot longer than these modern 'maintenance free' LED ones which are only fit for the rubbish tip once a bulb goes.

LED Christmas lights last for years, the bulbs don't "go" like ordinary ones. Not only that, they are much cheaper to run:D

Wizzbang

Murphybear wrote: »

LED Christmas lights last for years, the bulbs don't "go" like ordinary ones. Not only that, they are much cheaper to run:D

LED = plastic. I try to live a plastic free life wherever possible. I don't like the way the LED ones look either. They are cold, no warmth at all. I would prefer to buy a set that has replaceable parts and I can then make them last a lot longer. The LED ones we inherited from family lasted less than 10 years, even with careful storage. My parents have 'old-fashioned' fairy lights that have probably been around for 35 years +.

DomRavioli

Wizzbang wrote: »

LED = plastic. I try to live a plastic free life wherever possible. I don't like the way the LED ones look either. They are cold, no warmth at all. I would prefer to buy a set that has replaceable parts and I can then make them last a lot longer. The LED ones we inherited from family lasted less than 10 years, even with careful storage. My parents have 'old-fashioned' fairy lights that have probably been around for 35 years +.

LED = Light Emitting Diode.

You can get warm white as well as cool white. And some of them come with replaceable bulbs.

And your parent's lights likely have no earthing and are very likely to be rather dangerous, especially on something as flammable on a christmas tree.

Wizzbang

Sure, everything's dangerous these days. They're still using an old-fashioned chip pan that was supposedly banned. It's all fine if you're careful. There's always there when the fairy lights are switched on. When I was a kid, my Dad used to wire the fairy lights through an old lamp base. I don't think they ever used to come with a plug! We're all still here to tell the tales.