Here at Christmas Direct, we pride ourselves on the wide variety of lights we have on offer. We understand that with this wide variety, it can be tricky to find the perfect lights for your needs, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide.
Types of lights
We offer a variety of lights, in a wide range of styles, colours and more. Below we’ve outlined the various styles we offer and some of the most popular uses for each type.
String Lights
As the name suggests, these lights have a string like appearance, meaning they are great for wrapping around trees and garden fences.
Festoon Lights
These lights have been growing in popularity due to their rustic look. They are a popular choice for weddings, outdoor events and displays.
Rope Lights
These eye-catching lights are available in a variety of colours, and are popular due to their highly flexible design.
Net Lights
These lights are great for larger areas such as houses, fences and walls. Their diamond shaped design spreads the LEDs out evenly over a large space.
Cluster Lights
Cluster lights have a slightly bolder look than our string lights, and are great for creating dramatic displays. Popular for their versatility.
Curtain Lights
Curtain lights feature a top cable that you can fix to a gutter or fence, and this lets you hang the strings of lights down vertically to create a stunning display.
Icicle Lights
These lights are designed to give the effect of hanging icicles. Perfect for hanging from gutters or fences. Their beautiful design gives them a delicate look.
Battery Lights
Perfect for creating displays when there are no plug or power sources available. Available in a variety of colours and light effects. Ideal for camping trips or larger sheds.
Traditional Filament Lights
Ideal for creating nostalgic displays. These lights are no longer being manufactured, which means there is a limited supply left.
Mains voltage or low voltage?
A question we often get asked is what is the difference between mains voltage and low voltage lights, and what are the reasons for choosing one over the other.
Mains voltage
- Due to their higher voltage, these options give you the ability to create larger displays.
- There are typically more functions available in mains voltage lights, such as multi-function, sparkling and flashing effects.
- Suitable for outdoor use, all-year round.
Low voltage
- Where safety is paramount, these are considered the better option as they typically run on 12v or 24v, making them ideal for environments with young children and pets.
- Typically more lightweight due to them having slightly thinner cables compares to mains voltage lights.
- These lights have a lower energy consumption than mains voltage lights.
Pro Series or Home Range?
You may notice that a lot of our lights fall under either our Pro Series or Home Range, so what’s the difference?
Pro Series
Our Pro Series range are designed with larger outdoor displays in mind. These are typically the best choice for commercial displays too.
Built with the British weather in mind, these lights are designed to be highly weather resistant due to their thick rubber cabling.
- Premium quality lights, built for use all year round.
- Ideal for larger, commercial and outdoor displays.
- Built for maximum weather resistance.
Home Range
Our Home Range lights are designed to allow you to create beautiful displays and settings on a budget.
With the same variety of styles as our Pro Series range, these lights are highly versatile and are a great lightweight alternative to our Pro Series.
- Great for creating displays on a budget.
- Ideal for smaller indoor displays, childrens bedrooms etc.
- Quick and easy to install.
IP44 or IP65 rating?
You’ll often see us mention a lights IP rating. The IP rating is simply a way of grading how effective the lights are against things like dust and moisture.
The higher the numbers, the more resistant they are.
The two most common IP ratings you’ll find for our lights are IP44 and IP65.
IP44 rating – Totally protected against dust and protected against water splashed from all directions.
IP65 rating – Totally protected against dust and protected against strong jets of water.