12 Best Outdoor String Lights (Review) In 2020

Our best choice for outdoor string lights is the Lemontec 48 Ft Commercial Grade Outdoor String Lights. With this design, you get fifteen bulbs, set three feet apart from each other, on a cord that is 48feet long. Thanks to the generous length, plus the weatherproof feature of the line, this is a great option to brighten up your whole garden.

The bulbs on this string are S14 11-watt incandescent ones, with an Edison design to create a vintage look. The warm white light is powered by plugging them directly into a mains socket or extension lead, and they are powerful enough to light up a wide area with a warm glow. The cord itself has an ETL safety certificate, and the product can easily withstand wind and rain. The product description also states that it is safe to connect up to eight strands together.

As the Lemontec lights are a heavy-duty product, they are also quite heavy in weight, so you will need to factor this in when you plan where to hang them.

In the Brightown Outdoor Globe String Lights set, you get a 25ft weatherproof cable, 25 Edison style bulbs with one spare, plus a spare fuse. Each light has an E12 socket, which holds the 5watt bulbs and there are 12 inches in between the sockets. These lights are UK certified to withstand various weather conditions, so they are safe for outdoor use in both wind and rain, and if one light bulb does go out, the others will remain on. These bulbs are also dimmable if you decide to buy a dimmable switch.

The Brightown has a six-inch lead with a male plug and a six-inch tail with a female connector. This means you can connect them with other strands, up to a maximum of three strands, which uses 375watts.

The ADDLON Weatherproof Vintage Edison Bulb String Lights provide you with 48feet of heavy-duty, weatherproof cord and lights. This is designed to withstand rain, rain, snow, and sun. On this cord, there are fifteen sockets that fit vintage-styled, Edison bulbs (E26) which give off a warm yellow light and work with 11watt power. The incandescent bulbs can be dulled with a dimmer switch (to be bought separately) and the gap between each bulb is three feet. They are inside a plastic casing, so they will not shatter easily.

One of the great features about the Addlon string is that it has built-in hooks above each socket, making it very easy to hang using zip ties or nails. The strands have connectable male and female end connectors, meaning you can join multiple strings, to a maximum of five. Due to the weight of the cords, the strands may pull apart easily when joined together.

If you are looking for an extra-long string with a high number of lights, then the YIQU 72ft 200LED Solar String Lights 2-Pack is worth considering. This is our best value choice, as it is a pack of two strings, with each line having 200 LED lights and measuring 72feet. The lights are powered by a solar panel battery, which can be fully charged in just under eight hours. Once fully charged, the battery will provide roughly 10 hours of light.

While this product will not give you the brightest glow, the lights come with eight different modes to create unique decorative effects which are great for adding atmosphere to an outdoor event. The Yiqu is waterproof for light rain, and the warm white bulbs are energy-saving.

The Solatec 48 Ft LED Shatterproof String Lights is a great energy-saving alternative way to create a relatively brightly lit outdoor space. Each of the 2w bulbs is equivalent to a 12w traditional light bulbs. There are fifteen LED bulbs packaged in shatterproof plastic that can cope with light rain, hail, snow, and wind. They follow the popular Edison style design with warm white light and are positioned on a 48ft cord.

With the Solatec connectable cords, you can link twelve strands together, with a maximum of 162 watts. This will allow you to create a warm glow across a vast area. There is very little to criticize about this product.

The Afirst 20 Ft Edison Bulb Waterproof Patio String Lights are a good option if you don’t want a typical black cord and would prefer a more subtle look. This string and the bulb sockets are brown, so blend quite nicely around trees or fences, and hold twenty Edison incandescent lights. Each bulb uses 7watts and the sockets are the E17 size. You should get 1000hours of light from the bulbs before a change is needed. They are IP44 waterproof certified, and a spare fuse is included in the set, although there are no spare bulbs.

The Afirst cord is shorter than many of the other string light options, measuring only 20ft, but you can connect these end to end with up to four other cords.

If you want to add a bit more excitement to your garden, then the Mlambert color-changing outdoor lights could be the best choice for you. The Mlambert Color Changing LED Outdoor String Lights come on a 48ft white cord and are spaced three feet apart from each other. If you need a larger cord, then three strands can be connected together. The Mlambert gives you IP65 waterproof Edison LED bulbs that are shatterproof and weather-resistant, although not the brightest.

One of the best features of this set is the remote control that you receive. With this, you can change the colors, adjust the brightness, add a slow fade when the colors change, or simply turn the lights on and off. They are very user friendly and even have built-in loops to make hanging simple.

Our premium pick for the best outdoor string lights is the SUNTHIN 48 Ft Dimmable Edison Outdoor String Lights 2-Pack, the commercial-grade model. While it may be more expensive than several other options, with this kit, you get two sets of 48ft cord, so more than enough to cover a large area. There are fifteen sockets for the Edison bulbs on each cord, which create a warm yellow glow, and you get six spare bulbs.

The cord and lights are certified by ETL and are all weatherproof, plus you can link up to five strands end to end. Caution should be taken when installing then as the bulbs are not shatterproof.

The Mr. Beams 54 Ft Solar LED Weatherproof Outdoor String Lights are a solar-powered option, with a 54ft cord and 24 lights. The bulbs are all energy-saving LEDs and consume only 0.6watts, so once the battery is charged via the solar panel, they should last for 8hours of continuous light.

The solar panel in this kit can be placed either in the ground or mounted on the wall for maximum sunlight, and the bulbs will give you 90lumens of light, which is less than many other options. The Mr. Beams lights cannot be connected to other strands, so the maximum length will be 54ft.

Our budget pick for the best outdoor string lights is the Lampat 25 Ft G40 Globe String Lights. With this product, you get 25 ft of black cord, with 25 lights evenly spaced out. The lights are incandescent glass, warm white, round bulbs with E12 sockets. They are not dimmable and are quite small, which may or may not suit your home needs.

The cord is not especially long on the Lampat but you are able to attach three strands together to cover the area you need. You also get a spare bulb and spare fuse in the pack, and a one-year guarantee. The total wattage is 125 watts and they are perfectly safe to use in wet and windy conditions.

The LECLSTAR 48 Ft LED Patio String Lights are a great option if you need to connect multiple strands to create a lot of light or cover a large area. The cord on this set is 48ft long, with fifteen bulb sockets, but you can connect up to 30 strands together with the end-to-end connector. As the bulbs are all LED, they are energy efficient and use only two watts per socket, hence why you can connect so many strands together safely. The included bulbs bring a warm, soft light to your home and a spare bulb is included.

As with most of the other products, these are IP65 waterproof certified, and the end connectors have a protective cover for safe usage. The bulbs, however, are not shatterproof so care should be taken when hanging them.

If you are looking for an alternative to the Edison shaped lights, then it is worth having a closer look at the Novtech 38.5 Ft G40 Globe String Lights. There are 30 sockets on this 38.5ft cable, and each socket holds a golf ball shape and size bulb that emits a warm white light. These lights are UK listed with a wire core inside to prevent the LED lights from overheating and are a great energy-efficient option. As with most other outdoor lights, they also have the IP65 certification.

The Novtech string does not have end to end connectors so you cannot extend the length of this product, but it is also available in a 58ft version. These lights also cannot be dimmed, even with an additional dimmer switch.