I've been looking at buying some LED Christmas lights but I'm curious about the wiring harnesses.
I know the bulbs are brighter, last longer, etc. However, I'm curious as to whether the wiring harnesses are any different/better than traditional mini-light strings. Do LED's strings go bad in sections just like traditional strings or are they wired such that each individual socket is a stand alone entity?
I have a large number of mini-light Christmas strings. Straight, icicles and swags. Every January I put away full working sets and every December I plug the strings in to find bad sections scattered throughout. I try all the standard bulb tricks and sometimes I can get the sections working, but sometimes I can't.
I'm not talking about entire strings being bad, I mean that one or more 4' section in a 21' string will be out. Then I have to buy new strings or combine strings by cutting out bad sections and soldering in good ones. It's a constant PITA.
Replacing all my strings with LED's would be a huge up-front expense, but if I knew that I could pull them out every year and they would work, it would be worth it.