Christmas & Fairy Lights

Yes, but check whether a set is rated for open outdoor use or for sheltered spots. Heavy duty string lights such as the 155.404UK are IP44 with UV-resistant rubber cable for outdoor use, while the 960 LED cluster lights and 200 LED sets such as the 155.465UK are for indoor and sheltered outdoor use. The mains plug and controller or adaptor stay indoors on sets such as the 155.576UK and 155.680UK.

Up to 50 sets from one plug with the Connectable icicle and net lights 155.444UK, 155.445UK, 155.447UK and 155.448UK. Other types link fewer: the 155.576UK and 155.577UK net lights connect as many as 7 sets, the 155.680UK and 155.681UK festoons 12 on one adaptor, and heavy duty controller sets such as the 155.407UK 10 sets of the 90 LED version or 5 of the 180 LED version.

Yes, many sets switch themselves on at the same time daily. The 960 LED cluster lights and the 200 LED 10m string lights run 8 hours on and 16 hours off, while the battery strings, berry lights, string light reels and festoons such as the 155.680UK run 6 hours on and 18 hours off. The 155.611UK and 155.613UK battery sets also remember the sequence last chosen.

Yes, the 155.611UK warm white, 155.612UK cool white and 155.613UK multicolour sets are 120 LED strings of 9.5m that run on 3 AA batteries, which are not supplied. The same sets are IP44 rated for indoor and outdoor use with a weatherproof battery box, and switching on starts a cycle of 6 hours on and 18 hours off.

Net lights spread LEDs evenly over a flat or rounded surface, such as a hedge, a tree or a window. The 155.576UK cool white and 155.577UK warm white nets carry 240 LEDs over 5m with 8 sequences and UV-resistant rubber cable. The smaller 155.447UK and 155.448UK nets have 144 LEDs over 1.2m and make lit backdrops.

Festoon lights, which hang in a loose line of bulbs around a marquee, gazebo or path. The LYYT 155.680UK warm white festoon has 10 LED bulbs on weatherproof rubber cable with waterproof connectors, and runs from a low-voltage adaptor that must stay indoors. The 155.681UK multicolour version has polycarbonate baubles in red, green, blue and yellow, and the timer on the pair gives 6 hours on and 18 hours off.

Their heavy duty black rubber cable is UV-resistant and suited to outdoor use, and the concave LED heads keep the brightness even when seen from the side. Sets such as the 155.404UK have 90 LEDs over 10m and 1.5m of cable from plug to first connector, and a 5m extension lead is sold separately. Controller versions such as the 155.411UK add 8 sequences.

Most controller sets offer 8 sequences, typically combined, waves, sequential, slow glow, chasing, slow fade, twinkle and steady on. The 155.652UK and 155.653UK berry lights have a remote control with 25 lighting modes, and the 45m reels such as the 155.654UK have 8 modes and 4 brightness levels. Non-controller heavy duty white sets are static, while their multicolour versions scroll through colours.

The 45m string light reels are the longest single sets, with 1500 LEDs each: the 155.654UK in multicolour and the 155.656UK in amber, for indoor and sheltered outdoor use. For a long outdoor run, heavy duty controller sets such as the 155.407UK, with 180 LEDs over 20m, link five sets from one plug.