 |
| Green Wire Clear Mini Lights |
Mini Lights
Mini lights, the small glass bulbs Christmas lights that adorn houses, businesses, restaurants all over the country. These have become a staple in decorating and while they are definitely still commonly referred to as "Christmas Lights" they are in no way just for the holiday season. In 2013 All American Christmas Co. plans to tighten the screws on our Mini Lights and try to simplify the staggering amount of choices there are.Differences to consider when choosing Mini Lights
There are a handful of differences between Mini Christmas light strings and if you're not well informed subtle things can dramatically change how you'll have to approach lighting a project. Use the info below to give you a little insight on how to use Mini christmas lights
- Bulb Spacing - This is the distance from bulb to bulb. This detail should come with the largest caveat, spacings are almost never exact and should be taken as approximations. The wire between the bulbs can often be cut at different lengths that will give slightly different spacings. The most common factory spacings are 2.5", 4", & 6" but like I mentioned before the variance in construction can take spacings from 2" to 3" and 4.5" to 5.5" just depends on the production runs. All American Christmas Co. tries to offer the most accurate spacing measurements possible.
- Bulb Count - This one is pretty easy, just the count of bulbs on a light string. There is a varying amount of options for some counts on the spacings and what not but for the most part this is pretty self explanatory. The number of bulbs on a string range from 10, 15, 20, 35, 50, 100, and 150. The most common counts are 50 and 100, with the majority of bulb spacings being available for those two counts.
- Lead Wire - A "Lead" is the length of wire from the male plug of a light string to the first bulb. This amount of wire can vary depending on the manufacturer with some sets having short leads that are close to the spacing of the set itself and some sets have long leads which easy in decorating with a sing string. Most lead wires are shorter on longer sets and longer on shorter sets.
- Lighted Length - Lighted length refers to the footage from the first bulb to last bulb. This can vary depending on the spacing of the bulbs themselves and the lighted length is pretty easily calculated. Simple take the Total number of bulbs minus one multiply by the spacing (in inches) and then divide by 12 this will give the total footage. Example: (100-1) x 4" = 396" , 396"/ 12 = 33 feet
- Bulb Voltage - Mini light bulbs are not universal, if you've ever tried to replace mini light bulbs with bulb voltages that aren't the same you'll notice certain bulbs will burn hotter and inevitably will burn out faster. The most common voltage 2.5 volt and are 50 & 100 bulb count strings. As the bulb count drops the voltage goes up, 35 count have 3.5 volt, 20 count have 6 volt, 15 count have 8 volt, and 10 count and have 12 volt.
--
Zach