Wednesday, March 13, 2013

All About Mini Lights

Clear Mini Lights
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

Friday, February 22, 2013

New Globe Light Cases.

Globe Lights for Weddings

New Globe Light Cases

All American Christmas Co. is proud to offer Globe lights in smaller cases. Previously we had carried all of our globe lights in cases of 500 bulbs but our most recent purchase was shipped in cases of 250 bulbs so they are smaller, easier to ship (many 500 count shipped oversize), and give you a big savings over buying individual boxes.

Our G30, G40, and G50 Globe light bulbs are great for use on Patios, hanging in Christmas tree lots, Restaurants, and for Weddings. Apart from offering a wide selection of in stock bulbs and wire and light strings. We carry the Christmas light style strings, the Molded Wire, and the twisted wire with ceramic style sockets.

Visit our Globe Lights page to check out all our new Globe light cases and strings.
--
Zach

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

New affordable LED Craft Lights

New LED Craft Lights at All American Christmas Co.

Using short Mini light strings for lighting up blocks and bottles is old news and has been discussed in excess on this blog but late last year All American Christmas Co started carrying a brand new line of 20 count LED Craft lights that are much more affordable and functional than previous incarnations of LED Craft sets.

LED Craft Lights
Wide Angle (Concave) Bulb
The New LED Craft Light strings we carry feature Wide Angle 5mm LED bulbs (shown left) these style bulbs offer the widest viewing angle and most vibrant colors in our opinion. These sets feature a 36" long lead wire from the plug to the first bulb so you (or your customers) won't need a extension cord for simple decorating applications. Bulb spacing is approximately 3 inches with an over all lighted length of approx. 4.75 feet. This string will be perfect for both wine bottles and glass blocks and other popular craft projects. They come on both Green and White wire with most standard colors available so you aren't stifled by LED's lack of variety! Now for the best part, prices for the LED Craft Lights range from $5.49 to $6.99 depending on the color of the bulb, so you're not spending 10 times the money for a light string.

What are the real advantages of switching Crafts to LED?

If you are used to using Craft mini light strings you're probably spending somewhere around $3 a set, for 2 or 3 more dollars you'll be saving yourself time, headaches, and in the end money! LED sets are rated at 50,000 hours of burn time, now we think that number is a little extreme but even 20,000 hours is a vast improvement over the 2,500 hours you get from incandescent lights. Our LED Craft light bulbs are molded in so you wont have to deal with bulbs coming loose or twisting during installs and they generate little to no heat because they don't have a filament heating up so your crafts won't even be warm to the touch. If you make lighted wine bottles for a side business or even a full time job you'll find that increasing your price to give your customer a product that will last longer, use less power, and give the same beautiful effect will be a smarter investment in the long run.

Now you may think,"The look won't be the same!" and you're right. LED lights are a different look, the way the light is made isn't the same method so they give off a different light, but we carry Warm White lights that match the color of Clear mini lights very well and honestly LED colors look a million times better than incandescent because they aren't lighting up painted glass the diode actually lights up the desired color. Below is a comparison of Warm White LED lights and Clear (white) Mini Christmas Lights.
Warm White Versus Clear Bulbs
Warm White LED VS. Clear Incandescent Bulbs

--
Zach
All American Christmas Co.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Globe lights for Weddings

Globe Lights for Weddings
Globe Light Bulb on C9 wire.

Globe Lights for Weddings

All American Christmas Co. carries a wide variety of light strings and bulbs that can fit in to about any application or holiday. One of the most popular "Christmas Light" bulbs for use during other events are Globe lights, these round bulbs are a classic style bulb that don't appear at all Christmas-y. These have skyrocketed in popularity in the past few years for us in weddings because almost any theme can find a place for these lamps. This blog will again cover Globe bulbs and their uses in Weddings.

Friday, January 4, 2013

DIY Mini Light Garland


We all know that these days we are trying to do more DIY projects. They help to save money but also they can help you to completely customize the wedding or party to the theme with recycled mini lights and inexpensive cups or cupcake papers. Now who can say no to that? One way to add fun and festive customization is to make covers for your mini lights to string around the room or venue. You can do this in several different ways using several different products. Some people use cupcake pan liners, clear plastic party cups covered with fabric or covering Dixie cups with scrapbook paper that matches your party décor.