The sun's shining, the temperature's rising, and the country is slowly emerging from the winter gloom and into our gardens once again.
Ahead of the summer heat, it's time to prepare for those long and lazy evenings outdoors. One way to do this is to level up your outdoor lighting. I got the chance to try out the Lighting Legends Elite Festoon outdoor LED string lights to see if they could illuminate the situation.
The 7m/24ft-long version that I tested is powered by a slimline plug. Obviously, just how you power them is left up to you, whether it's simply running an extension cable from inside your home, using a portable power station (which I was able to use), or, if you're lucky enough, having an outside plug.
The cable feels robust, as do the shatterproof bulbs. My previous outside lights felt very fragile and would crack if you just looked at them funny. They're really for outdoor use and have an IP65 waterproof rating, meaning they'll be fine no matter the weather. If anything happens to a bulb, it's very easy to replace it.
One of the best things is that they are expandable, and you can connect multiple sets of lights up to 500 metres apart.
The lights aren't super bright, but that's by design. The 'warm' light will give your patio a cosy pub/garden vibe. Perfect for lighting a hot tub! If you're after brighter illumination, you'd best look elsewhere.
According to Lighting Legends, the LED filament bulbs use 90% less energy than older-style bulbs.
What users say
Jill: "Superb quality, very robust and delighted with them. Didn’t really need the guide wire as they were hung over a short distance."
Mark: "Great lights, although they do have quite a short length from plug to first bulb, but I guess that's because they connect together. Would be great if they could supply the extension cable together, rather than having to buy it separately. Overall, pleased with the new lights. "
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