These tubes of lights are very popular in theaters and restaurants to keep people from tripping and to show them the walkways and aisles they need to follow. But this isn’t the only use for rope lighting – they can be used as unique accents in your home, for a party, or to mark a pathway in your yard or garden.

To use them efficiently, you need to make sure to mount them in a secure fashion. Fortunately, all the hardware you need to do this with comes in a hardware kit that’s included – screws, mounting clips, and cable ties. An “Owner’s Manual” is also included, as well as a 6′ plug-in cord.

The lights last a long time – their rating is 35,000 hours – and the PVC rope, which is very heavy-duty, has a diameter of 3/8″. If you need more lighting, it’s not hard to connect two or more sets together, up to a maximum of 330 feet. They operate at 120 volts, can get hot when in use, and you shouldn’t leave them unattended when they are on.

They’re good for indoors or outdoors and have a two-year limited warranty. The built-in bulbs are not replaceable.

Pros:

* End connectors sealed very well and look sturdy
* Power cord nice and long
* I have bought many strands and have used them for 2 years
* I have 3 sets hooked together and they give off a nice yellow/orange glow
* Tacked the lights into the ground with “U” stakes
* Price is super! I’ll buy more soon
* Used them to light the underside of some shelves
* Inexpensive and look great
* Easy to install
* All my lights worked just fine right out of the box
* Heavy duty protective tubing is a plus
* Serious lighting suitable for indoors or outdoors

Cons:

* Clips are small and cheap, but adequate
* Several sections did not light up, but a little twisting made them work
* Needed a little TLC to get them to work
* Used my own screws as ones provided are extremely cheap
* Great lights but not white – more yellowish
* An on/off switch would be nice
* After 2 weeks, some sections burned out
* If you pick up your own screws at the hardware store, the package is great
* I’m going to return them because they just don’t stay lit

CONCLUSION:

One customer offered these installation tips:
1. Plug the lights in to get the plastic warm so it’s more flexible to work with
2. Buy some good quality #10 .5″ screws
3. For some applications, clear plastic cable ties might work better than the clips

My impressions is that the quality control of the manufacture of the lights is somewhat hit and miss. Some people got sets that lasted for a long time and other people had their sets burn out almost immediately – at least some sections. The consensus was that if you get a good set, the lights are fantastic, but if you get a set that malfunctions, it’s not worth the trouble to manipulate them. My suggestion is to immediately try them out to see if they work correctly so if any problems arise, you can return them before the return policy period expires.