FINALLY got around to testing C-7 light strings with my Home Depot tester http://www.homedepot.com/p/LightKeeper-Pro-Light-Tester-1203-CD/100686478 It was actually quite easy to use , following instructions . Fixed about 70% of my box o' 1/2 - not-working strings of lights. The light/sockets I COULD get out mostly a wire on a bulb was corroded off or broken. Using this tool made it surprisingly easy to segregate WHICH bulb(s) were causing the problem. I used bulbs from other strings squirrels had lunched on as spares. So only buy strings WITH removable light sockets (some aren't), and this handy tester that will also test individual bulbs, i.e. Noma's, as well as the wires themselves . Even managed to cut out and reconnect some chewed up sections of wires by carefully separating and re-splicing individual wires ! Bought a bunch of fuses, replaced some, but wasn't any help, problem, again, was usually corroded off bulb wires .

Peter Vincent Yeah, that's what I do too now is just buy 25 light strings, but thanks for the NOMA 'tip' didn't know that ! I still maintain we should all contact UL and CSA and get their 'stamps of approval' removed from these crap light manufacturers in S.E. Asia . If I haven't said it before, if you were smart enough to keep your old 'screw-in' light strings, the BEST 'commercial quality' 'heavy duty built', bulbs and strings I've found are from ; http://www.noveltylights.com , they have 'screw in' C-9 & C-7' LED bulbs. I'm not advertising for them , but advising for us 'fed up with crap' posters . May cost a bit more, but cheaper than throwing out 6-8 strings EVERY year ! Cheers, Drew

Not 'advertising' here, just informing . I have discovered 'Industrial Quality' Christmas lights of ALL kinds at 'Novelty Lights' http://www.noveltylights.com/led_christm... . They are 'Commercial quality' lights and wiring , and even have C-7 and C-9 'screw in base' bulb replacements for those smart enough to have KEPT their old incandescent light strings ! They ARE available on Amazon.ca and other sites in limited styles , but if you want to go to the 'Mother load', go to their U.S. .com site ! Yes, a little more expensive perhaps, but FAR less 'frustrating' so far . I'M going to ordering 100 C-7's for sure , my C-9's have lasted for 8 years so far with '0' problems (except for the 2 I broke off their bases by standing on them , and those I just unscrewed and replaced , no struggle ! Any further strings I buy will be from them ! NO 'Box' stores . Cheers, Drew

Happy (?) 2015 LED Strugglers: Well, here we all are here again . While putting up my 'C-7 & Mini' LED's yesterday, my stored inside for 11 months, strings once again, did not fail to dis-appoint . Had 2 cardboard 'apple boxes' of light strings to put up, and, after trying to put them up , ended up with 1 apple box full of '1/2 string out' strings as usual . Have 'smartened up' tho' , NOW I only buy the 35 light strings , on sale , nearer Christmas (less to throw away, annual tradition !) . I also bought a LED 'Tester' gun from Home Depot , so will head to garage with my box of 1/2 'workers' and 'have at it' yet again until fingers bleed from pulling asst'd. sockets styles that CAN be pulled as some can't. Sure would be nice if UL or CSA would force the producers to at least 'standardize' the bulb sockets like the old screw in ones ! A quarter of those 'infected' MAY be repairable, another quarter will probably be cut at outage point and re-'ended', and, as usual 1/2 will go to Recycle Depot . One 'good'...

We should ALL write to CSA; Dear CSA Worldwide, Every year, myself and millions of others, are going through the frustration of LED Christmas light string failures . I’m sure you’ve all experienced it, half a string goes out, the other half is on . Power is received at BOTH ends , but no lights, or only half of either end . NOBODY seems to know the reason for this , and everybody seems to experience it . It applies to EVERY manufacturer, and 2 years ago Home Depot had to ‘pull’ their ENTIRE inventory off the shelves and return them . The various ‘forums’ offer different methods to solve this problem, but most don’t work . They also usually close with a “Don’t use my method or your house may burn down .”, disclaimer . This puts this problem squarely in CSA’s ‘bailiwick’ . What I, obviously, would like to see is these LED lights WORKING , CONSISTENTLY ! The recyclers, for the responsible, are getting filled up with these strings of lights, and the Landfills for the less responsible . I think CSA should...

Loadster, Roddy, Harvey, et al, and Danny, Danny, you've got another 'Canuck' here, so your not alone in the 'Great White North' ! Bought a bunch of fuses, HAVE a LOT of spare bulbs/strings, learned how to use my 'Multi-meter', have some 9V batteries, amongst others, and resistors too. Sat down in now warm garage, and 'had at it' ! Discovered that I had current end to end on ALL my strings (except the ones the squirrels chewed the sockets off) from various stores, Costco, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Rona, Sears, and probably some others, and that ; 1. SOME bulbs CAN'T be removed from sockets, Norma's I think. 2. Bulbs have a 'positive and negative' side. 3. All 'sockets/bulb holders' are different sizes. 4. Those 'bulbs' are REALLY THICK (had to use my VISE to break them open) ! 5. Different length strings bulbs all have different 'power needs' to light 'em up. 6. Too MUCH power in a bulb will 'blow' it, not ENOUGH does nothing. 7. Had NO such 'problems' with old 'incandescents' from 'mini-lights' to 'C-9's....

You know... for all the LED hype, these things are sure a pain in the a**, they're just like the old single wire lights, check bulbs 'til you find the culprit. Some 'progress' ! I wonder if anybody's actually calculated their 'power savings' vs. how many strings they've thrown away and re-bought, to say nothing of the recyclable glass, copper, and plastic in this 'offshore' junk. Gimme' my old 2-wire 'screw-in's' ANYDAY, 1 -out, 1-in, fixed, ta-da !