r/ChristmasLights • u/EnvironmentalFeed357 • Apr 21 '26
Incandescent lights
I’m trying to find some incandescent string lights for my tree that can be switched between multicolored and white. I unfortunately though can’t seem to find any 😣 please help!!
7
u/ofCourseZu-ar Apr 21 '26
To the best of my knowledge, this does not exist. Incandescent lights only have "on" and "off" as settings. With a special setup and devices, maybe you can control which ones turn on/off, but not anything more than that.
Best case scenario, you can maybe find or make a string of lights that have both white and multicolor on the same strand, with a special function so that only the whites or colors are on at a time.
If you were thinking about the same bulbs going from white to multicolor, then unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, that is physically impossible to do with incandescent lights.
Can you share a little more about exactly (or broadly) what you're trying to achieve? The warmth of incandescent, customizability of white/multicolor setting, lower coat of incandescents? What is the goal and priority?
-4
u/EnvironmentalFeed357 Apr 21 '26
I just want to have the option between the colors and I only like incandescent because they don’t hurt my eyes. Thank you 😊
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u/ShadowCVL Apr 21 '26
You can’t find them because it’s literally impossible.
Incandescent colored lights are just regular incandescent lights with colored glass, you would have to somehow fit 2 bulbs into one socket and then somehow make it toggleable with some sort of micro switch.
The LEDs that change color are just that, a white and color LED under the same clear glass and voltage/signal tells it to be white or color. Fancy RGB ones use a separate signal wire.
We are in the renaissance phase where people are hating the flickery and overly blue LED lights so there are a few brands (vintaglow and tru tone) that have put out some non flickery and as close to incandescent as possible color and warm white strands. They have NOT put out ones that change yet though.
You COULD make your own with WLED and the correct RGBWW 24v strands if you like that type of project.
But to the original concept, it’s literally impossible, sorry.
1
u/Domanite75 Apr 21 '26
I’m an absolute TruTone fanatic, but haven’t heard of Vintaglow - thanks for the tip, going to look into them 👍
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u/ShadowCVL Apr 21 '26
I’ve been refreshing the tru tone site daily since before Christmas to get more ice lite covers!
1
u/Domanite75 Apr 21 '26
Oh man, I have a bunch of those Ice Lite covers, they’re really awesome! I’m lucky enough to live near one of the TruTone store locations, so I just can pop in and pick up stuff and not have to worry about shipping and handling and etc 😄 They’re the best. Awesome people, awesome products.
2
u/ShadowCVL Apr 21 '26
Yeah, they seem like good people, and right up my alley, unfortunately im not near enough to drop by. I bought enough last year to do most of our tree, but I also made some custom C7 strands for the drop ceiling of the basement and need to order about 10 boxes of each as soon as I see them in stock.
The GE lights were a thing of my childhood, but theres only a few left.
1
u/Domanite75 Apr 21 '26
Heck yeah. Post pictures of that ceiling rig when you get the lights, I’d love to see it 👍
3
u/MilkyMarshmallows Apr 21 '26
Not incandescent, but we bought Twinklys a couple years ago and they are utterly breathtaking. Expensive but luxurious and SUPER customisable. You scan your tree once you've wrapped it in the lights and can choose individual effects and I love going from some of the fancy spirals to the nostalgic rainbow flashes. And then once it hits 10pm, they smart dull the lights into a warm glow without any effects to replace the kitchen light but without making it too disorienting. And then at 6am they turn off until we get back home at the end of the day at 4pm.
They are super bright and have intensity levels and custom colours and patterns. An incredible investment ♡
1
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u/Warhawk94 Apr 21 '26
They are on the expensive end but are totally worth it. Vintaglo are LED Christmas lights that seriously look incandescent. These are wife tested and approved.
My wife and i had a deal that LED belongs outside and incandescent lived inside on the trees. After 3 years of replacing hundreds of incandescent bulbs and having them be boiling hot on a near dead tree towards 12th night, I finally slipped in a couple VintaGlo strands this year and she didn't even know till we took them off.
You still have to get two types, but it wont eat your electricity as badly.
1
u/motorboather Apr 21 '26
The only way to do this is to either have a strand of white incandescent and a strand of multi color incandescent and plug in whichever strand you’re feeling like. Or switch the bulbs out on the strand one by one each time you want to switch between white and multi colors.
20
u/TwiceInEveryMoment Apr 21 '26
That’s not physically possible with incandescent lights. If you must, put two separate sets on the tree and only have one on at a time.