If you step outside one of these mornings, you’ll feel the first bite of chilly fall weather. Before long, it will be time to rake leaves, winterize your house, and drink pumpkin spice lattes. And of course, autumn would feel empty without Halloween.
For some reason, it just feels right to let out your spooky side. People who normally hate horror movies will sit enthralled by the latest slasher flick. You’ll need to stock up on candy for trick-or-treaters. And what would any holiday be without some festive decorations?
When people think of holiday light strings, they typically think of Christmas, and that’s totally fair. People have been decorating trees with string lights almost since the lightbulb was invented.
But old-school string lights were a pain to use. If even one of those little incandescent bulbs went out, the entire string would die. Maybe they were worth dealing with for your Christmas tree, but they were too inconvenient for year-round use. Modern LED light strings are far easier to use. Since LED diodes are durable, they can withstand years of setup and storage before they fail.
As a result, manufacturers are branching out and creating string lights for all kinds of occasions. And what better holiday for string lighting than Halloween? It’s a spooky holiday by nature, and dim lighting creates a suitably eerie vibe. You can use lights to decorate your yard, or run them around your house. If you have decorations on your porch, you can use your lights to accent them. Considering how convenient LED lighting is, you may end up owning some string lights for every holiday.
Choosing the Best Halloween LED String Lights
Today, we’re going to review five of the best Halloween LED string lights that money can buy. All of these strings have an appropriately seasonal look. They’re designed for indoor or outdoor use, and are sure to bring a smile to the faces of trick-or-treaters.
That said, all of these light strings are unique, and they come with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some are longer, others are shorter. Some have closely-spaced bulbs, others are spaced further apart.
They come in different colors, and some even have decorative bulb covers. Which one is the best choice for you? To find out, we’ll have to take a closer look at each one of them. After we’ve given them all a thorough once-over, we’ll be ready to render our verdict. Let’s begin!
Ollny Orange and Purple Halloween Lights
The Ollny Orange and Purple Halloween Lights come in a long, 100-foot strand. There are 300 LEDs in total, which means they’re spaced just a hair under four inches apart. The lights are small, short nubs, and are colored in alternating orange and purple. At one end, there’s a two-prong plug, which will work with any North American power outlet. There’s no socket on the other end, so you can’t daisy-chain these lights.
On the side of the plug is a control button, which you can use to switch between eight different operating modes. The first is a simple, steady light. The second sends waves of light down the string. The third is sequential mode, which alternates between purple and orange lights. Slow-glow mode gradually fluctuates in brightness. Chasing flash mode sense fast pulses of light down the string. Fade mode slowly fades in and out, and twinkle flash blinks bulbs on and off seemingly at random. Combination mode is just a combination of a wave and a fade.
In addition to that, there’s a built-in timer function. When you activate the timer, the lights will run for six hours, then shut off. It operates on a 24-hour cycle, so you only have to set it once. There’s also a memory function, so the lights will always return to the same operating mode. You don’t have to re-set them every time they turn on.
The green PVC wire is tough and durable, and can withstand wild swings in temperature. The wire and lights are also weather-resistant, with a rating of IP44. That means they can stand up to dust, and are also scratch-resistant. Don’t hose them down or immerse them in water, but even hard rain won’t damage them. Ollny backs their lights with a 12-month warranty. If something does go wrong, you’ll get a refund or a free replacement.
KAiSnova 3D Pumpkin String Lights
The KAiSnova 3D Pumpkin String Lights are entirely different. To begin with the cord is only 10 feet long, although with 30 LEDs, the spacing is comparable. However, each bulb has a semi-transparent orange pumpkin with a green stem, with cool white inner diodes. They measure 0.83-inch wide, and 0.79-inch tall. In addition to pumpkins, you can also order the lights with acorns or even Easter eggs.
At the end of the cord is a semi-transparent plastic battery housing. It accepts three AA batteries, which aren’t included in the package. Once the batteries are installed, they’ll run for around 30 hours, depending on your usage mode. The housing itself is very light, and can hang off the end of the cord without doing any damage. There’s also a tab on the top with a screw slot, so you can mount it to a wall or a post.
On the front of the battery housing is a control button, which is used to choose between different modes. Press it to cycle through a wave, a sequential flash, a glow, a chasing pattern, or a slow fade. You can also choose a twinkling mode, sequential mode, and a simple steady on mode. Inside the box is a handheld remote, which allows for even easier operation. It has a 16-foot range, and has different buttons for each operating mode. At the bottom of the remote is a pair of brightness adjustment buttons. You can’t change the brightness directly from the battery housing.
Much like the Ollny lights, these lights can be set to run on a 24-hour timer cycle. They’ll remain on for six hours, then turn off for the next 18 hours.
Lastly, the weather-resistance rating of IP64 is good enough for outdoor use in any area. Even if there’s a ton of dust or rain, you won’t have any issues.
3-in-1 Jumbo Size 3D Halloween LED Lights
The 3-in-1 Jumbo Size 3D Halloween LED lights have a similar conceit. This is a 10-foot cord with 30 LEDs, each of them with a colorful, decorative cover. The ones we reviewed had alternating pumpkins, bats, and ghosts. However, you can order them with a pumpkin/bat/spider or pumpkin/eyeball/skull combo, or just as standalone pumpkins. The bulbs have different sizes depending on their shape. The lengths and widths will range between 2.3 and 3.3 inches, and the inner diodes are cool white.
The end of the cord attaches to a semi-transparent battery housing that takes three AA cells. Your batteries will last for around 36 hours, depending on your mode. Using the button, you can switch between a basic steady mode and a flashing mode. The lights themselves are waterproof, and can withstand exposure to rain. However, the battery pack is not waterproof. You’ll need to make sure it’s kept protected from the rain. Or, you could just use these lights indoors.
If you’re throwing a Halloween party, you may want something even more impressive than string lights. To kick your party up to the next level, try using some LED light balloons. There’s nothing like balloons to make a party festive, and LEDs only make them more fun.
Little Ghost LED Lights
The Little Ghost LED Lights are another 10-foot string. However, there are 20 LEDs, not 30. This gives you a little bit wider spacing than the other light strings we’ve looked at. The version of the string we tried came with soft white ghosts as bulb covers. However, you can also choose orange pumpkins or purple bats. The inner diodes will be warm white regardless of the bulb covers.
Like the other battery-powered light strings we looked at, this one takes three AAA batteries. It also has a control button built into the battery housing. Press the button once to turn on a steady light, and again to go into flashing mode. There’s also an on/off switch at the end of the housing, so you can turn the lights off altogether.
These lights have a weather-resistance rating of IP65, which is pretty powerful. You don’t have to worry about any amount of dust or rain. The battery box is rated IP44, which is slightly less impervious to the elements. But it’s still suitable for outdoor use in most environments.
Ghost lights are a fun way to celebrate Halloween. But what if you just want some atmospheric lighting for your spooky display? In that case, check out our list of the best fairy string lights. These lights are also battery operated, and can be used in most places you’d put Halloween decorations.
Twinkle Star Halloween String Lights
The Twinkle Star Halloween String Lights are 33 feet long, with 100 LEDs space about four inches apart. The bulb covers are pinecone-shaped, and are colored orange as is seasonally appropriate. You can also order other colors if you want, including warm white, cool white, red, green, blue, purple, and multicolored.
These lights are designed to plug into your wall outlet, and have a two-prong plug on the end. This plug connects to the light string with nine feet of extra length. At the other end is a two-prong socket, so you can daisy-chain up to five light strings together. Keep in mind that while the lights are waterproof, the plugs are not. If you’re daisy-chaining, you’ll have to use them indoors or keep them under cover.
Using a control button on the side of the plug, you can choose between eight different modes. These include steady, twinkling, slow fading, chasing and flashing, glowing, waves, combination, or sequential mode.
If you’re looking for an alternative lighting method, consider some hangable mason jar LED lights. They’re not just great for Halloween. You can keep them around for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions. They’re even great as temporary path lights!
Final Verdict
Which Halloween LED light string is the best is really a subjective decision. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve learned about each one.
We began with the Ollny Orange and Purple Halloween Lights, which are just what they sound like. They’re alternating orange and purple lights on a long, 100-foot string. They have eight operating modes, and run on AC power. That way, you don’t have to worry about changing any batteries!
Next up on our list were the KAiSnova 3D Pumpkin String Lights. These lights will run for around 30 hours on a set of AA batteries. They’re charming and attractive, with semi-transparent, pumpkin-shaped bulbs. And at 10 feet long, the light string is the perfect length for doorways.
After that, we looked at the 3-in-1 Jumbo Size 3D Halloween LED Lights. These lights come in different varieties, with different combinations of fun, Halloween-themed bulbs. Pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and bats are all on offer. The battery housing isn’t water-resistant, but other than that we were very pleased.
Next, we reviewed the Little Ghost LED Lights. These adorable ghosts are a fun way to spice up any Halloween display. Or, you can order them with pumpkins or bats to change things up. They’re easy to control, with the option for solid or flickering modes. And they’re weather-resistant to use just about anywhere.
Bringing up the rear, we have the Twinkle Star Halloween String Lights. These lights have the most traditional-style design, with a pinecone-like shape and texture. Besides orange, you can order them in multiple colors to suit multiple different seasons. Not only that, but you can daisy-chain up to five of them in a row. That’s enough to light up even a very large Halloween display.
Meet Derek, “TechGuru,” a 34-year-old technology enthusiast with a deep passion for tech innovations. With extensive experience, he specializes in gaming hardware and software, and has expertise in gadgets, custom PCs, and audio.
Besides writing about tech and reviewing new products, Derek enjoys traveling, hiking, and photography. Committed to keeping up with the latest industry trends, he aims to guide readers in making informed tech decisions.