We are taking a long, illuminating look at the new Southwire LED String Lights, designed specifically for job sites. Southwire sent us a 100 foot set and asked us to let the world know what we think.
We’re going to “highlight” their features, set them up and test them in our workshop, compare them to some other similar job site lighting options, then let you know if we think they are worth your dollar.
These LED String Lights are touted by Southwire as “the perfect LED solution for any jobsite application.” They are available in two lengths, 50ft and 100ft, offering 5 lighting modules on the 50 footer, and 10 lights on the 100 footer. What’s different about these lights compared to most other competitive models is that they feature LEDs on the top AND bottom of each light, offering full jobsite coverage. This design addresses the fact that LED lights are unidirectional, not omni directional like a traditional light bulb.
We noted 39 total LEDs on each light: 33 on the bottom, and 6 on the top. Each individual light provides a total of 800 lumens, so on your job site that’s roughly 680 lumens lighting the floor, and 120 lumens lighting up the ceiling. Add it all up and you’ve got a total of 4,000 lumens on the 50 foot string, and 8,000 total lumens on the 100 foot string. That’s a lot of lumens!
Regarding durability, these lights are rated IP65 and protect against the water and dust, so you can use them in indoor AND outdoor settings without worry. Each module is constructed of a heavy-duty plastic with a built-in ring on top for hanging hooks, and they seem like they’ll take a beating on the job site. And the best part, you NEVER HAVE TO CHANGE A BULB. No more wasting labor costs to install light bulbs in every socket in a chain of old cage lights. LEDs are far more durable than incandescent, CFL, or other lighting options, while also using less electric. You can easily daisy-chain up to 10 strings of the 100’ model and 20 strings of the 50′ model for up to a total of 100 lights at 1,000 feet long and 80,000 total lumens.
At the 2017 NECA Convention, these lights were named as one of the winners of the convention’s “ShowStoppers” award. That’s no participation trophy. From over 200 entries into this competition, only 23 awards were given. So long story short, they seem to have a lot to offer and come into our shop as an exciting NEW option for job site lighting.
They are easy to install – they’re not too heavy which makes hanging them all that much easier. Also, The Southwire LED Lights stay pretty cool, they didn’t give off much, if any heat..
They will pay for themselves in 3 ways: your electric bill, the cost of traditional lightbulbs and replacement bulbs, and the labor to install those bulbs on a jobsite.
You can pick up a 50 foot set for around 100 to 110 bucks, or this 100 foot set for around 180-190 bucks.
Well there you have it, the Southwire LED String Lights, available now at premium Southwire dealers like Ohio Power Tool. Hopefully this video helped “shine a light” on some of the questions you may have had about these lights. Have any additional questions? Let us know in the comment section below.
