To begin, it's worth noting that all Tru-Tone C7 (E12 base) and C9 (E17 base) bulbs are 100% compatible with third party, commercial light strings – even those you may have bought 20 years ago (provided it's still in good condition, of course)!
As such, you do not need to purchase our light strings if you have compatible light strings of your own you wish to repurpose – this is why we sell our bulbs and strings separately, in addition to our highly giftable all-in-one light sets.
With that said, there are many reasons you may consider using our light strings, depending on your application.
With a commercial SPT-1 light string, the two wires are joined side-by-side and lay flat with the sockets sticking out perpendicularly from the orientation of the wires. This is actually great for linear applications, such as on roofs, railings, and around windows, and can create a very neat, clean and consistent installation for these uses. This is why we in fact actively encourage our customers to use this type of light string for their linear applications!
However, the very thing that makes SPT-1 light strings great at linear application actually makes them not ideal for situations where you want more control of the placement and orientation of individual sockets/bulbs, such as on a tree or mantle. Because the wires are flat and joined in the middle, once you start rotating or positioning one socket, it can become a bit unruly to control, as the string and sockets adjacent to the one you are positioning will begin moving in tandem, too.
Our Classic Light Strings, however, feature twisted-pair wiring that feels much more lightweight and flexible than standard SPT-1 light strings. The twisted-pair construction results in a light string that is much easier to handle when decorating a tree, wreath, column, mantle, etc. Because the wiring is twisted and doesn't have an inclination to lay flat in one direction, nearby sockets are less affected by the rotation and positioning of other sockets, allowing much more freedom when and where you want it while decorating.
The primary reason folks love our light strings over commercially available SPT-1 light strings, however, is the vintage detailing and color options. Commercial light strings are most commonly available in white, dark green, and black. Meanwhile, ours are offered in a variety of two-tone color options (see photo below) that can help make the light string itself part of your decoration.
To summarize we recommend the following guidance to help you decide what style light string is right for you and your application.
Use commercial SPT-1 style light strings if:
You have a large, linear installation such as roofline, railing or windows
You want to create custom-length light strings without any excess
Use Tru-Tone Classic Light Strings if:
You want more control over individual bulb orientation or placement
You want a vintage-style light string (without worrying about vintage wiring)
You want additional color options than are typically available for C7/C9 light strings
