The 10 Best Rope Lights
Special Honors
Birddog Lighting If you're looking for rope lights that are longer than what's typically available, Birddog Lighting has selections that range from 65 to 148 feet, and offers LED solutions that are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Available in myriad colors and boasting omnidirectional light output, many choices are dimmable, can flash and fade, and come with power connectors, end caps, splicers, and mounting clips. birddogdistributing.com
Editor's Notes
March 11, 2021:
With all of our previous picks continuing to be great choices for the category, it was a short round of updates for us that saw no major comings or goings. The most significant change we made was bumping the Lighting Ever Low Voltage down a few spots, as we didn’t like that its adapter wasn’t suitable for outdoor use, even though the fixture itself is purportedly waterproof. For a few users – say those with covered porches and similar – this might work out alright, but for most people planning on outdoor installations, this amounts to a needless headache and potential safety hazard.
If you’re interested in ways to further enhance your backyard’s night scene with some supplementary lighting, we also maintain lists of solar tiki torches and landscape lighting.
August 15, 2019:
Rope lights are capable of creating the same decorative ambiance as the very similar string light and LED strip light categories. The main thing to know is that string lights can be manipulated over surfaces because they bend and flex well, and include popular iterations like fairy lights and the bulb-adorned versions that are often used in restaurant and bar patios. LED strip lights are somewhat less attractive when not in use, but make up for it by being extremely versatile.
Rope lights are set apart by their protective encasement, usually PVC, which prolongs their lifespans, makes them easy to twist around surfaces, simple to handle and mount, and gives them a clean finish. There is plenty of crossover, as you'll see that many of our selections are string lights or LED strips in a tube, IE the Surnie Flexible, Omika Starry, Areful Novelty, Lighting Ever Low Voltage, etc.
The main pain point for this category are products that stop working after a short period or don't operate out of the box, so we chose the highest quality options we could find with the lowest amount of reported defects. There is always the possibility of an issue, though, so we favored selections with warranties and money-back guarantees. We were also drawn to models that are controlled by remotes, have multiple brightness settings and light modes, and come with installation hardware.
We wanted this list to showcase different lengths, thicknesses, waterproof ratings, and price tags because we know everyone's needs are different. We added the Aluvee Garden for those who want a solar unit, and the Zitrades EL Wire and Bebrant Dimmable for users who need a portable option.