The Best Outdoor String Lights of 2023

Enhance the mood for any season or holiday with this set of color-changing string lights. The Enbrighten string lights have 16 color choices that create up to 120 possible combinations, adding a pop of color to any outdoor space.

The 48-foot weatherproof strand features 24 Edison-style bulbs. Each impact-resistant acrylic bulb uses only 1 watt of power. The included remote allows users to switch among single solid colors, two-color combinations, and various preset color modes for festivities like Christmas and Saint Patrick's Day.

The 2,200K warm glow sets a bright, inviting mood when set to the white-light setting. With the handy remote, we were able to set a 2- or 4-hour timer, choose from 10 dimmable light levels, or select fade and strobe features. We hung the Enbrighten string lights around the inside perimeter of a covered porch—each bulb socket required a small hook inserted in the overhead ceiling to hold the lights. The addition of gutter clips would have been helpful.

These are impressive solid acrylic LED bulbs, and because they’re billed as "shatterproof," we tested that claim by dropping them from head height to the concrete patio below. Not only did none of the acrylic bulbs crack or chip, but we couldn't even find a scuff mark. For those who want to select specific colors to set a mood, the Enbrighten lights do not disappoint. Since we hung them on a covered patio ceiling, they were somewhat protected by a rainstorm that affected most of the other sets we tested. But they still got dripping wet—yet it didn't seem to affect them at all.

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Get the Enbrighten string lights on Amazon, Lowe's, or The Home Depot.