Can we talk about where to get quality Christmas lights?

A few weeks ago, I dug into our tubs of Christmas decor to get some strands of lights to hang in our barn.  We had our church’s youth group over to play Capture the Flag and served snacks in the barn, so I wanted some lights for ambiance and, well, light since there are no other working lights in the barn right now.

I was slightly frustrated when out of the six strands I pulled out, only two worked perfectly.  At least one didn’t work at all, and the others had the annoying problem of half the string working and the other half being completely out.

I know for a fact that I got rid of all the light strands that didn’t work last year, and I’m pretty sure I bought some lights before Christmas last year, so the ones I have are not more than a year or two old.

Apparently Christmas lights just aren’t made like they used to be – it seems in the past few years, I’m lucky to get one season out of a strand of lights before something goes wrong.  I’ve even had brand-new lights, still in the box, purchased the year before, that just didn’t work at all.

So, we’re going to have to buy some new lights this year and I want to know where I can buy lights that will last more than a couple of seasons.  All I’ve purchased up to this point are the cheapo ones, but I’m willing to pay more if I know that they will last!  Are the new LED ones longer-lasting?  I hate the bluish coldness of the LED ones but I think they have come out with some “warm white” ones.

And surely I can’t be the only one that has this issue and is tired of it.  Please, share your tips on where to get quality Christmas lights, online or in a store!