Ecosmart Commercial LED Set

Date: November 2010
Store: Home Depot
Price: $20 (20 cents per LED)
LED Color: warm/soft white or colors
LED Size:  3mm
LED Lens: Dome
LED Count: 100 leds
Current limiting resistor: embedded in plugs
Rectification: full wave
Lead material: steel but sealed
Power: 8.4 watts

Notes:

This is a "full wave rectified" set. Because it uses both halves of the AC sine wave, the lights are lit 60% of the time instead of 30% like a half-wave set. This also means that they flicker at 120 Hz. Unlike the 60Hz flicker of a half-wave set, the 120Hz flicker is imperceptable to the human eye. The lights appear solidly lit.

The diodes for full wave rectification and the current limiting resistors are embedded in the plugs at either end of the string. As a result the plugs are much larger than with half-wave sets.

Unlike every other brand I've tested, these use screw-on covers which make the bulbs weather-tight. Because moisture can't reach the steel LED leads, they won't rust.

Like the GE full wave set, individual LEDs can burn out without causing the rest of the string to go dark. Every two bulbs are wired in parallel (see picture). As long as both adjacent bulbs don't go bad, the whole string will remain lit.

The bulb socket looks completely different from all the other Lights I've looked at. There are two prongs which stick in to the socket, and the bulb is completely separate from the shaped lens. A third prong with no wires is used to make sure the bulb is installed with the correct polarity.

I have not tested this set with an oscilloscope, but I expect it to perform exactly like the GE Energy Smart lights.

These are also sold on a reel of 200 lights, which is actually just two of these 100-bulb strings plugged back to back.