Man, really good video. On point with everything. Thank you for taking the time to mention our channel on yours. All the channels you have mentioned I have watched as well and respect each and every business. This video is very helpful and has great breakdowns
I have had the Gemstone lights for years now. They are stunning and people are always commenting on how awesome they are. My wife was resistant at first now she uses them more than i do and always states how much she loves them. We had one warranty issue with the power injections and it was fixed in a couple days with not cost. The customer service at Gemstone is outstanding.
I agree with your approach to use a (shared) spreadsheet to create your product scores. Then viewers can modify the weighting if some category (price, installation, etc) is more or less significant to them than to you. I chose Govee a couple months ago. Cost was an important criterion to me and all the professionally installed products were many times my budget. I too am not a fan of Govee's exposed wires but my soffits are a light color so that helps keep their white wires mostly hidden. Maybe someday there will be a commercial track that I can use to rehang them. Splicing around incontiguous sections was a bit of a hurdle but I succeeded in getting them installed without too much hassle. My wife has been an advocate from the start to add permanent holiday lights. We have one neighbor with Trimlight and that sold her on the idea. Many of my neighbors pay companies to install temporary holiday lights on their fascia and gutters. We've never been a big fan of those and their very limited color and pattern options. We used the new Govee lights during Halloween and many neighbors gave us positive comments. I have dimmable and automated recessed LED can lights in my soffits (both front and back) and have no intention of using the Govee LED strings for anything but holiday and special occasion lighting. Thanks for your video.
@anthonymorris4620 To hide the wires, I just used vinyl J-channel. I added photos and more details to the bottom of this blog post: handydad.tv/govee-permanent-outdoor-lights-pro-edition
Hey I did the same this past weekend! I live in an old Tudor so my trim and overhangs are a dark brown. The j channel was crazy cheap. It was easy to make repeatable cuts and it went up in no time.
I also found same results when searching. Glad I watched it so I didn’t choose uninformed about other options. ( I’m going with Govee, on the fence between Version 1 and Pro)
Very thorough and professional video presentation, best I've seen. Thank you. One small suggestion: add brightness (lumens) per light / per foot on your spreadsheet, if you can find that info from the manufacturer? Or better yet, measure it.
Relative brightness didn’t really matter to me. I think the look is more important. But a channel called The Hook Up did a great side by side comparison with brightness specs: ruclips.net/video/DM-VhGarNgM/видео.html
2133 sqft single story home I was quoted $6,748.80 from Trimlight and a similar "competitive" price at 5600 ish and for jellyfish lighting from another company around like $6,350 ish
The pricing is misleading. Take Bright Home Lights vs Show Home Lights for instance. BHL is quoting the light strings only, while SHL is for a complete kit, including controller, tracks, cables, etc. For a similar kit from BHL, the pricing is $1425. OK, still cheaper, but not the dramatic difference listed in the video or on the spreadsheet.
I tried to use the least common denominator (strings only) as much as possible because that’s the variable cost. The controller is a one-time purchase. I’m also a fan of WLED so I wouldn’t want to buy a package anyway.
This video ruclips.net/video/ogaoIVW_Q0g/видео.html shows how I made my own WLED controller box to run multiple things. Bright Home Lights uses the same technology. Even if you use multiple WLED controllers, you can sync them together and have them appear as one.
Nice! My setup is actually custom built WLED/XLights, but uses Everlights strings as I was very impressed with their implementation and installation methods. One major flaw is that the addressable LEDs are only RGB, so no dedicated white, and I found that the manufacturer tolerances to be a bit disappointing. They replaced my strings that seemed to not match the rest but it’s annoying to have to do the manual labor necessary to unscrew and rescrew the lights with necessary soldering and weather proofing.
@@handydadtv Yeah I’d probably do it over again given how great the results look when done, and the potential you have with their patented approach, it’s just a cumbersome installation already, so best to do some color matching before you put them up. I tested my strings worked but never thought to make sure colors matched other strings. I assumed better.
@@handydadtv DIY in gutters and flashing pointed out. The strings are 9” spaced but I installed them on a 6” spacing to give a premium traditional appearance.
I went with the twinkly lights a couple years ago hard to beat the dollar per foot for the 150’ string. Just wish they were more info about splicing and programming.
@@handydadtv not yet but that was the idea when I purchased. I get they’re not exactly intended for that but at the time the only other option was pixel strings.
I am heavily leaning toward the Govee lights, but I’ve heard some negative reviews about the 3M tape not sticking and the lack of customization if the home has multiple roof lines, because you can’t splice the lines without voiding warranty. How were the Govee Pros with regard to splicing and jumping lines?
In both cases, the 3M tape is just for convenience during installation so you can stick the light in place and use both hands to screw the clips in place. The clips are required, not optional. I can’t remember the last time I requested any kind of warranty claim. Things always seem to last through the warranty period. But if you’re not willing to take the risk with the original edition, the PROs definitely make splicing easier.
Question…Hope there’s is an answer out there. I installed a 150ft Govee permanent light kit and needed to add 50ft so installed the 50ft at the end of the 150ft assuming it would have no issues. Well.. you know what they say when you assume. The new lights do not turn on? Does Govee have a female to male adaptor? I really don’t want to take down the 50 ft strand. If you happen to know an option that could avoid the uninstall I would be very appreciative. I have easy access to a power source at the end of the 50ft but not so much from where I plugged into the end of the 150ft install.
Thank you for the reply! I tried that a few times but I’m wondering if the Govee app is limited to only 9 segments? Still hoping there is a way to extend the lights but If that is the case and would have to add a power supply is it pretty easy to make the 2 different lights go in sync?
Bright Home lights looks like it has its own app. Can you use WLED instead or is it all the same? Still learning all the options. Thank you for putting this together.
Their app is a customized version of the WLED app, but it's still WLED at its core. Their app will work fine with any WLED controller (I tested that) so you can easily integrate their controller with other WLED controllers.
Man, really good video. On point with everything. Thank you for taking the time to mention our channel on yours. All the channels you have mentioned I have watched as well and respect each and every business. This video is very helpful and has great breakdowns
Dude you’re a beast with those Govee installations! I’ve watched every one of them.
@@handydadtv 🙏 we love helping our viewers have a successful DIY project. Thank you for your comment
I have had the Gemstone lights for years now. They are stunning and people are always commenting on how awesome they are. My wife was resistant at first now she uses them more than i do and always states how much she loves them. We had one warranty issue with the power injections and it was fixed in a couple days with not cost. The customer service at Gemstone is outstanding.
Thanks for the info. Glad you like them.
Thank you for doing this. Very useful and I agree with your scoring. Hard to argue with your metrics and overall analysis.
Thanks 😊
I agree with your approach to use a (shared) spreadsheet to create your product scores. Then viewers can modify the weighting if some category (price, installation, etc) is more or less significant to them than to you. I chose Govee a couple months ago. Cost was an important criterion to me and all the professionally installed products were many times my budget. I too am not a fan of Govee's exposed wires but my soffits are a light color so that helps keep their white wires mostly hidden. Maybe someday there will be a commercial track that I can use to rehang them. Splicing around incontiguous sections was a bit of a hurdle but I succeeded in getting them installed without too much hassle. My wife has been an advocate from the start to add permanent holiday lights. We have one neighbor with Trimlight and that sold her on the idea. Many of my neighbors pay companies to install temporary holiday lights on their fascia and gutters. We've never been a big fan of those and their very limited color and pattern options. We used the new Govee lights during Halloween and many neighbors gave us positive comments. I have dimmable and automated recessed LED can lights in my soffits (both front and back) and have no intention of using the Govee LED strings for anything but holiday and special occasion lighting. Thanks for your video.
Thanks for the input. Hang onto that very special lady who advocated for your lights. She’s a keeper!
This was a superb review! Thanks for the great information! Big ups to Bright Home Lights on being your #1!
Thanks 😊
@@handydadtv 😉👍
Awesome! Thank you
My pleasure!
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing your spreadsheet, too. It looks like that took lots of work.
Thanks. Be sure to watch this follow-up:
ruclips.net/video/WjlweVd7MZc/видео.html
Excellent video! I went with Govee but covered the cables with channels. The pucks themselves are visible, but I don't mind how they look at all.
No, I don’t mind the pucks, just the wires. A little OCD I guess.
How did you conceal the wire? Any images of your channel?
@anthonymorris4620 To hide the wires, I just used vinyl J-channel. I added photos and more details to the bottom of this blog post: handydad.tv/govee-permanent-outdoor-lights-pro-edition
Hey I did the same this past weekend! I live in an old Tudor so my trim and overhangs are a dark brown. The j channel was crazy cheap. It was easy to make repeatable cuts and it went up in no time.
@@nickbailey202 Do you have any images of what it looks like?
I also found same results when searching. Glad I watched it so I didn’t choose uninformed about other options. ( I’m going with Govee, on the fence between Version 1 and Pro)
I like the Govee look. It’s just the wires…
Excellent job and thank you, very informative!
Glad it was helpful 👍🏻
Very thorough and professional video presentation, best I've seen. Thank you.
One small suggestion: add brightness (lumens) per light / per foot on your spreadsheet, if you can find that info from the manufacturer? Or better yet, measure it.
Relative brightness didn’t really matter to me. I think the look is more important. But a channel called The Hook Up did a great side by side comparison with brightness specs: ruclips.net/video/DM-VhGarNgM/видео.html
2133 sqft single story home I was quoted $6,748.80 from Trimlight and a similar "competitive" price at 5600 ish and for jellyfish lighting from another company around like $6,350 ish
What did you decide to do?
Gemstone will be about $30-40 ft installed depending on installer. I’m becoming one of their reps now
Thanks. What made you pick Gemstone?
Bright home lights have the best setup I think
Bright Home Lights Review
ruclips.net/video/WjlweVd7MZc/видео.html
The pricing is misleading. Take Bright Home Lights vs Show Home Lights for instance. BHL is quoting the light strings only, while SHL is for a complete kit, including controller, tracks, cables, etc. For a similar kit from BHL, the pricing is $1425. OK, still cheaper, but not the dramatic difference listed in the video or on the spreadsheet.
I tried to use the least common denominator (strings only) as much as possible because that’s the variable cost. The controller is a one-time purchase.
I’m also a fan of WLED so I wouldn’t want to buy a package anyway.
Awesome job, thank you! but what about comparing brightness?
The Hook Up channel just did a great on-house comparison. Not all the same lights as my list but it will give you a good idea of relative brightness.
Do you have a video explaining how to link bright home to other lights, like a megatree or ground lights?
This video ruclips.net/video/ogaoIVW_Q0g/видео.html shows how I made my own WLED controller box to run multiple things. Bright Home Lights uses the same technology. Even if you use multiple WLED controllers, you can sync them together and have them appear as one.
Nice! My setup is actually custom built WLED/XLights, but uses Everlights strings as I was very impressed with their implementation and installation methods. One major flaw is that the addressable LEDs are only RGB, so no dedicated white, and I found that the manufacturer tolerances to be a bit disappointing. They replaced my strings that seemed to not match the rest but it’s annoying to have to do the manual labor necessary to unscrew and rescrew the lights with necessary soldering and weather proofing.
Oh wow. That is definitely disappointing to hear of such poor quality assurance for $10/foot!
@@handydadtv Yeah I’d probably do it over again given how great the results look when done, and the potential you have with their patented approach, it’s just a cumbersome installation already, so best to do some color matching before you put them up. I tested my strings worked but never thought to make sure colors matched other strings. I assumed better.
You did a DIY install? Pointing out or down? Did you put them in the gutter?
@@handydadtv
DIY in gutters and flashing pointed out. The strings are 9” spaced but I installed them on a 6” spacing to give a premium traditional appearance.
@@handydadtv I uploaded a video just now to demo the appearance of the lights on my house if you care to see.
Where is BrightHomeLights headquartered from?
Texas
Great video
Thanks 😊
I went with the twinkly lights a couple years ago hard to beat the dollar per foot for the 150’ string. Just wish they were more info about splicing and programming.
Thanks for all the great info!!
Are they permanently installed?
@@handydadtv not yet but that was the idea when I purchased. I get they’re not exactly intended for that but at the time the only other option was pixel strings.
How did gemstone rank?
I only evaluated DIY options.
I am heavily leaning toward the Govee lights, but I’ve heard some negative reviews about the 3M tape not sticking and the lack of customization if the home has multiple roof lines, because you can’t splice the lines without voiding warranty. How were the Govee Pros with regard to splicing and jumping lines?
In both cases, the 3M tape is just for convenience during installation so you can stick the light in place and use both hands to screw the clips in place. The clips are required, not optional.
I can’t remember the last time I requested any kind of warranty claim. Things always seem to last through the warranty period.
But if you’re not willing to take the risk with the original edition, the PROs definitely make splicing easier.
Have you researched Minleon? They seem to be a good combination of quality and price.
How can you tell? Their website is awful. It includes no pricing and no gallery of residential installations.
Error 404 on the link for the spreadsheet.
Hmmm. It's working for me. Try this: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t2clhSrQwku5KS8-xqSIiVlHT8CFUNcA5vfLkITsthA/edit?usp=sharing
working now btw
Might just been a delay with it saving changes or something
Pro user here still waiting on extension kits c'mon govee haha.
People are getting over $100 per string on eBay.
Hmm @@handydadtv
What about jellyfish lighting?
It’s on the list but it’s not DIY and will probably cost you upwards of $5,000.
What about the RGB C9 Wled you used last year? Do you still recommend it?
They’re awesome for temporary use as long as you’re aware of the limitations.
WATCH BEFORE BUYING C9 RGB LEDs
ruclips.net/video/kqJZtNKftXk/видео.html
Do the Show Home come with a power supply?
You can buy their kit that includes everything, or you can buy just the lights and use your own controller.
Bright Home Lights Review
ruclips.net/video/WjlweVd7MZc/видео.html
Spreadsheet link doesn't work
Try docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t2clhSrQwku5KS8-xqSIiVlHT8CFUNcA5vfLkITsthA/edit?usp=sharing
Question…Hope there’s is an answer out there. I installed a 150ft Govee permanent light kit and needed to add 50ft so installed the 50ft at the end of the 150ft assuming it would have no issues. Well.. you know what they say when you assume. The new lights do not turn on? Does Govee have a female to male adaptor? I really don’t want to take down the 50 ft strand. If you happen to know an option that could avoid the uninstall I would be very appreciative. I have easy access to a power source at the end of the 50ft but not so much from where I plugged into the end of the 150ft install.
Try holding the power button for 5 seconds to reset the length.
Thank you for the reply! I tried that a few times but I’m wondering if the Govee app is limited to only 9 segments? Still hoping there is a way to extend the lights but If that is the case and would have to add a power supply is it pretty easy to make the 2 different lights go in sync?
@CW-eg7wd Ah yes. The original edition is limited to 150 feet per controller.
I don't agree with 1 LEDs/light for Govee Pro. It has 5 LEDs I believe?
It has 3 warm white and 3 cool white, but only 1 RGB chip. I didn’t count the white LEDs on any of them.
@@handydadtv shouldn't separate Warm White be a consideration then at least?
@RushPL1 Good point. It should be a separate column.
I’m a installer I do c9 led Christmas lights how can I get into installing these lights thanks for the help great video
Contact Charles at connect@brighthomelights.com. Tell him I sent you. 😉
Bright Home lights looks like it has its own app. Can you use WLED instead or is it all the same? Still learning all the options. Thank you for putting this together.
Their app is a customized version of the WLED app, but it's still WLED at its core. Their app will work fine with any WLED controller (I tested that) so you can easily integrate their controller with other WLED controllers.