Spt-1 ? Spt-2?

[Surfing4Dough]

BTW - nobody mentioned the UV advantages of SPT-2.

I am curious what you think those may be? There is no UV protection in SPT1 or 2. Some places list SPT-3 which is SPT-1 with UV protection -- I think CDI offers this. Don't assume about SPT-3 though since rarely I have seen SPT-3 which has nothing to do with UV but is actually wire with insulation thicker than SPT-2.

With regards to UV exposure in general. In the entire USA, during the winter there is very little UV exposure, due to the angle of the sun shining through our atmosphere. Therefore, unless using the cord year round, the amount of UV damage that could happen to any SPT cord would be negligible. The wire will fail due to other damage long before UV would be the culprit, so definitely not worth paying any extra for UV protection in the wire.

[TitusCarnathan]

CDI is UV protected I have used wire from both CDI and CLS durring the summer for 4th of july and the only damage I had was from some critter. It bit through the neutral but left the hot wire untouched, I think the animal did it out of spite.

Edited January 22, 2013 by TitusCarnathan

[DearJoel]

VLC appears to have the best cost per foot for SPT 2 wire at NINE CENTS a ft. Everybody else I looked at was higher. The wild card would be shipping.

Does anyone have experience with using Armorall, Son-Of-A-Gun or some other treatment on your wire to keep the plastic in shape? I would think a wipe down once a year, maybe during tear down, would keep the plastic in shape.

my .02

[TheJackal]

I have used only SPT-1 up till now.. but with WLC having a killer sale on SPT-2 I have bitten the bullet and ordered enough plugs and wire for the next two years. Copper ain't getting any cheaper..

I would order wire and plugs from them, as well as maybe some lights......if I knew how much shipping would be (no, I don't plan on spending $1000)

Edited January 22, 2013 by TheJackal

[plasmadrive]

Shipping is getting ridiculous these days..

[Sheldon_15]

Will this work??

$42.70

Plus free shipping with orders over 45$

http://homedepot.com/p/Southwire-250-ft-Black-18-2-Lamp-Wire-49910385/203387026/

And is it worth it?

[james campbell]

Is there a menards in your area? I got 250 foot rolls for 34 bucks.plus Lowes will price match

[dan24438]

We have SPT-1 on our pre season sale.

www.holiday-light-express.com

Your price with shipping: .1824 per foot.

Can go to homedepot and get it for .1708 per foot

[Sheldon_15]

Is there a menards in your area? I got 250 foot rolls for 34 bucks.plus Lowes will price match

Lowes has it?

[ClydeL]

Your price with shipping: .1824 per foot.

Can go to homedepot and get it for .1708 per foot

I usually only purchase SPT2 extension cords at around $0.14/ foot ($0.85/ 6' cord w/male+female ends). Bought all I could 2 years ago then realized that I could make my own extension cords from old BROKEN light strings.

Since learning how to do this, I've STOPPED purchasing SPT extension cords entirly. This is the second season they have been used. Yes I know the current is limited, but when the most load on any cord will be less then 1amp, there is no worries. What I love best about these cords is that I can wrap 4 cords together, creating a wire harness. The best part is that I've received all my cords FREE by placing adds on Craigs List and Freecycle. Also, I've talked it up to everyone who knows me... They bring me their BROKEN strings instead of throwing them away. This year alone, I had over 100 cords donated. I will NEVER purchase extension cords for display elements again.

Converting 1 cord takes me around 10 minutes and I do it while watching TV or relaxing. Some of the 150 ct mini strings are helpful, but I find they are way to long. So I use them to extend my LED strings to replace the old Incandesent strings in elements like stars and candy cains. Someone did mention earlier to just pull the bulbs... that will work too. I prefere to remove the light sockets.