Questions we get before and after the box arrives.
Read the install and sizing answers before you cast or drill. Our returns policy is strict, so a question answered here saves a kiln load and an email.
Fit and sizing
Will this fit my tree?
It fits ceramic trees you punch or drill yourself, finished trees that already have twist in bulb holes, and trees with extensions. The current 125-light kit uses Large Standard Crystal Bulbs. Working from greenware, punch the openings with the Large Standard punch. If your tree is already fired, contact us before you order and we will help you check the fit.
Why are these bulbs bigger than my old ones?
The LED component sits inside the housing and needs room. That makes them larger than traditional twist lights, pegs, and pins. Hole sizing is the thing to get right, and it is the customer’s responsibility.
Are Pin Lites the same thing?
No. Pin Lites are a different category with a thinner stem and they are not compatible with this kit. Check which one your tree was made for before you punch a whole batch.
What if a hole is too tight?
Enlarge it carefully with a diamond edged bit and break the glaze back gently. A standard bit will not hold up against fired ceramic.
Greenware, bisque and glaze
When do I punch, and when do I drill?
Punch at greenware, while the clay is cast, dried, and still unfired and soft. Once a piece is fired to bisque, switch to a diamond edged bit. The punch tool is for greenware only.
Do I need to re-check the holes after firing?
Yes. Clay shrinks in the kiln, so a hole that fit before firing can be snug after. Glaze can tighten it further. Test one hole at bisque before you commit a whole batch.
Installing the string
Where do I start?
Start with the star at the top and work down. Reaching the very top from inside can be tricky, and a small dowel helps guide the first LED up to the star opening. Then feed the string down through the rest of the tree.
Does the order I thread the LEDs matter?
Yes. They light in sequence, so the order you feed them through the holes decides how an animated effect travels across the finished tree. Worth experimenting with before you cap everything.
I have extra LEDs sitting between my tree sections with no bulbs on them.
That is intentional. Leave that slack. It lets you separate and move the sections later instead of fighting a tight string every time you take the tree apart.
So I will not use all 125 bulbs?
Probably not, and that is fine. The kit ships 125 bulbs because the string has 125 LEDs, but most trees have fewer holes than that, and an extension tree deliberately leaves some LEDs without bulbs in the gaps between sections. Whatever you do not use goes in your parts bin as spares. You are not doing it wrong.
Can I cut the string shorter?
No. It is one circuit and cutting it breaks the circuit. It is not designed to be resized, and a cut string is not a defect we replace.
My tree is huge. Do you sell a longer string?
No, and you probably do not need one. What matters is how many light openings your tree has: this kit lights up to 125 of them, and one kit covers a tree with extensions. For anything larger than an Atlantic Barrel or a Boobie tree with an extension, run a second kit alongside the first. Plenty of people run two just because they want more lights.
What does running two kits cost me?
Power. Two kits need two sources at once, so either two outlets or one power bank with two USB ports.
Control, app and remote
How many colors can I set at once?
You choose colors for 25 positions, and that design repeats five times along the 125-light string, so several colors run on the tree at once. There are 20 dynamic effects, 5 fixed scene modes, automatic scene cycling, adjustable speed, and forward or backward direction.
Can I dim one bulb on its own?
No. Brightness is a whole tree setting, stepped up and down with the sun keys on the remote. Color is set by position. Brightness is set for the whole tree.
Which app do I use, and where do I get it?
The box has QR codes on it that take you straight to the right app for your phone. Scan the one for your device and it will open the correct download page.
We point you to the app rather than naming it here on purpose. The app is third party software, not ours, and the app that pairs with your kit can change if we change LED suppliers. The QR codes on the box you actually received are always correct for that kit. Following a name you read on a website months later might not be.
Do I need an account or a login?
No. The app connects straight to the string over Bluetooth. Nothing to sign up for and no email to hand over.
What does the remote do that the app does not?
The 24 key IR remote is button by button manual override: colors, white, brightness shortcuts, effect speed and direction, two music modes, and 1 hour and 4 hour timers. Handy when the phone is across the room or a second person is running lights at a show.
The app will not pair.
Unplug the string for ten seconds, then try again with Bluetooth on and the app open. There is no account to check.
The remote is not working.
The remote sends an infrared signal, and the infrared receiver is built into the USB controller on the string, not into the tree or the bulbs. Point the remote straight at the USB controller with a clear view between them. If the controller is hidden behind the tree, tucked inside it, or covered by anything, the signal will be weak or will not reach it at all, so keep it out in the open where the remote can see it. Also check that a CR2025 battery is in the remote, since one is not included.
Do I need Wi-Fi to use the web controller?
Only to open it. The web controller for a computer or an Android phone is a web page, so it needs Wi-Fi or another internet connection to load. Once it has loaded, it keeps controlling your lights even without the internet. If you refresh the page or close it while you are offline, it cannot load again until you are back online, so leave the page open.
Do the lights get hot?
No. These LEDs run cool. Incandescent bulbs are still a common choice and they work, but they run hot.
Power and parts
What do I need that is not in the box?
A USB power cube or a power bank for the string, and one CR2025 battery for the remote. Neither is included.
Can I run it at a craft show with no outlet?
Yes. The string ends in a USB plug, so a portable power bank keeps the tree lit through the day.
Do you sell colored bulbs?
No, clear only. The LED makes the color, so a colored bulb would only fight it. The star topper is clear only for the same reason.
Orders, shipping and returns
How fast does it ship?
3 to 4 business days. USA only. Shipping cost is calculated at checkout.
Can I return it?
No. All sales are final and we do not issue refunds, including on unused, unopened, or uninstalled items. Ask us a fit question before you buy.
Mine arrived damaged.
Report it within 48 hours of delivery with photos of the product, photos of the packaging, and your order number. Verified defective or damaged items get a replacement, not a refund. After 48 hours we cannot offer a replacement.
Can I cancel an order?
It depends on timing. Orders placed after 12:00 PM Central can be canceled if you email before 9:00 AM Central the next business day. Orders placed before 12:00 PM Central are processed the same day and usually cannot be canceled. Once processed or shipped, no.
Is the punch tool really free?
Right now, yes. It is normally $15 and every kit ships with one free, for a limited time. Two kits means two tools.
Still stuck?
Ask before you cast or drill. We would rather answer a sizing question than turn down a return we do not accept.