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At a Glance
PeakPro and NL Select share the same diamond faceted shape, the same warm white color temperature, and the same dimming behavior. They differ in shell material, warranty, power draw, packaging, and price. Here's the side-by-side.
Not sure if you need C7 or C9 in the first place? Our Guide to Pro Grade Holiday Lighting Products walks through the size and use-case differences between the two shapes.
PeakPro
C7-UB- / C9-UB-
- Premium tier · built with higher quality materials
- Polycarbonate shell · thicker, tougher, UV-stable
- 3 SMD LEDs · 360° viewing angle
- 0.80 W per bulb · same in C7 and C9
- 50,000 hour rated life
- 3-season warranty
- UL Listed · indoor / outdoor
- Individual cardboard box · bulbs stand upright
- Twinkle variant available
NL Select
LED-C7-DF- / LED-C9-DF-
- Value tier · the more budget-friendly option
- Polystyrene shell · shatter resistant
- SMD LED · 360° viewing angle
- 0.50 W (C7) / 0.65 W (C9) · lower power draw
- 30,000 hour rated life
- 2-season warranty · 1 year permanent use
- ETL Listed · indoor / outdoor
- Bulk poly bag · bulbs sit loose
- No twinkle variant
Why Diamond Faceted Is the Standard
Both PeakPro and NL Select use the same diamond faceted lens design. Before we get into how the two lines differ, it's worth understanding why that lens shape has become the most popular choice in C7 and C9 holiday lighting.
The Three Main Bulb Styles
Diamond Faceted
- Surface molded with dozens of small angled facets
- Each facet refracts and reflects light in a different direction
- Bulb body glows uniformly while keeping clear-lens brightness
- Facets catch ambient light too, adding sparkle and visual interest even when the bulb is off
Transparent
- Light passes through with little redirection
- You can see the LED chip itself through the lens
- Bright and crisp up close, with a visible point-source character
- Bulb body itself reads dark; the chip is what glows
Ceramic / Frosted
- Opaque coating scatters light in every direction
- Whole bulb body glows with a soft, uniform appearance
- Classic painted-bulb look, lower light output than clear at the same wattage since some light is absorbed
- Smooth surface; the bulb itself does not add visual texture
How the Facets Actually Work
Each diamond facet on the bulb surface acts as a tiny prism. Light from the SMD LED inside refracts (bends) and reflects (bounces) off the facets, exiting the bulb in dozens of directions at once instead of one focused beam.
The result is a bulb that glows uniformly from tip to base with no visible hot spot, while keeping the brightness of a clear lens. A ceramic bulb gets to a uniform glow by blocking and scattering light through a coating, which absorbs some of it; the facets get there through redirection, so more of the light makes it out.
The facets also pick up ambient light and reflected light from neighboring bulbs, which gives a diamond faceted strand visual texture and sparkle even before it is plugged in.
Why It Has Become the Go-To
Diamond faceted has become the most popular C7/C9 style because it offers three useful properties in one bulb: the brightness of a clear lens, the uniform glow of a ceramic lens, and the visual sparkle of a faceted surface. Smooth clear and smooth ceramic bulbs each have their own look and their own customers; the diamond facet is just the design that splits the difference and brings in the added sparkle effect, which is what most installers and homeowners are looking for. The same geometric principle is why cut crystal glasses and chandelier crystals are faceted: the angled surfaces catch light and throw it back in interesting ways.
Why the Plastic Matters
The shell material is the key differentiator between PeakPro and NL Select. The plastic choice drives the warranty difference, and once you understand it, the rest of the differences make sense.
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate is the same material used in bulletproof glazing, motorcycle face shields, machine guards, and safety goggles. It is up to 250 times stronger than glass and roughly 30 times stronger than acrylic.
The reason it holds up is that polycarbonate is a ductile plastic. Under impact it flexes and deforms before it ever fails. A PeakPro bulb stepped on, dropped from a ladder, or run over by a car on a job site can dent or scuff but will not shatter into pieces. That is why ladders, trucks, and weather rarely take a PeakPro bulb out of commission.
Polycarbonate also has strong UV resistance and holds its shape across a wide temperature range, so the shell does not get brittle in January or soften in August.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is the same material family used in CD cases, disposable cutlery, and retail display fixtures. It is rigid, holds clarity well, and is far less expensive to produce. NL Select uses a shatter-resistant grade of polystyrene, which is tougher than the brittle clear-cup version most people picture.
That said, polystyrene is fundamentally a brittle plastic. It resists everyday handling fine, but under a sharp impact it tends to crack or fracture rather than flex. A stepped-on Select bulb is more likely to break than a stepped-on PeakPro bulb. For normal install-and-leave-it use this is rarely a problem, but it is the reason the warranty is shorter.
Polystyrene also has lower UV stability than polycarbonate. Over multiple seasons of sun exposure the shell will yellow and grow more brittle than it started.
In Plain Language
Polycarbonate is the impact-resistant engineering plastic. It flexes under stress, so PeakPro bulbs are functionally unbreakable in normal use. Polystyrene is the rigid value-tier plastic. It cracks under sharp impact, so Select bulbs are fine for installed use but will not survive the same kind of abuse on a job site. The plastic is the real reason for the warranty gap; everything else (lower wattage, poly bag packaging, no twinkle variant) is downstream of the cost-tier choice.
The Other Differences
Beyond the shell material, there are four other practical differences between PeakPro and NL Select. Most are small, but worth knowing before you order.
Wattage and Brightness
PeakPro draws 0.80 W per bulb in both C7 and C9. Select C7 is 0.50 W (about 38% less power than PeakPro C7) and Select C9 is 0.65 W (about 19% less than PeakPro C9).
The visible brightness difference is smaller than those wattage gaps suggest. LED lumens do not scale 1:1 with wattage, and human vision perceives brightness logarithmically (a 50% drop in light output reads to the eye as roughly a 20% drop in apparent brightness). In a finished install on a roofline or in a tree, most people will not be able to tell the two apart. The difference is most visible when the two are running side by side on the same strand.
Packaging and Shipping
PeakPro ships in an individual cardboard box with the bulbs standing upright in dividers. The box keeps the bulbs separated in transit and on the shelf. Select ships in a bulk poly bag where the bulbs sit loose and can rub against each other in transit. This sometimes results in minor cosmetic scuffing on the diamond facets when the bulbs come out of the bag. It does not affect light output, color, or lifespan.
Twinkle Variant
PeakPro is available in a twinkle variant. Select does not currently offer a twinkle option. If you are looking for twinkle in this shape and color, PeakPro is the only diamond faceted option in our lineup.
Price
NL Select is the more budget-friendly of the two lines. Polystyrene is cheaper to produce than polycarbonate, and the simpler poly bag packaging keeps shipping costs lower too. Those savings are passed along in the price. PeakPro sits at a higher price point because it is built to a tougher spec with a longer warranty and premium packaging. For exact current pricing (which can change with sales and seasonal promotions), check the product pages linked at the bottom of this guide.
Pro Tip
Run one line on a given strand. PeakPro and Select are mechanically compatible (same base, same voltage, same dimming behavior) but on a mixed strand the PeakPro bulbs will visibly stand out as brighter and slightly more vivid than the Select bulbs next to them. For a clean, uniform look, run all PeakPro or all Select.
Quick Spec Comparison
The specs that matter most for the decision. These are the rows where the two lines actually differ. Everything else (size, voltage, color, dimming) is the same across both lines.
For full specs, see the product pages linked in the recap below.
Still Deciding?
PeakPro vs. NL Select is the second question. The first question is whether C7 or C9 is right for your install. That one comes down to bulb size, install location, and the look you are after.
Your Guide to Pro Grade Holiday Lighting Products
A walk-through of the fundamentals: wire spacing, extension cords, C7 vs. C9 bulb sizes, gutter clips, and mini light styles. If you are not yet sure which bulb shape fits your install, start here.
Read the Pro Grade Guide →
