Light Keeper Pro String Light Repair Tool

Hi... I have been using incandescent mini-lite strings for decorating in a commercial setting for over 20 years. This is a review for the Light Keeper Pro for incandescent mini-lite strings, which I have used for at least 5 years now. I have found Light Keeper Pro the best 'as seen on TV" tool ever advertised in that fashion, and it has saved me many countless hours of frustration maintaining the hundred or so seasonal strings and another dozen or so that are more or less permanently installed. (Note: I have been using more LED based mini-lites in recent years, but I have found the light characteristics of LED strings are so much different that that of incandescent that they do not work as well in many situations. In addition, I use dimmers in certain settings and found that 'dimmable' LED mini-lites do not work as well as incandescents when set to very low light levels.) The Light Keeper Pro has many functions but the ones that shine are as follows: The ZAPPER... The trigger operated 'zapper' that welds loose shunts inside the bulbs. NOTE: Super tiny shunt wires that wrap around the base of the two filament support wires inside each bulb are what allow the rest of the string to stay lit when one goes out. If the nearly invisible itty-bitty shunts come loose due to mfr defect, vibration or other cause, they will not function correctly. Loose shunts are usually what can make mini-lite strings so incredibly hard to fix. The BEEPER... A 'beeper' (a wireless continuity checker) that will quickly locate a bulb that is missing (sometimes hard to find when string is 'embedded' in a tree branch or garland), shattered (glass part is broken), burned out proper (blackened area on bulb indicating filament and shunt both burned out), loose fitting bulb holders in their sockets and any broken or misaligned wire 'legs' that stick out the bottom of the bulb holder. Other features... A light bulb tester that can test bulbs while still installed in their little plastic holders. Very handy for making SURE that a spare or slightly used(?) bulb is good before sticking it in a string. A fuse tester. (Note: very rare for a fuse to blow, but can happen, so nice to be able to test.) A tool for removing bulbs in their little holders from sockets. (Note: I have always used my fingers to do this job. Bulb holders slightly different between strings made by many mfrs, so haven't really figured out how to use this feature. There is a little compartment to store spare bulbs. (In my case, I keep bulbs (bare and in sockets) sorted by socket type (bulbs in sockets) or voltage (bare bulbs) in those plastic boxes from the hardware store that have a clear lid with a whole bunch of small compartments inside... These boxes are also handy for storing the other small parts like crystals for lite spheres and parts for similar novelty fixtures and strings. HOWEVER..... I have found that, with much use, the batteries that power the Light Keeper will fade to the point where the 'beeper' function will get erratic or weak, so keep a spare set of batteries handy. SO.... Most of the time, I can quickly repair strings while they are in place. Some mini-lite strings that are part of 'spheres' or are wound in 'garland' or 'net' configurations are tricky due to their wiring pattern and/or proximity of individual bulb holders. These require tracing the routing of wires and/or Light Keeper tool manipulation to determine the most efficient repair technique. CASE EXAMPLE ... (wherein Light Keeper really saved my butt...) I have semi-permanent swags of mini-lites hanging high up among the rafters of a barn-like timber frame structure. Occasionally need to remove these when required by renter of venue. A worker came in and removed all nine 150 lite strings and piled them on the floor in the lighting wing of the stage. Prior to the next event, I came in early to reinstall the strings, but when I tested them only a couple of the 18 sections (50 bulbs each) were lit ... mostly. Apparently the worker who took the strings down and, not having done this job before, let them dangle and drop onto the concrete floor as he lowered them from the rafters. Well... I had a lot of lighting to arrange in the hall besides reinstalling the swags, so I needed to move quickly. I laid each set of swags (3 sets, each with 3 strings of 150 lites) out on a large lawn (much better than on the hard floor) and went to work with the Light Keeper. Using bulbs salvaged from a couple sets of 'junk' strings that I keep on hand for spare bulbs I was able to knock out the whole repair in a little over an hour, during which 174 bulbs were replaced. The setup for the event ended up being completed on-time. HINT: When taking down lites, coil them loosely as go along, using blue painters tape to put a wrap around wires from time to time. (Painters tape tears easily when time to put up lights, not so sticky as other tape and easily removed.) The whole point is manage handling of coiled lites so as to avoid having any bulbs of light string knock against a hard surface such as a ladder or (heaven forbid) the floor while taking lites down AND putting back up later. I have been very happy with my Light Keeper Pro and bought another to use as a spare and allow for more efficient maintenance of lites during the holiday season. Gary...