Kit contents below come from each kit's product description, and every part is priced at the lowest pack-and-case mix from the Christmas Light Supplier catalog as listed on September 27, 2026. Color choice does not change the price of these kits or bulbs.
| Kit | Kit price | Same parts separately | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000' C9 kit, 15" spacing | $1,299.00 | $1,312.07 | kit $13.07 less |
| 1,000' C9 kit, 12" spacing | $1,605.10 | $1,514.56 | parts $90.54 less |
| 2,000' C9 kit, 15" spacing | $3,761.96 | $2,760.45 | parts $1,001.51 less |
| 2,000' C9 kit, 12" spacing | $3,970.96 | $3,147.95 | parts $823.01 less |
| 500' C9 kit, 15" spacing (parts use a full 1,000' spool) | $823.12 | $949.81 | kit $126.69 less |
The 1,000-foot, 15-inch spacing kit
The 1,000' 15" spacing kit lists at $1,299.00. Its description lists one 1,000-foot spool of 15-inch socket wire, 800 C9 LED bulbs, 600 O clips, 200 8-inch stakes, 50 male plugs, 100 female plugs and 250 feet of zip cord. Priced separately:
1,000' 15" kit rebuilt from parts
Kit price: $1,299.00. Difference: the kit is $13.07 less.
The two totals are close. The kit edges out the parts, and it arrives as one matched order, so for this size the kit is the simpler and slightly cheaper choice. Note that buying parts also leaves you with extras, since bulbs come in 25s and 500s and the part mix rounds up.
The 1,000-foot, 12-inch spacing kit
The 1,000' 12" spacing kit lists at $1,605.10 and includes 1,000 bulbs, 800 O clips, 200 stakes, 100 male and 100 female plugs and 250 feet of zip cord on a 12-inch spool.
1,000' 12" kit rebuilt from parts
Kit price: $1,605.10. Difference: parts are $90.54 less.
Here the parts come in $90.54 below the kit. If you are comfortable ordering each line yourself, building this kit from parts is the lower-cost route at these prices.
The 2,000-foot kits
The 2,000-foot kits add 48 mini light strands to two spools of socket wire. The descriptions do not state the mini spacing, so our parts total assumes 6-inch spacing minis in cases. At $3,761.96 for the 15-inch version, the same parts total $2,760.45, a gap of $1,001.51 in favor of parts. The 12-inch version shows a gap of $823.01 in favor of parts. At this size the difference is large enough that installers stocking for a season should price both ways before ordering.
Smaller kits: 250 and 500 feet
Socket wire is sold loose only on 1,000-foot spools, so a 250- or 500-foot kit cannot be rebuilt exactly from parts. Rebuilding the 500' 15" kit with a full 1,000-foot spool costs $949.81 against the kit's $823.12, so the kit is $126.69 cheaper even though the parts route leaves you 500 extra feet of wire. For a single house, the 250' 15" kit at $425.00 and the 250' 12" kit at $435.00 are the practical entry points.
How to decide
- Buy the kit when its price is at or below the parts total, when you need a short length that loose spools do not come in, or when you want one line item instead of seven.
- Buy parts when the parts total is lower, when you already own some components (plugs and zip cord carry over from year to year), or when you want a different clip type than the kit includes.
- Adjust the clip line to your roof. Kits ship with O clips. If your roof needs shingle tabs or all-in-one clips, pricing parts lets you swap them in without paying for clips you will not use.
Kits and every individual part ship free from Christmas Light Supplier, same day, with no minimum. A multi-line parts order costs nothing more to deliver than a single kit.