I really like the look of C9 bulbs as well, but incandescent strands these days are all pretty cheaply made - and actually, anything you buy in a typical big bo

I really like the look of C9 bulbs as well, but incandescent strands these days are all pretty cheaply made - and actually, anything you buy in a typical big box store I think probably isn't going to last more than a season or two in good conditions. I don't have specific recommendations - all my lights are addressable RGB LEDs. I would look for commercial sets, which I would suspect are designed to be more durable for longer-term use.