Customer Reviews

Smart Solar 3732WR30 Solar Light String, 30 White LEDs with Crystal Ball Covers

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first bought these string lights directly from another website, not realizing until later that Amazon offers them at a much lower price. I bought 5 more sets from Amazon to wrap around the trees in my backyard. It's been almost a month and the lights still work beautifully. It's cool to watch them turn on automatically at night. They are very bright and last all night, which is unusual for solar lights. To get best results, charge the batteries before first use by using a plug-in charger, then reinstall them in the solar panel. They will recharge daily without fail. I plan to buy a few more for the rest of my trees. You won't be disappointed!

We bought a set of these lights and took them on a camping trip. A string wrapped around a tree gave off a nice glow we could see by without the harsh light of a lantern. Awesome for sitting by the fire enjoying a night in the woods. They recharged daily even when the charger panel was in full shade and the lights lasted all night.

These lights are well-made and a great value. I don't think they put out the same amount of light as a traditional light string, but they are solar and don't need additional power. I am happy with them and will be buying more.

I am very satisfied with the quality of these solar lights. Considering there are 30 bulbs on a string and only 1 solar panel they provide a fair amount of light, at least enough for my purpose as an accent light. They are not bright enough to light up a pathway but great as accent lights.

Update July 2011: The lights were installed a outdoors in a Japanese concrete pagoda which is subject to the elements. Still working fine and have not had to change batteries or maintain anything.

I was looking for outdoor lights to decorate the lattice over my hot tub in my backyard. I came across these lights and decided to try a string and see how they look. They are such pretty lights. They actually light up really well. Of course they are not made to light up your yard but they are perfect for mood lighting at night. I plan to buy 3 more strings to put them all over. I LOVE them!

They just came and I have them strung up already in a corner of my back yard. Love them so much am ordering a second string. The light covers are smaller than I anticipated, petite I guess you would say, but very cute and just right for a little mood lighting in a small garden area. UPDATE, a month later. I liked the first string so much I ordered a second and enhanced my back yard corner by supplementing the lights on the fence. It was great for a few days, but all of a sudden one string (the new one) decided to quit working. I no longer have the original packaging, and I am pretty sure they would not let me return them, but I did want to amend my review. Of course, anything that is used primarily outside will be vulnerable to uncontrollable influences, such as weather or squirrels, which may affect proper functioning.

I'm not talking bright like plug-in fairy lights, but in the dark they really do show up. I think the ball covers help make the lights look bigger.

Another thing I really like about them is that after they run bright for about 3 hours they run dimly the rest of the night; I can still see them before dawn.

I would have given 5 stars but when I was wrapping them around the trunk of our ornamental pear tree the bottom part flickered off when I was pulling on the string. When I reduced tension they came on again but it made me think that they may fail at some point in the future.

I tried upgrading the two AA batteries from the included 600mAh NiCad to 2000mA NiMH. I had the idea that this would get me through a cloudy day, but it won't because they pretty much run down every night. The charge current on a bright day is 40mA; so a 10 hour day would only produce 400mAh of power. The bigger batteries just run dimmer because they aren't fully charged. (Discharge rate is about 4mA.)

When we have a backyard party I'll switch the batteries with charged ones (kind of a hassle to remove the screws) so they will be bright for a long time.

Update: in May 2011 these were $22 with free shipping but the price has really gone up. Bestbuy's site still has a good price on them.

Even though there are only 30 lights on this string, the glow they cast in my Christmas tree is quite beautiful. The lights are bright, yet diffuse. I'm using them in an off-grid cabin, so I didn't want to place any extra burden on our charging system. The lights arrived quickly and I've been using them off and on for a month now. I'm not using them outside, and have place the solar unit in a south facing window where they seem to get enough light for recharging.

I used a tip from another reviewer and charged the 3 AA batteries fully before using the lights. That way the solar unit wouldn't have to work so hard initially. I only wish I could find a longer string.

Mounted this string on the back porch to provide gentle lighting and it does a great job.

Instead placing the solar panel in the ground, I attached it to a small piece of scrap aluminum sheet and slid the sheet under a roof tile on the porch overhang. This allows the panel to receive light earlier in the morning, plus I angled the panel to receive the lingering rays of the sun at twilight. I mention all this because in the 2+ weeks I've used these lights, they turn on later, turn off earlier and last all night long. Pretty good, I say.

I followed another reviewer's good advice and charged the batteries in a charger first and so far I'm quite pleased. I emphasize that these are LEDs, so the quality of the light is fainter than incandescent, but for mood lighting they're just right.

LONG TERM UPDATE ...

One year later these lights are still going strong: all bulbs are lighting and staying lit all night long. I have not recharged the batteries since the initial charge a year ago. It's hard to judge, but the light intensity may be a tiny amount less, but that could just as easily be my year-older eyes. Don't think these could be beat and I would buy again without hesitation.

I wanted lights for our appt balcony and these work so well. One string was long enough for our balcony and I just love that they are solar powered. Nice that I don't have to plug in and unplug. Then I'd probably never use them but since this is automatic, it's so much more convenient. Great quality. I also like the white lights because colored lights would look too Christmasy.