Customer Reviews

Strathwood Snowball Solar String of Lights with Remote Control, 12-Pack

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This product is absolute crap. The remote doesn't work, leaving you unable to change the color settings. Have had them outside in direct sunlight for over 2 days now and they only have enough juice for maybe 5 minutes of light once it gets dark.
No wonder they are so discounted.

Too bad the execution did not live up to the concept. I bought two sets. Neither worked. I would have been happy with even a feeble glow, but, nada. I charged both sets for two entire sunny days, having faith despite the fact that one of the sets arrived looking every bit like a returned item. It didn't matter, since the new-looking one was just as dead.

I'm returning the pair, and like the other reviewer, am going to try one more time. Or am I? Falling for these lights is sounding more and more like a bad idea. ARGH. It's just awful when a great-sounding product actually sucks.

I got this product in early December when Amazon was heavily promoting outdoor decorative products. As a result, I got it for $10. Personally, for $20, I would still believe that it is worth the money. Here's why everyone is having a difficult time with the product - cheap ni-cad 600mAh batteries that came with the product. I tested the batteries using the La Crosse charger and found one of them can only hold 300mAh. Nevertheless, rather than throw them out, I refreshed them to give them the maximum charge capacity.

First thing when you get the product, unscrew the 6 philips screws and remove the two ni-cad batteries and replace them with a set of newly charged 2500+ mAh ni-metal hydride batteries. Be careful opening the case as you do not want to break any solder wires. After replacing batteries, put the case back and screw them back in place, but make sure not to overly tighten the screws as plastics can be chewed away. Then, turn on the light switch and enjoy the rainbow of light cycling through.

One thing that I did is to put them on the Christmas tree and enjoyed the stunning effect. It was a perfect complement to the lights and oraments. If you do decide to use them indoor to make sure that the solar panel is covered; otherwise, it would try to recharge the battery and shut off the light. Personally, I think the remote control is a bit quarky so I didn't really use it although it does take a bit of practice to get it working (I had to hold a combination of power button and rainbow button to get them lit after pushing the power button to turn it off). Hope that everyone enjoyed them as much as I do.

These lights are almost unbreakable, which is good. Didn't try to evaluate the charge lifetime, since my remote worked only 2 clicks. With the working remote could be a good thing.

Beware of these. I have never returned a product to Amazon in years of shopping. I tried them inside and they worked, for about a minute. I thought they just needed a good charge. I read the instructions and then got up on a ladder to decorate my tree with them for the holidays. The remote even worked for about a minute that night but they got stuck on the same color. I thought they needed more sun. I left them in the "On" position, as instructed, and they never did another thing. I went out two days later and a few of the globes had melted and fallen off onto the ground in the direct but still winter sun. I had to get the ladder back out to remove what was left. They would have been great, but nothing about them works. Save yourself the money and the trips up and down the ladder :)

Well, I gave this one a shot...twice. First time, they lit for 3 hours and never lit again after being in daylight for 5 days. Amazon sent me a replacement, and that one worked for one night and today...nothing. I'm really sad by this and not sure why this is the case. One thing I noticed with the first set is that it was sent with the panel in the "ON" position. Not sure if this means that the battery was completely drained in storage before shipping. I agree with the initial reviewer: Don't waste your money, especially since it seems the majority of reviews thus far have ALL run into this problem.

I did however try the Strathwood Star/snowflake set and it has been fantastic.

Strathwood Snowball Solar String of Lights with Remote Control, 12-Pack .Strathwood Snowball Solar String of Lights with Remote Control, 12-PackTotal waste of time and money. Lights won't charge, one battery was totally dead, had to replace the batteries. Got them to work once, after that they were totally dead and would not operate. Spent over two weeks of our time trying to get these to work. Paid the full $39.99 price. Now I know why they are on sale!

MINES HAVEN'T WORKED AT ALL SINCE I GOT THEM. I THOUGHT AT FIRST IT WAS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGHT SUNLIGHT IN THE DAYTIME TO CHARGE THEM BUT THE SOLAR CHRISTMAS NIGHTS I BOUGHT WORKED THE FIRST TIME AND EVERY TIME. THEY LOOK GREAT IN THE DAYTIME BECAUSE OF THE SNOWBALLS BUT THERE NO LIGHTS AT NIGHT AND WAS A WASTE OF MY TIME. I AM DISAPPOINTED!

Strathwood Snowball Solar String of Lights with Remote Control, 12-PackI got these lights from a friend. Well, after reading 18 of the 19 reviews- I thought OOPS, but decided to persevere and try to figure out why this product was so damn bad. After reading docter3's review, I bought 2650 mAh rechargeables and charged them on my charger. Still some funkiness! Remote didn't work right, weird(or no) performance, etc. Didn't work right. If at all.

Then one set(I bought 2)that I had already installed on my deck, came on at the right (dark) time! YAY! But the remote didn't work- I couldn't change the settings, even when I pointed the remote directly at the solar panel(clue here). There was very low light on my deck spilling out from the living room (one light on in a remote corner).

The other set I brought into the living room worked for a few minutes (again very low ambient light) but then they would go out. When I approached the lights, to play with the on/off switch or to try to get the remote real close to the solar panel(walking in front of the solar panel) the lights lit up! But only for a few minutes- then the lights went off again. Hmmm...After a few tries, and again wondering what was going on-the remote still didn't work- (I might be a bit of a dim bulb myself)I turned the solar panel upside down on the floor. EUREKA! The lights came back on, AND the remote worked! Not perfectly, I would add, which is why only I rate these lights 4 out of 5 stars.

I went outside- covered the solar panel, and guess what? The remote control worked(it doesn't need to "see" the front of the solar panel)The lights work, and they are really cool...So,COVER UP THE SOLAR PANEL AT NIGHT OR IN THE EVENING!It appears that the switch that controls the ability for the lights(and remote)to work needs complete and total darkness to work properly. If you have other ambient light hitting the solar panel, it will collect it, add it all together, and then shut off the lights. At some point before this happens, a small amount of reserved light renders the remote useless.

UPDATE- turn these off when you're done using them-(at the end of the night) don't use the switch on the back- use the remote. The next day, turn them on (with the remote) I know this requires more light management- my rating goes down to 3, but they are really cool when they are working.

Hope this helps.

Opened the box read the direction for the Strathwood Snowball Solar String of Lights with Remote Control, 12-Pack, I hung the globes in a cherry tree for the holidays I waited for two days to let the lights charge. Guess what no lights and the remote is useless the lights never came no matter what I did. Solar powered lights that could have their color changed with a remote is a great theory, but in practice, well that's another matter. P. T. Barnum said, "a sucker is born every minute," well I'm that sucker, don't you be one too.