Customer Reviews

Strathwood 10 piece Outdoor Solar Light Set, Copper

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

 

 

I purchased these solar landscape lights 2 weeks ago to replace similar lights that I had purchased over a year ago that were failing. I have been very pleased with these solar lights so far. They have a sturdy construction, metal spikes with rubber bushings, glass bowls, and an attractive copper finish. They provide a clean, bright, white light that is comparable to my fixed 12V landscape lighting, and a vast improvement over the lights they replaced.

Pros: Bright LED lights, solar powered, automated (on at dusk, off at dawn), long lasting (I have check them as late as 9 hours after sunset and they have continued to shine brightly), well designed packaging, and sturdy construction.

Cons: The only detractor thus far has been the attachment of the solar cap (cover unit with the solar panel, batteries, and LEDs) being very loose, but I have yet to determine if that will cause a problem. They are also more expensive than many alternative solar landscape lights, but these are the best of the many types that I have tried, so perhaps that will make them a cost effective purchase for most.

Summary: I would recommend these solar landscape lights, they are well designed and constructed.

I have owned these for about two years and they still all work and look great. I especially like the glass globe and the bright LEDs. The copper finish weathers well too. The NiCad batteries were worthless. They didn't last a month before they would barely light the LEDs for an hour or two. I replaced all the NiCad batteries with NiMH AA's at a cost of about $5 each (2 per unit) and then this product worked like a champ--charges with partial sun and brightly lights the LEDs all night long. The stake plastic is weak they break easily when you try to straighten the units.

I bought these about 2 years ago so I can attest to their durability. The main problem I've had with these is that they lean over, we have "lost" the plastic stake somewhere in the ground when they fall over (I can't figure out why they just fall over). The black plastic part that you use to stick the entire things into the ground is not attached to the metal copper shaft and over the weather changes, can become very loose. I haven't tried epoxy glue yet but we've lost numerous black plastic stakes because of this. I see that other sets also appear the same, so maybe this is a universal problem but you find that the only portion of the unit seated in the soil/ground is the black plastic part while the copper, heavier part is above ground. I think this is why they fall over so often. The lighting part seems pretty good except one of them quit working so I think they use a battery which needs to be replaced. I have a red brick front on my house with a rust colored storm door and brown roof, so I didn't want silver colored landscape lights. I purchased these for an excellent price (better than Costco on special sale), but it cost me more then, than the price is today.

I just bought my 2nd batch of these lights. I had bought a batch of twelve 2 years ago and now bought the 10-pack. The pros: the light is strong, the casing attractive.

The cons: I have had two that stopped working. Why? Because they switched to being on during daylight and therefore drained the battery. During daylight they should be in auto-charge mode rather than operational mode. Had to throw those out.

The other con is what others have commented about - the black plastic ground plug that breaks off. I have had 5 break off over 2 years and have solved it as follows: I went to a plumber and had him cut me a bunch of 20" lead pipes. Threaded or unthreaded makes no difference. About 6 inches get placed inside the copper sleeve and the other 14" gets hammered into the ground. The pipe should be just a shade thinner than the copper sleeve. In order to stop the pipe from sliding easily, I add masking tape around the 14" mark until it reaches the proper thickness so that the copper sleeve fits snug. Haven't had a single problem since then. Whenever a black plastic plug breaks I replace it with a lead pipe.

I am sorry to report an entirely different and disappointing experience with the Global X, Beacon Series, Breakthrough LED Technology, 10 Piece Solar Light Set, Costco Item # 194764, Model # NXU-7302, Suitable for Exterior Application Only.

This review is based only on the "Battery-Brand", not on the Solar Cell Top.

The LIPENG Battery Brand, Ni-CD, AA 900mAh, 1.2v. has failed in units I am testing on a daily basis. I wanted to test these before installing them in my landscaping, so they are set up out on my balcony. I check the battery strength by a Battery Meter.

If you replace the Battery Brand, with a quality name, they work fine.

Duracell, and Rayovac batteries, around 2,000mAh, seem to be doing fine.

Since there is no such thing as 100% perfect battery manufacturing, it seems sad that a quality solar system like this would choose to go to market with a 900mAh AA, battery(s), which do not exist in the US at your local Rite Aid, Home Depot, or Walmart.

Where would a guy go to find a 900mAh battery replacement? That's my question to the Sales and Marketing Department of this Company.

For such an expensive set, why did you "cheap-out" on the battery(s).

Why not supply this system with Duracell, or Rayovac or something a guy can find a replacement for in case one or two go out? All brands will have a certain percentage of failures. The question is how difficult is it to find a replacement. Can I pick one up at Walmart, or Rite Aid or Home Depot and move on with my life?

The Solar Panel is impressive. The copper is impressive. The glass globe is impressive. The battery brand is sad. That's my comments.

For the money, the Strathwood Outdoor Solar Light Set is very good in my opinion. I'm very pleased with their quality and illumination. I can recommend them to anyone not expecting a bright light such as those that use AC power. For solar lights they are as bright or brighter and last as long or longer on a charge than any I've seen to date.

We recently had both our front and back yards landscaped and didn't want to pay the high price of having "professional" lighting installed (around $5K). Plus we liked the idea of solar power's "green" advantages. I searched for and found dozens of different kinds of solar lights on the market. Many of our friends and neighbors also had solar lighting. Like most folks, the biggest challenge is the light output. Most solar lights are dim at best and besides some decorative flare, don't offer much in the way of illuminating the area around them. We weren't searching for or expecting to find very bright lights but were hoping to have some pleasant lighting that would illuminate a path in the dark of night as well as provide some nice accent lighting in our planting beds and along our fence line. After reading a number of positive reviews of these lights I sent for two sets. They lived up to my expectations.

Overall I am pleasantly surprised by both their construction as well as, and most importantly, the amount of illumination these lights give off. Again, the small LED lights aren't as bright as normal, electrical lights by any means, but they do get the job done and look quite nice. I like the fact that I can move them about as I wish as well.

Others have mentioned battery life not being up to snuff. We've had our lights for about three months now and all are still working fine. They come on when it gets dark and last until about 5 a.m. or so, sometimes longer depending on how much direct sunlight they received over the past few days. The amount of light and length of time they stay on depend on the sun itself. After a couple of normal sunny days they will stay lit for about eight or nine hours. If it's overcast for several days, the lights tend to fade and depending on their location with relation to the sunlight they receive, may not come on at all. But as soon as we have a sunny day they come right back to as-new condition and work very well. Battery replacement is very easy if/when that time comes.

The construction is good, not great, but not as cheap as many we looked at. The packing is typical of things manufactured overseas, a bit low-grade but adequate (using much too much tape!). They come partly assembled. You have to attach the light fixture to a standard and then to the ground stake and pull the protective plastic tab to activate the battery. It takes about a minute to do that for each one. The globes are glass, the rest is metal except the stake that goes into the ground which is plastic. The ground stake is probably their weakest point and could be made better by using metal as well. However I've moved several of ours and none have been a problem or broken.

I would have given them five stars if they were a bit brighter and were built a little stronger. But If you're in the market for solar lighting and don't expect too much and want something better than you've probably seen at your neighbor's house, these lights are a very good option IMHO. I used both sets in our rear yard and will probably buy another set for the front.

Very bright, long lasting light. Excellent finish that adds a class
touch to my deck railing.

I've had these lights for a few weeks now. I really like them. One person mentioned how they would fall over. i discovered one of my lights laying in the middle of my walkway. I can't figure out how it happened. The stake screws right into the bottom of the bronze part above ground. A good half inch. It seemed like it just unscrewed itself. Very weird.. Anyway gives off a nice bright light. Batteries are lasting well. Tonight will be a good test since we haven't had any sun for 2 days now.

Lights worked as stated. They are a little shorter than I had hoped. The stakes need to be hammered down very carefully, making sure they are plumb. If not, the lights will not stand straight.They all worked flawlessly.

I have found these lights to be as advertised and they work well. I have not had any of the battery problems reported by others and after a couple weeks of using the first ones I installed, have bought a second set to use along the sidewalk on the other side of my house.

For solar lights they seem to be brighter than those used by my neighbors and the quality seems very good especially the glass housings rather than plastic. Between the quality, performance and price I give them five stars.