I imagine these are LED lights, so nice to use. I have heard they are great when the power goes out, charge them up outside and bring them in at night.
Sounds great!

I had some at my other house...maybe yours are better. They were kind of cool looking and certainly EASY. They light up (glow?) but don't really give off any light if that makes sense. With in a year they were growing noticably dimmer. So, I would say they have their good points and their not so good points.

The ones I had were cheap and they didn't work well. If they have improved I would sure use them again, so keep us posted, please. :)

I tried them as well, but they petered out after time. Hope yours are better. Let us know how it goes. Maybe they have improved.

most of those styles of lights that are solar rechargeables need to have the battery replaced with a new rechargeable battery in order to get them back into like-new condition.

I found the lights I bought, online, and the cheapest price was $150. Some reviews were not great, others raved about them.

They lit up beautifully tonight after just a few hours of charge in the sun. The light is bright, white and forms a ring around each post. Very, very pretty and I can only hope they last..

Costco is good about refunds/replacements, so if they do not perform up to par, I will take them back.

I'll let you know.. Something this reasonably priced, useful, pretty, that seems to be perfect, probably isn't.. Sigh..

Lisa

Lisa,

I'm on my second set. They don't last! The first time I thought it must have been my neglect. After a few weeks, a couple went out, then a few more, etc. The second set same thing happened...only I monitored these closer and knew that "nothing" had happened to them. I even bought new rechargeable batteries (didn't work). They are still under warranty so maybe this time I will send the defective ones back. I have noticed that they must get full sun most of the day to work optimally.

One thing that they are absolutely GREAT for is emergency lighting when the power goes out (like when you bring them in for a hurricane!), they really do last most of the night and you can put them out in the daytime and recharge them. You can leave one in each room and not have to worry about dogs, kids, cats, etc knocking into candles and setting the house on fire while you sleep!

I've seen the garden stepping stones that have a solar panel imbedded in them too...I'm going to have to give them a try this spring. (can't you tell I'm a glutton for punishment?)

I've got a set of 6 I bought at home depot years ago and they are still going strong. They were very inexpensive. I have to change the battery once in a while and clean the tops where the charge occurs, but otherwise they are wonderful!

I had the foggy epoxy look to my solar lights too. The sun in intense in Florida and it makes the epoxy breakdown that seals the solar cells. So I would rub the top of them with a clean rag to remove any grim, then spray paint the tops with a clear coat paint. Sometimes I do this twice a summer.
I also had to take them apart to change the batteries.

Where can you buy the replacement batteries? Mine did great for a while, but now need new batteries.

Last I checked WalMart is carrying the replacement batteries.

I have a set of pagoda style lights (malibu) that have lasted for well over three years (we used them in Frances and Jeanne), some are made better than others and the cheaper ones will "cloud" on the top surface and stop charging.

Has anyone used those Solar Powered Spot Lights??

Tropicalfreak

Thanks Floridays

I got some cheap batteries at I think it was Big Lots. They are just plane ol AA Nicads.
Does anyone think there would be any advantage to put solar lights in the garden? They don't seem to attract bugs either.
Alan

I am an electrical engineer and I have had mixed success with solar lights. The batteries die after two-three years. NiCd batteries are good for maybe a thousand charge discharge cycles.

I am replacing the batteries again in the solar lights. I am going to try some NiMh batteries this time and see if they do better.

I also recharge the batteries using a wall NiCd battery charger, and recharge them for four hours and then test the batteries with a battery tester or my L.E.D. flashlight.

DANGEROUS ADVICE
BE CAREFUL! Explosion Danger!

I take the old NiCd batteries and inside a cardboard box hook them up to a 12 VDC Auto Mobile Battery Charger. I then stand well back, as far as the cord will stretch and plug in the battery charger for three seconds. This high current zaps the old dead NiCds back to life, and they are good for many more cycles.

Erik Von Halle BSEE Georgia Tech
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Here is a link that might be useful: The Maddest Scientist