Merry Solar Christmas

Hello, Steve here again. I covered different types of solar Christmas lights in a previous article, but seeing as how Christmas is almost here, I wanted to give you some info on the best rated Christmas lights that I was able to find, where to get them and what I thought of the ones I got. You do need to hurry though, because what I discovered may shock you. It certainly did me!

If you want to do a quick search, click here, but I recommend you read below first.

What shocked me? Well, I went solar Christmas lights shopping at some of the local “home improvement” stores, after doing some online research, and was amazed at what I found. The selection was TERRIBLE! I tried three different places near my home, and searched the net for local stores that would have solar powered Christmas lights. Here is what I found:

First, I tried Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH). Osh is run by Sears, who I have come to trust for a lot of products. They had exactly one brand of solar Christmas lights, in a total of 2 varieties! The worst part was that after all the research I had done (and it was a LOT), I had never even heard of the brand that they carried! I called Sears and they had the same brand, but in three varieties. They had solar LED icicle lights, some short string lights and net lights. All of them were in white – no colors.

Okay, so let’s check out the Home Depot. They have the biggest selection of solar lights I have seen at a local retailer. Guess how many solar Christmas lights they had at the store? They had a whopping total of 0. Yep, they did not have a single solar Christmas light. My online search for a local vendor proved no more fruitful. Frustrating, no?

I would figure that with the state of our ecology right now and Christmas coming up, solar powered Christmas lights would be everywhere. Well, it seems that some of us are just a step ahead of our local merchants. I found myself going back to my old, trusted friend – the internet.

I actually spent a couple of hours on the net searching for different online vendors. Well all was said and done, I wound up back at Amazon. Now since some people have a problem with Amazon’s interface and finding exactly what they are looking for, I have bookmarked the results page for you.

Click here to browse the search results.

Here are the lights I wound up ordering and a quick review:

Set of 200 Wide Angle LED Multi Solar Powered Christmas Lights

Good points – These had no rating yet, but for $39.99 for two strings, totaling 200 lights, it was a no brainer. The strings at Osh were 9 feet long and cost 24.99. These strings are 33’ long with a light spacing of 4”. They light up really well. They stay cool, have solar rechargeable batteries and come with a separate charger that you can use if you can’t get a full recharge from the sun.

Draw backs – The panels are kinda big and hard to hide. Since I used these lights to frame my roof, I decided to not use the garden stake and mounted the panels on my roof instead. Also, the bulbs are not replaceable, so if one burns out, I have to live with a blank spot. This is a drawback seen in every solar lights set-up I have seen though. Luckily the LEDs last for a long time.

Aurora Glow – Glass Solar String Lights

Good points – These lights are absolutely beautiful. They also come with an extra long lead, so you can mount the panel up to 15’ away. They are very unique looking, hand crafted, and did I say beautiful? They are.

Draw-backs – They are a little pricey. I was reluctant to get them at first, but I really wanted something unique. When I looked at them though, I immediately understood why they cost what they do.

Bethlehem Lighting Indoor/Outdoor 50-Lamp 5mm Wide-Angle LED Lighting Set

Good points – Very nice lights. Very bright. Low cost.

Draw-backs – THEY ARE NOT SOLAR! I made a mistake when ordering these. They are listed with Amazon as “solar Christmas lights”, but they are not solar. If I had read the description more carefully, I would not have made that mistake.

I looked at a couple of other lights there, but I decided I will buy more next year. My biggest advice to you now is to read the descriptions carefully and order soon, so that you get them in time for Christmas.

I hope I have been of some help in your quest for Solar Christmas Lights. Happy lighting and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading,
Steve

PS – You have got to check out this video! Christmas Lights Video

John Lunt

November 26, 2009 at 3:12 pm · Reply

When I looked for solar powered Christmas lights last year at retail stores, the selection was worse than terrible- it was non-existent. I finally found one retailer that had some.

This year I found some a larger selection through Amazon. Excellent post by the way and some good resources.