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.
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.
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.
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!
Solar lights, specifically solar security lights are a must for every home. These nifty little lights can be used in either a remote or local area to protect outdoor and indoor landscapes. You may have stumbled across at least three varieties of solar lighting. These lights are excellent for home or business owners who are in dire need of lighting, on a tight budget not allowing for the additional expense of wiring and service to a dark spot. This is the reason why solar lighting is so extremely beneficial.
Today lighting manufacturers are able to provide consumers with an endless selection of solar lights in a number of styles and options to pick and choose from. A selection of the most beautiful, decorative lights that can serve as garden accents, as well as providers of security and safety absolutely anywhere and is available both online as well as at your local lighting specialist. Some of these outdoor solar lights also come with dawn and dusk detectors, which mean the lights, can be set to switch on as soon as dusk sets in and operate until morning breaks.
This is an obvious example of a very common solar security lighting scenario, but most probably the greatest benefit of solar lights is the fact that these fixtures can be installed in any place at any time. For example, a home owner wants a solar light in a corner of a very dense and bushy spot in his or her garden; it would take literally a matter of minutes to install a solar yard light. Alternately, the owner would have to call in the assistance of an electrician to install the wiring and electrical service in the garden and then to install a conventional security light. What this means is that not only does the home owner benefit from the lack of wires, but the lights are also run at absolutely no cost; without any impact on his or her electricity bills.
Security is a major worry for all homeowners regardless of where their homes are located. They go to extreme lengths to protect their homes with alarm system installations in an attempt to successfully deter criminals. Motion sensor lights are also a great thieve deterrent. There is absolutely no doubt that thieves and burglars are less likely to break into well-light homes and gardens because of the fact that these homes and gardens leave them exposed and unable to proceed with their thieving plans. Bad news is however that experienced criminals have now identified a successful means to get around motion sensor lights. Light wires are cut, chop-chop. This makes solar security light installation the ultimate crime-combat solution.
Solar security lights unlike other lighting systems require no wiring to operate. The main source of their energy is solar energy instead of electrical energy. Should you decide to opt for solar security motion sensor installation say for example at your front door, there would be absolutely no way for burglars to cut much-needed light wiring. That’s because there are no wires to be severed. Once the lights are turned on there would be absolutely no way for criminals to turn it off.
Solar security lights are charged during the day and even during bad weather, light batteries still charge with up to 50 hours of power per solo charge. It’s of utmost importance for solar security lights to form a part of your home’s security system in conjunction with other deterring measures.
These lights will keep your home safe, secure and of course well-light, at more than half of the cost of conventional security lights! A selection of fantastic light features that are not just bright, but also 100% reliable in terms of motion detection, are available that will trigger the light upon any motion in light’s pre-set radius.
Some types of solar lights can be used in several modes to work as conventional flood lighting, spot lighting or pure security lighting. Loads of people use solar lights as a really effective way to keep their homes safe and to help with ease of visibility while at the same time not distracting neighbors or wasting costly energy. These methods include but are definitely not limited to front door lighting, garage lighting, solar patio lights, driveway lights and pool lighting.
Most solar security lights come standard with ground stakes, wall mountings or can be custom made in accordance with customer specifications and preferences. Your own fastening and connection methods can be applied with the greatest of ease thanks to universal molds, making the install process quick and DIY friendly.
Once again, the holidays are upon us. That means it’s time for gathering with your loved ones around the fire: exchanging food, stories, gifts and good will. Before any of that happens, though, it is time to decorate! Have you thought of using Solar Christmas Lights?
If you are like most of us, you likely have a space in your garage rafters or in the basement where you keep all of your old Christmas lights. Every year, you take them out and sort through the jumbled wires. You plug them in to test for burned out bulbs. Look around for the extension chords, etc. When you are done stringing them up, they look great. They are just a major pain to get them to that point.
I have been talking, over and over, on this site about how solar power technology has grown by leaps and bounds in just the last few years. One of the areas that show off that growth the best is solar lighting. Manufacturers have become very clever with their design and implementation, and that cleverness really shows itself in solar Christmas lights.
Let’s take a look at what comprises Solar Christmas lights:
The Lights – The traditional holiday lights were a bulb and socket design. Basically, it was a filament bulb that was screwed in or pushed into a light socket, much like the light bulbs in your home. Solar Christmas lights are actually LEDs. They last much longer than incandescent bulbs and stay cooler, so there is much less of a fire risk. Also, LEDs are plastic, so they are less likely to break.
Light Strings – The lights strings on most solar Christmas lights have between 20-50 lights. Not a big difference from the tradition styles, except that they can be a bit shorter.
Solar Panels – Instead of ending in an electrical cord, these strings end in a solar panel. Solar Christmas light panels usually have around four solar cells and a rechargeable battery. There are a few manufacturers making polycrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells. These will charge the batteries to near full, even on a rainy day!
Rechargeable Batteries – Pretty much every solar light has a rechargeable battery. With Solar Christmas lights the battery is usually in the panel assembly. The most common batteries are NiCad, but a few are actually being made with lithium batteries.
That’s about all there is to a solar Christmas light. Next come the type and style options. I won’t even go into detail about these because there are way too many. I have personally seen traditional white string lights, multicolored string lights, net lights, solar angels, solar Santa Clauses, solar nativity scenes, and quite a few others that don’t come to mind at the moment. If you want to browse some online, here is a link to an Amazon.com search. I sorted it by best reviewed for you.
The benefits, of course, are many more than just the convenience of not having to run extension chords. As with all solar lights, these Christmas lights are good for your environment. They use no energy, therefore none of the Earth’s natural resources. Since they use no energy, they are good for your pocketbook (no huge electric bill). They should last you for at least 3 to 5 years without ever having to change a bulb.
There are a few downsides to solar Christmas lights, however. First of all, they do cost a bit more than more traditional lights would. That may be enough to stop some people from trying solar Christmas lights, but you will be surprised by how much they will save you on electricity.
Another downside is that the lights are not as bright as their incandescent counterparts. No real way to get around that. I personally like the way they glow, but that is a personal preference. LEDs are way more efficient in the way they produce light out of energy, so whether or not they are bright enough for your taste, depends upon the lights you are used to. Either way, take some time and do some research. Check out your options and shop wisely.
So you have decided that you want to get some solar path lights for your walkway or solar accent lights for your garden. Maybe you want solar security lights to ward off potential trespassers. You have read my guide on how to choose outdoor solar lights, so you have a really good idea of what type(s) of lights you need. So where do you buy them?
I know this reads like a sales pitch, but stay with me here. I have no problem with you going to your local home improvement store and picking out your lights. Occasionally you will find a helpful sales person who is informed and can help you to purchase a high quality solar light that will work perfectly for your needs. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
If you choose to do that, please be prepared! Before you head out to your local ACE or Home Depot, do some research online. I have looked high and low for solar lights reviews and I can tell you that it can be very discouraging trying to find some actual, real life, impartial reviews for different brands of lights. Most sites will show you THEIR brand and how wonderful it is.
Luckily, there are some sites that give real reviews (good and bad) from their customers. One of those sites is actually the review site for Home Depot. I do have a few concerns about picking anything up at a Home Depot though. Honestly, I have found that a lot of their products are of a lesser quality than similar products at other retailers. I have read a lot of solar lights reviews from that site that range from “This gave me much needed light for my shed and was nice and bright” to “It worked fine until the first time it rained and then never worked again.” Definitely do not want the latter.
My second concern is that people who purchase products at a brick and mortar retailer do not share their opinions of those products online as much as people who buy from online stores. When someone buys from an online store, they are usually sent an email asking how they liked it. Online stores actually ask for customer reviews.
Of course, one of the benefits of buying from a brick and mortar store is that you can actually see the product and attempt to judge its quality. It’s also easier to see exactly what it looks like and its size. You will not usually, however get as big a selection. You will also usually pay a little less online – sometimes a LOT less.
So, let me give you an example:
Here is a Sun-Mate Solar Security Light from Home depot. 9 customer reviews give it 4.2 out of 5 stars. Not bad, huh? It sells for $79.99. Oh, and you won’t see it in the store because it is an “online only” product. So much for seeing it.
Here is the exact same product at Amazon.com. Its price there is $49.23. That’s $30.76 cheaper. By the way, it has 10 reviews for an average score of just barely over 1 out of 5 stars. See what I mean? Read the reviews. It is important.
Yes, I make no bones about the fact that I promote shopping at Amazon. I promote it, because I buy from there. It is also a great place to get info and REAL customer reviews. If you would rather shop brick and mortar, by all means, go ahead. But go here first and do your homework – Best Rated Solar Lights.Then, take your research to your local home improvement store. You will have a set of brand new, shiny solar yard lights that will actually work the way you want them to.
Well, hopefully I have been some help. May your cells always charge and your bulbs stay bright!
Solar patio lights enable the sun to never stop shining. That may be an exaggeration but they are incredibly gorgeous when set up correctly. Let us ruminate this a little more.
In this article, I wanted to go a little further in depth into hybrid solar lighting. My first article can be found under Hybrid Solar Lighting Technology.
Browse the internet for solar lights and you will find an endless supply of information on solar yard lights, solar security lights, string lights, shed lights, etc.
Out of all the different kinds of solar lighting that you can install around your home, outdoor solar lights are by far the easiest and safest to install.
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!
