Sterno Home Solar LED Post Cap Light with Solar Panel, Rechargeable Battery

Best post light I have ever had....durable and maintenance free....I recharge batteries once a year and light is always bright. Have lasted 5 years and counting!

I ordered and received five of these lights. The first thing I noticed is that they are made of die-cast aluminum - not plastic. I'm surprised to see this at this price point. Aluminum, for this application, is much better than plastic as it allows the housing to be very solid, and can be repainted if ever needed in the future.Installation on my 4"x4" fence posts took about two or three minutes per light. One screw on each side of the top section and your done.Even during the day these lights look great. One reviewer mentioned an industrial/nautical look and that's a perfect description. At night, they really look terrific. They throw off a lot more light than I expected - waving my hand in front of them throws off a shadow onto the grass in my yard. Illuminating the ground as they do is a bonus, as I really purchased them for ornamental use only. It should be pointed out that unlike post lights that sit atop the post, these do not throw light off in all directions, just on the side of the fence they're mounted on. As a result, I receive all of the benefit of the look and the light output, and not the guy on the other side of the fence. I haven't been able to stay awake long enough to see how long the lights stay on.Overall, I am very pleased with this product and so is my wife. I'll probably buy another one to keep as a spare in case one of the installed ones gets damaged by a fallen tree branch.

So first off this is a nice item, however it does not match the description. First off, it is metal or at least the one I received. I put it outside to see how it functions. It lights up nice but not bright, so if you are looking for that, this will not work. HERE IS THE ISSUE. Indicates it fits 4 x 4 square posts. It doesn't. It is 3 3/4 in on each side, too small can't get it on the top of the post. If I could would be them for every post in the yard. Love the look!

There are numerous misconceptions about these. One of the most important is the material they are made of. There was a remark that they are indeed metal, despite the fact that the manufacturer themselves said right in their product description that they are solid, long life plastic construction. There is no question at all that they are all plastic. There’s no issue with that and I’m not sure what can be gained by claiming that they are metal. I would never have expected metal at just over ten bucks. The plastic is attractive and has been able to withstand our desert temperatures that can hit as high as 120°FThere are also reports varying from them staying on until bedtime to staying on until dawn. Actually either could be true under certain conditions. If you live in an area with long daylight hours and 300 sunny days a year like I do and the solar cell faces right at the sun and doesn’t get any shadows you can reasonably expect to have the light shine most of the night when they are new and the batteries fresh. When it starts getting dark at 6:30PM mine stay on until about 3:00 AM.The nice thing about them is that they use a standard AA rechargeable battery. Here are a couple of hints … do not use ene-loop batteries or lithium rechargeables. The solar cell in these lights is optimized to charge standard everyday NiCad batteries. Once the batteries run out, charge the AA NiCad battery in a standard plug-in recharger first before you install it in the light. Do that in the morning so the charger in the post light can optimize the cell during the day. One more thing, physically open the unit and check the battery in spring and Fall to assure there hasn’t been any water leakage that may cause the cell to rust. The construction of these lights is not waterproof but it’s not a design issue with the unit if the batteries rust, that’s can happen with any rechargeable light and with any rechargeable batteries. If you see any rust or corrosion removed the battery and replace it immediately.There can often be misperception when people describe lights like this as cool or warm color temperature. People see things differently. Being a pro photographer I measured the color temperature two different ways and found it to be close to 14,000° K, which is scientifically accepted to be in the very blue range of the spectrum. I have a sample to compare it to a similar garden fixture which has a much warmer white light.It has a frosted diffuser but unfortunately you can still see the bulb inside. One design quirk is that the flange that’s supposed to fit around a 4 x 4 post isn’t very deep, in fact it is so shallow the entire lamp can fall off in a strong wind. It comes with two mounting fasteners and pre-drilled holes so you can attach it to a post. I would have liked to be able to slip it off without having to fasten it down.The final thing worth noting is that they come with a clear plastic film over the solar cell. It is important to remove that, otherwise after a few days in the sun the clear film will appear to haze over. In fact the type of solar cell they use should last a reasonably long time in outdoor weather.

I have solar caps on our deck posts now, but my husband tends to lean on them and crack them off the base. This year when having to replace the broken or old ones, I looked for a product that would suit both of us. This is it. The light hangs down so he isn't breaking it off the post cap, and they fit snugly on the 4x4 post. They are plastic, but the "look" is metal. The light is a soft white, and I was amazed to find that the light worked right out of the package and was still illuminating this morning when I woke up. Be aware that you only get two screws, and I've already stripped one, but I'm sure I can find one to match. Just wish the 6-pack of these lights was available.

Here we are. February 2nd. Return window closed 1/31/17(two days ago) and it stopped working this evening. It has always been a little weaker then the other one (I bought two for a trial) but I still liked it. I have two and really liked the style and install ease. They are only four feet from each other and receive the same amount of daylight/sunlight. It just is dead. After less than 3 months what can I say, "I am very disappointed in this product".

These are not bright lights but they do give you enough to navigate. I'm using them on a small enclosed deck with my hot tub. I didn't want anything bright enough to hamper my enjoyment of the night sky. These are great in that respect. Even in the gray sky northwest they will burn dark to dawn, which surprised me. Most of the solar lights I've purchased don't put out light more that 4 -5 hours. My only wish is that they had a bit warmer color temperature. Well constructed and very easy to install and replace batteries.