Pure Garden 82-5629 Solar Powered Outdoor Lights LED Stake Spotlight Fixture, 13.5", Black, 8 Set

I bought a set these very inexpensive lights a couple years ago. They all worked and provided wonderful lighting outside for my path and pond. I liked them so much I bought sets for my friend's yards. I live in Alaska and the winter darkness is long so the solar batteries do not get charged. Often they are covered with snow and then are also unable to charge. But, as Spring starts to near, the sun is out longer, the weather warms, and as the snow melts, these lights start glowing! Now, at the vernal equinox, they are charged fully on a sunny day and stay lit throughout the night. I have 7 sets now, so out of 56 lights, only 2 have stopped working. That's not bad for what they cost. I love that they are no maintenance and do not run up my already exorbitant electric bill. Remember though, they are not very bright and are best for mood lighting only. The poles are cheap plastic and would easily break if bumped into. Mine are attached to fencing so do not get bumped and damaged. Consider that when planning to purchase them.

These 8 lights cost me $16 with Prime shipping. I am writing this review as I am buying 8 more because i liked them so much (and want a few backups in case they die). For the money, you cannot beat the product. I have placed them around my backyard water feature and they provide a nice touch around the pond. They are not designed to put off tons of light, but they do provide a bluish/white LED glow that is very pleasant to look at in the dark. Much like LED christmas lights, they are not the typical white light you may be used to. I have had mine for over a month and all 8 are still going strong. It is summer and I am surprised to find them still on in the early morning before sunrise (I'm guessing in the winter with less charging they may not last all night, but they sure do in the summer).If you want to provide a cool bluish/white glow to your landscape, you should give these lights a try.

12/5/2014Received product. No damage. Able to setup very easily. All 8 lights initially worked. I did not charge or anything. All i did was turned it "On" and placed it outside at night time and they worked. Next day it was extremely cloudy so I did not get a full charge. some lights did turn on and some did not. that is to be expected after reading review, you knew that if you don't get a good charge that is going to happen.Re positioned the lights so its in direct contact with SUN. Unfortunately its still very cloudy and sun is not out for 1-2 days...:(.I wanted a TRUE Full Charge for 1 day to see how it will work .12/8/2014I ordered Tenergy TN145 8-Bay AA/AAA NiMH/NiCd Battery Charger. This should charge the battery that are in the unit. so I took them out and used this battery charger for 10 hours!....12/9/2014Let see what happens when I put the battery back into the unit and place them outside to see how it works!.

Cons:- Pretty cheap parts- Functional design, not stylish- 1 didn't work. Needed to solder the LED on myself.- only light up 1 foot radius around the lightPros:- Do the job- 600mAh AA NiCd rechargeable batteries- Battery VERY easy to change- Extra parts to have them stand 6 inches or 1 foot tall- Last all night, over 12 hoursAs others have said, first thing I did was charge up the batteries in a plug in charger. I highly recommend this. NiCd batteries are actually stored uncharged and discharge over time. But they don't die or lose on you after full drains and multiple recharges like traditional rechargeables. The battery is rated at 600mAh which gives the LEDs their long light life. You can get cheaper solar units ($1 @ Walmart), but those units have 200mAh non-standard batteries that are hard to reach. So the LED will only last about 1/3 time of these units.There is an On/Off switch next to the battery compartment and it is off by default. And the light only turns on if you cover the solar panel, else ambient light will keep it off. But again, charge the batteries first before testing or test all with the few batteries in the set that do work.The lighting is better than accent lights, but worse than more expensive units. I have these lighting up my drive way edges; placed every 10 feet. It curves, so I need to know where the lawn starts. They do the job and do it well. Anyone walking up to the house knows where the lawn begins. They will also know if something is on the ground, but probably not if it is a bug or small leaf. Its been cloudy for the last 2 days and one of the lights has gone dim, but its an easy fix by popping out the battery and charging it in a standard charger.I would buy another set (or even two), but only if the price is less than $15. I bought these for $14 from here and it seems the price varies quite a bit. There are better options @ $2+ per unit. But under $2, I think this is one of the better ones considering the flexibility.