15W Off-Grid Solar Lighting System with 4 LED Lights, Solar Panel, Battery and Cables - Complete Solar Lighting Kit

Very easy to install. Worked immediately. The 4 lights give excellent illumination in a 10ft x 10ft hut. Overall good value and I would be happy to recommend it. I have some slight criticisms, but I would not put anyone off buying this product.. 1. Depending on whether the solar panel is fitted on a roof or an outside wall it might need some sort of frame to hold it. None is supplied with the kit, and the supplier does not offer one. It is not difficult to make something suitable out of angle iron and metal strips, and there are 4 holes in the back of the solar panel to allow it to be bolted to a frame. 2 The lampholders have nothing to fix them to the rafters of the hut, so you have to use cable clips to fix the cable to the rafter and let the light dangle from it. This is OK as the lampholders and bulb are lightweight, so there is no strain on the cable, and the system is only running at 12 volts, but a batten type lampholder capable of being screwed to the rafter would be a better installation 3. There is a separate on/off switch for each lamp but it is in a fixed position in the cable and cannot be moved, so depending on where your lamps are positioned it might not be possible to reach the switch. This does not matter very much, as all 4 lamps can be switched on or off at the control unit, and there is enough cable to allow the control unit to be placed in any convenient location

What a great bit of kit. Having completed the construction of a summer house, I wanted to install some lights. My preference was for solar lighting rather than have an electrician put in a power supply. Having been less than impressed with previous solar lights, I spent ages reading reviews and have to admit nothing seemed that impressive. By chance I entered a search for 'off grid power' and this popped up. The service was speedy and the parcel well packaged. All the components are of a high quality and it was simple to set up. Be warned though there are no brackets supplied for the solar panel. I bought 4 90 degree angled brackets, drilled holes in the frame of the panel and screwed the brackets on. The battery charged fully in a day, the lights are bright and the usb port charges my mobile phone or my kindle while I'm in the garden. Well worth the money considering a nasty plastic feeble glowing single light and solar panel can cost you £50.

Let's start with the good news: this is a doddle to put together, with the merest glance at the operating manual and is effective from the off, so I suposse the battery arrives fully charged. Placing the solar panel in the light - late afternoon, but sunny, in this case, the battery registers that it is receiving a charge and the lights, tested some hours later are surprisingly bright: I have only installed two so far. I am using the solar lighting system to light a shed that is about 5 x 4 metres and this system looks more than adequate. On the basis of what I have seen so far, I can see a lot of possibilities for small scale systems like this and am a decided convert. However, there is a fly in the ointment: the manual, so titled, comprises of a single page of A4, sufficient to place the wires in the right place, but is actually redundant since the box, with a coloured schematic and the battery, clearly labeled, make the manual a waste of paper. What is actually missing is instruction on the sighting the solar panel for best effect, (I know that this seems obvious, but the sun moves and the solar panel doesn't), and any means to fix the solar panel except 4 holes in the back of the frame. I'm pretty good at construction and will knock something up, but I would have liked something included or at least offered as an accessory to do the job for me. A search on Amazon, found nothing particularly useful and I will mark it down for this reason; but, try not to let this put you off as the kit is pretty sound. When, I have sorted this problem out, I will post photos to the review and if anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask. From a personal irritation point of view, I'd like to knock a couple of stars off, but that does not reflect well on what is a, basically, well made and good quality piece of kit, so 4 stars, but it should have been 5 with a bit more forethought by the manufacturers. Update: I have now made a bracket to hang the solar panel, facing south, from the end of my shed, which is an ongoing project in itself. Photos to be uploaded asap. The sysytem works very well and the lights supplied are more than adequate for my 5m x 4m shed, so I am very pleased with the way that the system works. Checking out what information I can, a south facing aspect is the one you want and I have angled my solar panel at 60 degrees: on a roof or at 45 degrees, facing south might be better, but the way that the sun traverses my garden, it should work out okay, but time will tell. Currently, the weather has been misty, a bit overcast and with little direct sunshine, but the system is still charging all day. The siting is unobstructed and not overlooked, so no shadows, which is good. This is probably a good time for DIY'ers to look into off grid systems as prices seem to be coming down. There are a lot of 1/2 price offers for on grid systems to be installed, but they still cost thousands. something that costs hundreds may make it value for money and cost saving in the shorter term, but as it is, I now have a shed/workshop that has lighting for free.