Solar Round Decking Light

We have a large decking area that gets plenty of sun during the summer and solar deck lights add a nice touch. This product is marked as being suitable for all year round use but it does state that shady positions should be avoided to maximise performance. After the initial charge for 3 days, you dismantle the unit by removing a few screws to gain access to activate the light with the on / off push switch underneath. The light given out by the single LED is surprisingly bright and is diffused gently by the opaque area of glass that covers it.

The unit feels very sturdy and well made and appears that it should last a long time. The top glass cover is held on with 3 screws and there is a water-tight rubberized seal that ensures the rain does not get in. The heavy metal base unit is held to the deck by its own screws so that it will not all come loose when you remove the glass cover for maintenance, etc. The brushed stainless steel finish looks very attractive.

I have tried several other solar products with mixed results and it's too early to say how long the batteries will last. However, first impressions are very good and I would definitely recommend.
Andrew Lucas 28/02/2011

Received this the next day after despatch and immediately thought it was very substancial. The front face is made of what seems to be nice strong glass, surrounded by a nice brushed stainless steel bezel, held on by three screws. The body is made of nice weighty cast metal and is painted to match the bezel. The body also has three holes for mounting into the decking. First impressions were that this should be a nice substancial item, and so far it seems to be living up to this. The light is built into a plastic main unit that lives inside the metal enclosure with a rubber collar which seals between the bezel and the metal case. The solar panel and light live under a nice thick glass panel inside the plastic case, which also contains the on-off switch. To activate this you will need to remove the unit from the case and press the button on the bottom. The instructions say to leave the light in the sun for a couple of days to charge up before activating, so I think I left it for three days and then switched it on, at which point it worked perfectly, switching on as soon as the light fades. At this point it should be noted that our garden only gets direct sunlight for only half of the day, and at this time of the year (end of February) that's only about 4 hours. So far the light seems to be lasting well into the night (that's well past midnight, as far as I've seen), and even though it's not going to light up the world it does produce plenty of light or what it does. To be honest for a decking light this does exactly what it says it will, is VERY well made, and charges itself from a minimum amount of light. I've had solar powered security lights in the past and this seems to charge up much quicker with less sunlight. And the best thing is that the 4 enclosed batteries can be changed out for new ones if they egin to lose their charge. All in all a great decking light that wil work thoughout almsot all of the year.
Henson 24/02/2011

Buying solar lighting in the middle of winter seemed a bit daft but I wanted to put in decking lights for summer and decided to try one of these out. It needs three days exposure to the sun to charge the battery up from new and as most of the week was dull, grey wet and snowy I didn't hold out much hope. Surprise! Despite the lack of sun and very short-lived daylight it actually produced quite a bright light which lasted from dusk and was still on when I went to bed well after midnight. Once charged a normal day's light will recharge it enough for the night. So, when the weather gets better and we actually see some sun, these lights should be absolutely fine - after all it's summer evenings we sit out with a glass of wine not the middle of winter. They are solidly made, with little to go wrong and easy to fit - no wiring etc - and they come with the three screw fittings supplied. The only snag I can see about these decking lights is that they would not work as well if your decking area was in the shade for any length of time during the day. As to reliability I can only go on the fact that I've had solar lanterns in the garden from the same source for three years now and they are still going strong.
HKC 21/02/2011

Having just received your latest promotional offer, it has prompted me to let you know how my Solar Square Decking Lights have been performing during this harshest of winters. Although sunshine is in very short supply this winter, the square decking lights have been providing a continual 16 hours of light without fail, this sometimes follows day after day without even a hint of sunshine, they can even be seen under a covering of snow. Even my son-in-law who is a site manager for a local building company was completely surprised and taken back when he realised that they were solar powered and not run off the mains electricity supply.
B Browne 06/01/2011