Solar Light Accidental Shopping Discovery Today

Stick-in-the-ground Solar lights are very popular to light paths and drives.  Often you can find them at Wal-Mart and places for $2 each, sometimes less.  I have owned a few of these over the years.

My objection to them goes something like this

1.      ugly, painted aluminum or something, smallish

2.      the light gathering area is small, and plastic looking, not very effective

3.      rechargeable batteries inside are minimal and when they go, you have to toss the entire thing, as replacements cost more than new ones

4.      they don’t put out much light

5.      the light they do put out is LED bright white, a light I don’t care for

Enter Costco.  This weekend I saw a set of 8 solar lights that were

1.      Stainless steel, with screw in final on the top to dress them up

2.      Very nice, glass light gathering area, with peel off protective cover

3.      Pebble finish , real glass globes under the dome, that throws a nice light pattern on the ground

4.      The maker encourages replacing the rechargeable battery, and gives plenty of instructions on how to do it.

5.      The overall design looks rugged and the lights look like semi-permanent lights, not toss-away.

6.   MOST IMPORTANT, the light is supposed to be amber or incandescent , not LED white.  That is a convincing selling point to me. 

Price was $3 each light, but only sold in sets of 8. So buy a box, and share with your friends, would make a nice gift, two to mark your driveway entry at night?