2023 Solar Street Lights’ Honest Bad Review

Reviewing solar street lights is an important aspect of ensuring their performance and efficiency. As senior engineers, We reviewed a solar street light today.

I purchased this solar street light online for $17, and unfortunately, it turned out to be a major disappointment. Despite the attractive stats and the abundance of similar-looking lights in various online shops, this particular product did not live up to expectations.

Pros:

• Affordable price at $17.
• Similar-looking lights with promising stats are widely available.

Cons:

• Poor quality of light.
• [Specify any issues with brightness, durability, battery life, etc.]
• [Mention if there were any difficulties in installation or use.]

Solar lights are outdoor lighting systems that rely on the energy generated by the sun through solar panels. The core components of a typical solar light include:

1. Solar Panels: These are photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The solar panels are usually mounted on top of the light fixture or in a separate panel that can be positioned to receive maximum sunlight exposure.
2. Battery: Solar lights have rechargeable batteries to store the energy generated by the solar panels during the day. These batteries are crucial for powering the light during the night or in low-light conditions when sunlight is not available.
3. LED Lights: Light-emitting Diodes (LEDs) are commonly used in solar lights due to their energy efficiency and long lifespan. LEDs provide the actual illumination when the solar light is activated.
4. Controller/Charge Controller: The controller regulates the flow of electricity between the solar panels and the battery. It prevents overcharging of the battery during the day and ensures a steady power supply to the LED lights during the night.

In this solar street light review. First of all, we are going to talk about the many advantages of this solar street light. This is why many people buy it.

1. Lightweight Design:

   This feature is undoubtedly beneficial for ease of handling and installation. The lightweight nature of the solar street light makes it accessible to a broader range of users, including those who may not have access to heavy-duty equipment.

2. Easy Installation:

   The simplicity of installation is a key selling point for many consumers. The fact that no wiring is required and basic tools are sufficient makes it a user-friendly option. This ease of installation not only saves time but also appeals to individuals who may not have advanced technical skills.

3. Practical Sensor Function:

   The sensor function, triggering the light to turn on when people are present and off when the area is vacant, is a valuable feature. This not only enhances convenience for users but also contributes to energy efficiency by ensuring that the light is only in use when needed. This is particularly advantageous for outdoor lighting, where energy conservation is often a priority.

So is it worth buying? Next, I’m going to talk about its 6 major disadvantages from the perspective of a professional senior engineer.

Disadvantage 1: Low Brightness

Its actual brightness is equivalent to that of a tiny light bulb.
On the right, we light up the solar street light in the lab test sphere.
On the left, I’m lighting up a 10-watt bulb inside the same test sphere.
Let’s compare them outside and again: the 10-watt bulb is much brighter.

Disadvantages 2: Exaggerated wattage.

Many solar street light merchants mark 800 watts on the product’s page, falsely labeling it more than 100 times. This is more common in major online shops, and the manufacturer uses 160pcs of beads on this low-brightness light Misleading information can lead to consumer dissatisfaction and undermine trust in the industry. Because they create an illusion: the more the number of LED beads, the more power. They use very cheap beads. The cost is only one-tenth to one-twentieth of the quality beads

.

The power of a solar street light lamp is largely determined by the size of the solar panel and the battery capacity. Because the solar panel determines its ability to receive energy from the sun. and the battery determines its ability to store energy. So how can a solar panel that is so small drive an 800-watt light?

 

Disadvantage 3: Not environmentally friendly and does not comply with RoHS regulations

This lamp contains 160pcs LED lamp beads, and these lamp beads are soldered and require the use of solder paste. The cost of solder paste is directly proportional to the number of lamp beads. To save costs, most manufacturers use lead-containing solder paste, which does not meet environmental protection requirements.

 

 Disadvantage 4: poor waterproof performance.

When we open the solar panel of the purchased solar street light, we can find that there is no rubber ring or glue inside. This will cause rain or fog to enter the interior of the lamp body along this gap after a period of use, which will cause The internal electronic parts to be damaged and even cause the battery to catch fire.

Disadvantage 5: Battery capacity is small

Although I didn’t test its capacity, I could check the size of its battery. Moreover, by looking at its other configurations, I have reason to believe that it uses cheap, low-capacity batteries with low-capacity retention. after a period of repeated use,

If the solar street light utilizes subpar batteries, it may experience issues, including decreased working time, reduced brightness, and overall diminished performance over time. Poor-quality batteries can exhibit faster degradation and have a limited number of charge-discharge cycles.

Disadvantage 6: The materials are ordinary

All metal materials are iron and plastic shells. It can be used for a short period, but over time, it will cause more problems due to rust, corrosion, etc. Moreover, the mounting holes of the lamp are too shallow, making it unsafe to use in areas with strong winds.

Conclusion: 

To sum up, although this solar street light is easy to install and has some very practical sensing functions, it has too many key quality issues. So the review result I gave is 1 star.

Buying advice:
1. If you are using it for personal use, in an environment where there is not much rain, and your requirements for light color are not high, you can still buy this lamp but don’t have too high expectations.

2. In addition, you must also understand that this lamp is not cheap, because its brightness is not as bright as a small LED bulb (many bulbs also have simple waterproof functions), and a big brand bulb only costs a few dollars.

3. If you are a project contractor or Party A and need to match solar lights for some residential areas, villas, and road projects with high requirements, be sure not to choose this type of solar street light.