Solar Charged LED Lamp Post Decorative Yard Light with 3 Height Options

I wanted to try the light like this for a while now; yet all of them I saw were priced rather astronomically for the fact they are only solar and mostly simple plastic, up until I found this particular one, specifically from TruePowerTools seller. There was a missing part in the package so I thought I got what I paid for by trying to save as much $ as possible, however the seller fixed the issue very fast and shipped out the missing part immediately and arrived 4 days later which really impressed me!Even though the base and lantern are plastic, actual post is metal with powder coating, i found that surprising. Light works right out of the box and comes charged which is a good sign of getting a well circulated "solar" product with a healthy battery. Now, the entire assembled piece is lightweight of about 4 pounds and base isnt too wide, so this definitely needs either anchoring at the base or, since the base and posts are hollow inside, slide the assembled post onto the pipe thats driven deeper into the ground to ensure stability during strong winds.The lighting output isnt too strong but it isnt dim either, it would feel less bright be it a warm light, although this lantern has the "cool white" light. Still, attracting mosquitoes so keep the light further away from the doorway or else... you get the point.One last tip, keep the solar lights out in the winter! Dont store them in garage or anywhere dark as the solar panel needs to charge the NiCad batteries-these, or any rechargeable batteries should not be left depleted for extended period of time. NiCad are good for extreme temperatures cold or hot so you wont harm them by leaving product outside, what harms them is the misunderstood need for winter storage and since this light doesnt run of regular AA rechargeable batteries, it would be tougher to replace as the battery used in fixture is F size and new cells do need wire welding at the terminals.

Bought this as a gift, arrived in the afternoon, I put it together and left it standing in our south-facing entry until dark, turned it on, and it had charged! I was impressed....it charged indoors with bright light but without direct sunlight (unless they come fully charged?? I doubt it but possible, I guess.). (By the way, as mentioned by other reviewers, you must take the cover off the lamp...carefully...find the little red switch and turn it on. No instructions, so had I not read that important fact here, I would've thought I'd gotten a lemon.) The 3 pc. pole is metal, the base and lamp are plastic. The base should've been metal also, and I'm guessing one would have to be careful not to tighten any mounting screws too much lest the base crack. However, once placed in the yard, one wouldn't know it was part plastic, and if careful with mounting, placement and connection of parts (see next comment), it should not be a problem. I do have one complaint and the reason for 4 stars rather than 5....the fact that the whole assembly will not stay together in outdoor conditions without some kind of extra adhering by the user. We bought some metal adhesive to include with the gift for this purpose. Unless you do something to keep the whole thing together once assembled, there will no doubt be problems with it coming apart...and quite easily.Other than the weak assembly issue, my overall summary is:**I'm pleased with the product and feel it is worth the $30 price.**Even though it has some plastic parts, it's a nice looking light post that will compliment any setting**Gives off adequate illumination for garden lighting or for safety in dark areas as long as you're not expecting to light up your whole yard.**I think we will be ordering one for ourselves.**I was very pleased with the seller also.**All-in-all, another positive experience with an Amazon.com purchase.UPDATE: We did immediately get one of these for ourselves, have had it up for about 4 wks now and love it. We have it behind the house, where it was too dark to see the sidewalk running between the garage and the back deck, making it unsafe or impossible to walk back there. This is the exact solution we were looking for..bright enough to illuminate the sidewalk and make it safe to walk after dark but not so bright as to be intrusive. (Our bedroom windows are right there so wouldn't want anything brighter.) In our application, I would compare the amount of light given off and the area illuminated to be similar to that of a 30W incandescent bulb (if there was such a thing) if the bulb was in this same fixture housing.....More than a 15 watt, but MAYBE a bit less than a 40W; certainly enough to see where you're going when no other light is available. It is mounted right next to the sidewalk, at the center point, in a flower bed between the house and the sidewalk. It illuminates the 35 ft. sidewalk, the deck steps and 10 X 12 ft. deck on one end of the walk and the door into the garage at the other end. We used three 2 foot metal stakes to secure the base to the ground alongside the sidewalk plus some heavy flower pots and rocks all around the base to further stabilize the light. (Have to be VERY careful not to crack the plastic base!) For now, we used black duct tape to hold the pole pieces together. We had quite a summer storm a few days after putting this up, and it held together and stayed in place during the high winds, but would've definitely been in the next county without the extra steps to secure it. So far, I'm very pleased with this light and still give it 4 stars (deducting one for the flimsy pole assembly & plastic base).UPDATE: Fall is in the air, and I still love this light! It seemed to be getting less bright after a couple months, so I washed the "glass" (plexiglass) of the lamp part, and that brought it back to what it was at first. It's still giving off light at dawn, although not quite as bright as in early evening. The black duct tape has held the post pieces together (and isn't noticeable), the 2 ft. stakes and heavy flower pots around the base have kept it sturdy and straight. Not sure if I'll leave it out over the winter. If I do, I'll update on how that works out.UPDATE: May 17, 2014 - Had this light through summer & fall last yr and am just trying to get it set up for this summer. Problem #1, despite being VERY CAREFUL when taking the light down late last fall, the base cracked when I pulled one of the homemade 2 ft anchor poles out just a tiny bit less than perfectly straight. I knew that flimsy base wasn't going to last long, but thought it would do better than it did since I handled it w/ kid gloves. I'm hoping with big flower pots around it again, it'll stay put. Problem #2 - The light bulb got dimmer and dimmer as the fall season wore on, and was giving off next to no light by the time I brought it indoors in early November, so I'm trying to find a replacement bulb; so far, no luck. Problem #3 - One of the rechargable batteries has already corroded, so those also need replacing after approximately 4 months of actual outdoor use. (It sat in the heated garage over the winter months, until this morning.) (Hubby and I are disagreeing about whether it needs just new batteries, no new bulb, hubby's theory, or whether it needs both. Because other LED lights I've had die slowly, getting more and more dim, I think it needs both & that's what I plan to order if/when I find it all.) So, while I'm still anxious to get it up because I did enjoy it last summer and because it initially provided much-needed light in a very dark area of the yard, it now appears as though it may be another piece of junk(?) from China. I'll search for a new bulb & batteries and see what they cost. If they're reasonable & the lamp regains its original brightness, I'll be happy again, but I fear the replacement parts may cost nearly as much as I pd for the whole unit. I hope not. I'll be really disappointed then!LAST UPDATE: 7/22/2014 - In May, we purchased & installed new batteries, and that was definitely the problem with the dimming light. (Hubby was right.) (We got 4 AA Ni-Cad rechargeable solar batteries for $5.95, free shipping, thru Amazon; light only uses three, but a pkg of 4 was the best value we found.) Once the new batteries were in, it put out as much light as it did when new. The black duct tape was more than adequate to keep the pole fittings together throughout last summer and was barely noticeable, so we found that to be a satisfactory work-around to that issue. The cracked, plastic base, however, posed a problem we couldn't easily solve, so we installed the light fixture part of it on the pole of the dog kennel (again taping it down with duct tape as the pole was a bit undersized). It works, but the aesthetics of the pole lamp are lost as is the ability to place it wherever you want it. Maybe, when we have time, we'll try to glue the cracked base so the light can again be placed in the flower bed where it adds to the overall appearance of the garden. For now, it continues to be the right amount of light to provide safe footing in a very dark area of the yard, yet gives a soft light that isn't overly bright or intrusive when you don't want that. For a solar light, it's pretty good, considering the price. Knowing what I know now, would I buy it again? I guess, for $30, I would (knowing that the batteries will need replacing at least twice a yr....We only used the light for 4 months last summer, took it down over the winter & turned the switch off, so the batteries were only used for those 4 months and were pretty much dead at the end of that time. I'd also remove the batteries before storing to prevent the corrosion we saw this spring). However, I definitely would NOT pay a dollar more than the $30 I pd for this one (plus $7 shipping) until or unless the flimsy, easily-cracked base was improved.

It's ok, The top never closes right and it's always popping open at any movement! but the biggest disappointment is the amount of light!! it doesn't light up bright at all, IT's dim and doesn't emit hardly any light!! It looks nice during the day in the bushes, look like you spent a lot of money on it!! your neighbors will be impressed until they see it at night, or I should say can't see it at night!! Save your money there has to be a lot better out there!! Hope this helped people i wish I would have read the comments!! I might have save 40 something dollars including shipping!!

Only saving grace is that is is bright for an led lightInstalled in front of. Mountain chalet use anchors very stable mountin. Felt secure. WRONG !!! TheMild wind blew off top with solar cell and light insideVery cheap plastic lenses cracked and broke and led bulb. Hit ground and broke off at baseWill use pole for another lightI tossed packaging Dummy ,,, so no returnGood for indoor use NOT OUTSIDE So put it in your living roomIf top falls off Its History