LED Solar Floodlight with PIR

Having tried a few solar spotlights in the past, with mixed results, I was impressed by the power of this floodlight. Of course, it doesn’t match the full spread and reach of an average halogen floodlight, but then you couldn’t run one of those off solar power! If you are planning to buy this for inside a shed, it may be too bright / concentrated a light.

The beam produced has a good-sized central area of well-focused light with more diffuse perimeter of general illumination. As a rough guide, the central area is about 5m wide at 5m distance and illuminates to 15m easily.

The instructions are mostly clear and in good English, but sometimes contradictory, e.g. if the battery has not received enough solar charge for good operation, they tell you to remove it and charge it separately, but later on they say that opening the case (which you must – and can easily – do in order to access the battery) will invalidate the warranty. Also, the motion sensor controls are pictured as the inverse of how they are on the unit, so expect some trial and error to see which way to turn them for the desired effect.

I bought two of these lights and was pleased to find that their 6 volt internal lead-acid batteries both already had over 6v in them, so don’t expect yours to arrive ‘flat’ and need a full charge before use. However, giving it the recommended 3 days’ solar charge before normal use may be a sensible precaution. (What benefit that will have in grey, wintry weather is debatable!)

The main failure of this otherwise very nice unit is the LACK of LATERAL ADJUSTMENT for the light. The reflector unit swivels up & down but NOT side to side. This means that, wherever you mount the light, it will only illuminate directly ahead. Often, one wants to mount a security light on one corner of a building and have the beam spread across the same building, or be able to vary the coverage, so beware: this could be a serious drawback. One solution would be to mount it on an independently hinged backboard or an angled block. (Yes, you can rotate the lamp head 90 degrees and then swivel it side to side, but this makes the beam tall & thin, and still it will not swivel down to shine onto the ground ahead!) The solar panel suffers from the SAME PROBLEM, so if its mounting surface is not facing due South you might need to make similar adjustments.

Works fine in the spring, summer and autumn. Easy to install. However, even though the solar panel is facing south and has nothing shading it, it does not charge the battery enough to switch the light on in the winter months when most needed.

Does what it says on the box, and is fine for convenience lighting. It's bright, stays charged well even on wintery days and although the beam is quite narrow, it's such good value you could always get a second one for more coverage. Probably not suitable as a deterrant for intruders due to the all-plastic construction and external on/off switch unless mounted at sufficient height -- which would also help with coverage. As the 80 LEDs are unlikely to all fail simultaneously any time soon, mounting in a spot not easily accessible would be a good idea!

I purchased one of these when they were on special offer, I was sceptical that they would give off enough light and charge suffciently quickly. I was wrong. This device isn't a 500w flood light, nor even 150w but it is more than good enough, simple to install and free electricity. I will buy more for all around the house whenever at the discount price

Excellent value for money, I could not believe the superb illumination and beam these LEDs produced.