I’m tired of all the problems with peeling, cracking and general cheap wiring with a lot of the imported ones. Surely the manufacturers know that these things will spend months in the sun…why can’t they use a plastic that won’t discolor or crack?
Do the wires inside have to be the cheapest around? I’ve repaired a number of them and I can’t imagine that there’s a huge cost saving to the manufacturer by using the shortest possible wires inside…how about a little slack for when the thing has to be taken apart to replace the battery?
Can anyone recommend a quality brand that is built to last?
Unfortunately, about 90 percent of everything is imported these days. Saw story on local news or 20/20 that said in an average US home, 90-95 percent of things are made in Asia, mainly China, Vietnam and Japan for electronics. Textiles and wooden items are about the last bastions of "made in America," even US cars have 50-70 percent of things made in Asia though they are constructed in US. I remember 10 years ago when you could go to a good clothing store (like Lord & Taylor) and get a wool coat union made in USA for around $200 (I still have mine; classic style and exceptional quality.) But that’s another story.
In my experience, Gama Sonic makes the best quality fixtures in terms of housing, using glass instead of plastic for pricy fixtures, and great batteries and solar. They focus on solar lamps, but have some very good accent spotlights; their selection of regular accent lights is a bit limited.
Some people DO buy the dollar discount store lights, but these usually are old discontinued models and WILL not last more than a season and will likely produce cruddy light. Up to you. The best costs more. So: if you have choice between two or three fixtures from the same store that look pretty much the same, you can bet that there are 2 or 3 levels of quality. Most stores give people the choice. If everything is really cheap, they don’t have broad range of distributors.
Also, make sure when comparing prices online that you incorporate shipping costs. For solar accent lights, you may see the same item for 12.00 and at another store for $24.99 or something. When you get through check out BAM, the 12.99 difference pops back in for shipping. Still, we buy ours online because we have done our research.
Before talking about options: yes, most products should be more sturdy to accommodate battery changes: Tip, after you change the battery, take some clear caulk and put it around whatever you took apart; it won’t show and it will prevent moisture from getting into the fixture. Also, clean the panels and plastic/glass regularly with mild soap and water or mild mix of water and vinegar or VERY MILD mix of water and ammonia. If you have metal fixtures, wipe small amount of mineral/baby oil on the non-plastic parts.
We take most of our accent lights in during the winter, but when we do, we make sure to remove the batteries so as not to damage the fixtures.
TIP ONE THAT YOU ARE GETTING THE NEWEST/BEST product: (and probably most expensive) – better lights use NiMh batteries rather than NiCD — gives you an idea about the age of the product model. Some better fixtures use Li-Ion batteries, but these are not really necessary for accent lights, unless they are accent spotlights.
One of the reasons that people have negative opinions of solar light is that people often buy the cheapest out there, and you get what you pay for. A lot of companies are jumping on the solar bandwagon — either they have focused on traditional low-voltage "Traditional" electric lights and can’t economically compete with the specialists to incorporate (not naming names but lots sold at Home Depot), and other companies that make everything including the sink are getting in by churning out plain old garbage.
Read the articles below that discuss your questions. The site focuses on better quality solar products (meaning they cost more), but there is a pretty decent selection including middle of road prices
[...] Landscape lighting is the general term used to recognize a wide variety of exterior lighting fixtures. Landscape lighting fixtures are generally used to provide light for pathways, trees, fences, driveways, flowerbeds, front entryways and other key landscaping and architectural features [...]