Showing posts with label outdoor lighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoor lighting. Show all posts

10/04/2011

Red Hot Chili Pepper String Lights - Set of 10 Review

Red Hot Chili Pepper String Lights - Set of 10
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I try not to be too rude in these reviews,
but these are the cheapest, tackiest string
lights I have ever seen. They are hard plastic,
don't look that great lit up and one of the
peppers fell off so fast I quickly determined
it probably didn't fit right on the string from
the beginning. I didn't return them because you
tend to lose so much in shipping it makes more
sense to throw them on the summer yard sale, for
50 cents, which is what I am going to do.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Red Hot Chili Pepper String Lights - Set of 10

8-Ft. Plastic Chili Pepper Lights. Strings connect end to end, Includes ten 1" x 3" chili pepper lights. Indoor use only.

Buy Now

Buy cheap Red Hot Chili Pepper String Lights - Set of 10 now.

5/04/2011

Sierra Electric JB5293 Motion Sensor Entry Light Review

Sierra Electric JB5293 Motion Sensor Entry Light
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The description states that this will shut off after 10 seconds of last activity - however, these shut off after 30 seconds of no activity. Actually, after 30 seconds it dims down slowly then completely shuts off (looks sort of cool how it does that too).
It has a very nice design, and you can angle the light panel to the position you want. What I did to install one light up quickly on a ceiling and another on a wall was to use heavy duty sticky back velcro strips. Works like a charm. These lights are very handy and even my picky husband likes them.
I hunted all over town for these lights (Target, Kmart, Walmart, Fred Meyers, Home Depot, and Lowes) but no one carried them nor had they even heard of these type of lights! All they carried were very small plug in 1 to 3 LED type lights. Don't they know that not all hallways or closets have plug in outlets? This type of light makes an excellent choice to do the job where there is no access to an electrical outlet.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sierra Electric JB5293 Motion Sensor Entry Light

Motion Sensor Light seven bright, photosensitive LED lights automatically turn on when you approach in the dark and shut off ten seconds later. No wires, electricity or installation necessary. Doubles as a security light to deter intruders. Weatherproof exterior makes it ideal for entryways, above windows and more. Use indoors or outdoors.

Buy NowGet 56% OFF

Buy cheap Sierra Electric JB5293 Motion Sensor Entry Light now.

4/22/2011

Moonrays 97125 Rechargeable NiCd AA Batteries for Solar Powered Units, AA, 4 Pack Review

Moonrays 97125 Rechargeable NiCd AA Batteries for Solar Powered Units, AA, 4 Pack
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
When I purchased my CCI Moonrays 95669 Solar Powered Metal Path Light, 6-Pack, Copper I decided from the beginning to switch out batteries in half of the lamps with the other battery types because I had read the other review for this battery pack.
Honestly, I found these work better through the night over a longer period of time. Sometimes I wake up very early in the morning for work, and have noticed that the lamps with these batteries have lasted longer and brighter into the morning. It has been a couple months since i got the lamps and will definitely purchase these batteries again.
I decided to do a little research on Wikipedia to find the reason.
These Moonrays batteries are Nicd, on the page it says "The primary trade-off with NiCd batteries is their higher cost"
But the advantage it says is
"the NiCd battery has a lower self-discharge rate (for example, 10% per month for a NiCd, versus 30% per month for a traditional NiMH under identical conditions"
that means that over time, these batteries will hold their charge longer than others.
The other type of rechargeable batteries are the NiMH batteries, and their page also says
"NiMH cells historically had a somewhat higher self-discharge rate (equivalent to internal leakage) than NiCd cells. This is not a problem in the short term, but makes them unsuitable for many light-duty uses where the battery would normally be expected to last many months or years."Wow I'm a nerd. But it makes me happy

Click Here to see more reviews about: Moonrays 97125 Rechargeable NiCd AA Batteries for Solar Powered Units, AA, 4 Pack

Pack of 4 "AA" rechargeable NiCd replacement batteries. For use in all solar fixtures.

Buy Now

Buy cheap Moonrays 97125 Rechargeable NiCd AA Batteries for Solar Powered Units, AA, 4 Pack now.

3/28/2011

Intermatic ML300RTW Malibu 300-Watt Power Pack with Timer and Ground Shield Review

Intermatic ML300RTW Malibu 300-Watt Power Pack with Timer and Ground Shield
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Decent quality steel case.
Mechanical timer.
I had the Hampton Bay 300 watt model....DO NOT BUY HAMPTON BAY TRANSFORMERS. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS VERY BAD AND THERE IS NOT EVEN ANY WARRANTY OR CUSTOMER SERVICE INFO IN WITH THE PRODUCT, as I found out when it broke and going to Home Depot for help was a joke. Anyway, I am happy so far with the Malibu and it seems that it has a bigger transformer than the Hampton and the overall construction is better. Just to convince you of how bad the Hampton Bay customer service is try doing a search for them online, you'll see.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Intermatic ML300RTW Malibu 300-Watt Power Pack with Timer and Ground Shield

The Malibu 300-watt power pack with timer and ground shield comes with 2 sets of trippers and a ground shield to help you program your lighting system. It converts 120-volt AC to 12-volt AC power and has an automatic multiple on/off timer with manual override switch. Control wattage outputs for your Malibu low-voltage lighting with this pack, which is protected by weather-resistant housing and is backed by a 6-year limited warranty.

Buy NowGet 3% OFF

Buy cheap Intermatic ML300RTW Malibu 300-Watt Power Pack with Timer and Ground Shield now.

3/27/2011

Moonrays 95540 Low Voltage Path Lighting Kit with Power Pack Review

Moonrays 95540 Low Voltage Path Lighting Kit with Power Pack
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Like others have stated with these type of lights and systems, is you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, they are not horrid, but by no means are they a great system. The problem with Moonrays is the connection. It is made at the light bulb base where there are two pins under the base that pierce the cable. The problems are: The cable that comes with this unit is a very small gauge (18 Gauge is what is supplied despite the picture showing 16 Gauge). In order for the pins to hit the wire when the cable is pieced they have to be perfectly aligned. I learned from other reviewers and just bought some 14 Gauge wire instead, which gave me the desired thickness of copper to work with while maintaining flexibility when trying to bend the wire and push the pins into it. To keep the transformer on to check each connection I simply used a small piece of electrical tape over the sensor. I used a small nut driver to push the cable up into the light base pins while using the base of another (screwdriver) to hold the top part (where the light bulb goes) into place. Also contacts for the bulbs come very close together, are easily bent. If the bulb doesn't light after some manipulation of the bulb, pull the bulb base off, look at the wire and likely you'll see the perforations were off kilter, though with the 14 or 12 gauge wire this should not be a problem. Use your screwdriver to bend the pins in the proper direction and try again (but don't push the cable up into the housing with anything that will conduct electricity if you still have the transformer on. Having a voltmeter handy is nice, so if still the bulb doesn't lite, you can check the voltage across the bulb contacts. On a couple of mine it was hard just to get the bulb to contact properly and that's what was wrong even though the cable connection was good. Don't stake any of the lights down until all are connected and all are lit.
Once you get the idea of what your doing on the first light, the rest are quite easy to install. Unplug the transformer... install light, plug in to check if it works... repeat until finished.
Now all this works great for the pathway lights, the spot lights are another matter entirely. What a major pain in the butt to get installed. The major problem with the spot lights is there is no cam (the little thing that in the pathway lights, helps to keep the cable connected to the pins) for use in these. You push the pins and cable together, and attempt to set the "correct" angle for your spot lights, and place in the ground, the problem comes that if you Move the angle in which the spot light is set in the slightest without some major coordination of moving the cable along with it, the pins will come right out of the cable and your back to square one. Major flaw in setting these up. Setting up the two spot lights took longer than setting up the pathway lights.
So only 3 stars for this product, minus one star for the crappy 18 gauge wire they sent, and I had to go out and buy 14 gauge wire. Minus another star for the shoddy spot lights.
Otherwise, it was a fairly simple set up. I haven't had any problems with my transformer blowing yet, so do not know as to the longevity of the product.
If anyone knows of a link to finding decent / equivalent LED's for these lights, please let me know. Getting into Lumens / mCd vs Watts is a whole other story.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Moonrays 95540 Low Voltage Path Lighting Kit with Power Pack

14 Pack, Low Voltage, Plastic Tier Light Kit, Includes 12 Black Plastic Tier Lights, 2 Black Plastic Floodlights, 60W Control Unit, 50', 18 Gauge Low Voltage Cable, Fourteen 4W Bulbs, Control Unit Is Photocell Operated, Dusk To Dawn Operation, For Replace

Buy NowGet 15% OFF

Buy cheap Moonrays 95540 Low Voltage Path Lighting Kit with Power Pack now.

3/24/2011

Paradise Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch including Ground Stake, 2 Flicker Amber LED Bulbs, Frosted Lens and Rechargable NiCad Batteries Review

Paradise Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch including Ground Stake, 2 Flicker Amber LED Bulbs, Frosted Lens and Rechargable NiCad Batteries
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
If you are looking for a soft glow and flicker this is the item for you. The light itself looks as if you have an actual candle in its frosted encasing. If you are actually looking for a tiki torch that provides lighting then you may not want to get this one,it provides little light. I paired it up with other solar torches to create a lighted walkway through my garden in which it is perfect for.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Paradise Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch including Ground Stake, 2 Flicker Amber LED Bulbs, Frosted Lens and Rechargable NiCad Batteries

Paradise Garden Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch Light, 2 Flickering Amber LED, Frosted Lens, Rechargable Ni-Cd BatteriesParadise Lighting solar bamboo torch fixture is a great poolside or patio accent. Gives a tropical affect without the use of oil or open flame. Uses NiCad rechargable batteries which charge during the day and power the fixture with 6-8 hours of LED light output at night. Dusk to dawn photo cell operation. Minimal assembly required. Requires full sun exposure to properly charge the batteries.Flickering amber LED bulbs. Frosted lens.Paradise Garden Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch Light, 2 Flickering Amber LED, Frosted Lens, Rechargable Ni-Cd Batteries Features:; Simple assembly installs in minutes; Requires no wiring to operate; Energy efficient solar operation uses rechargable batteries to power the fixture; Tropical tiki look adds great accent lighting to your front or back yard; Durable poly construction weathers the elements; Frosted plastic lens; 2 Flickering Amber LED's; Bamboo; 59?Ç¥

Buy NowGet 35% OFF

Buy cheap Paradise Lighting GL23922 Solar Bamboo Look Tiki Torch including Ground Stake, 2 Flicker Amber LED Bulbs, Frosted Lens and Rechargable NiCad Batteries now.