Smart Solar Stuff » portable solar light

3 of the Best Solar Security Lights

Caimin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:50:43 +0000

Fulcrum LED Solar Porch Light

There are so many solar security lights to choose from it can be hard to make an informed choice. Here are three best sellers that come recommended for ease of use and installing – and of course bright, reliable light.

First, there’s the Fulcrum Motion Sensor LED Porch Light, available in white, silver and bronze. This motion sensing security light is designed for both indoor and outdoor use and because of the six bright LED lights within each unit it has a much wider lighting area than most LED lights.

The motion sensor can detect movement with a 25-foot range and stays on until no motion has been detected for more than 30 seconds. Each Fulcrum lighting unit is self-contained – no need for wiring – and the whole unit can be angled round by 100 degrees to shine into otherwise difficult to light parts of the garden or yard. Mounting the unit is no more complicated than two screws.

Dorcy LED Solar Security Light

Next on the recommended list is the Dorcy LED Wireless Flood-Lite – in many way it’s similar to the Fulcrum but a little more sophisticated.

The main difference is that the light unit comes with a four-way swivel allowing it to shine into deeper, darker corners around the outside of your home. The beam is brighter too, with a range of 350ft. There are actually two levels of brightness available so you can prolong battery life. The manufacturers say the Dorcy should run for a year without needing a change of batteries.

Like the Fulcrum, the Dorcy is simple to attach and you can set the motion sensor to switch off the security light after 30 seconds or two minutes.

Maxsa Innovations Solar Panel Light Kit

Lastly, the MAXSA Innovations Dual LED Security Spotlight – another motion activated security light, the Maxsa unit has two swiveling lights that give excellent lighting over a very wide area.

The motion sensor on this solar security light is another notch up the sophistication scale because you can adjust the reaction sensitivity to keep the light off if a passing squirrel wanders through your garden but activate the light if a vehicle pulls up.

Because the solar panel is separate and not built-in to the main light, installation is a little more involved but nothing too major and it does have the advantage that you can angle the solar panel exactly in the direction that works best, regardless of the direction the two lights are pointing.

Final Verdict: If you’re looking for the cheapest solar security light go for the Fulcrum Porch Ligh, for simplicity and a bright light beam at a good price go for the Dorcy Flood-Lite and for the brightest light with the biggest coverage area we reccomend the MAXSA Dual LED Security Spotlight.

Solar Light That’s Also a Radio

Caimin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:03:55 +0000

Presenting the Etón Microlink Self-Powered AM /FM / NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger. Kind of a mouthful but an interesting solar gadget all the same.

With this little device you can not only charge your mobile phone and listen to the radio, you can also choose between solar charging or charging by using the hand crank – great for those days when there’s no enough sunlight for a full solar charge.

Portable Indoor Solar Lights That Go Anywhere

Caimin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:41:24 +0000

As solar lights & lighting become more commonplace, so product designers are getting more innovative in the way they design solar lights.

Take Lucet Lamps designed by Rui Palma. These small solar lamps are actually three LED lights grouped together with a couple of rubber suckers attached to the base. You can position them wherever you like on a window and they’ll recharge their two AA batteries during the day and give out free solar powered light in the evening.

Just one catch – at the moment these solar lights are a concept design only.

How to make Portable Solar Garden Lights

Caimin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:35:22 +0000

Here’s a quick tip to get a little more out of those inexpensive stake-style solar garden lights – the kind with a small solar panel and light on top of a stake that you drive in the garden earth or driveway.

Instead of putting the stake into the ground, put it into a plant pot filled with earth or stones. Now you’ve got a portable solar light – especially useful if you tend to get the most daylight in a different place in your garden, driveway or deck from where you want the solar light at night.

Even better, you can make each solar light look more decorative by using some colored stones inside the pot instead of plain stones or earth. Decorative stone cost more, so fill the pot with garden earth and just add a layer of decorative stones to the top.