Solar LED PIR floodlights

[woody1]

The obvious advantage is there's no wiring required. But are they any good?

I have read some reviews saying the light output is pretty mediocre. (Many of them are only a few watts/few hundred lumen.)

Thanks.

[northernladuk]

IMO forget solar unless you are going to spend good money. All the solar this, solar that you get from B&Q and the like is just crap. It works for awhile then just dies a death. How many times have you been round people's houses where they had the solar garden lights or front door lights and half down work and hardly even glow. I'm totally turned off by anything solar. Never seen it actually working nicely and doing what it said on the box in anyone's garden.

[d000hg]

We have a couple with integrated solar panel on the top of the light (so, small). On a bright day they provide a nice bit of colour after dark but they are absolutely no use for seeing what you're doing.

These are probably cheap Chinese ones ~£15 but even so, I'd expect similar... makes the garden pretty but not much more.

[woody1]

What you both say is pretty much what I thought.

I was hoping to avoid having to install a new circuit but it sounds like that's the only option if I want a reasonable outside light (I need comparable illumination to at least a 100W incandescent).

[northernladuk]

What you both say is pretty much what I thought.

I was hoping to avoid having to install a new circuit but it sounds like that's the only option if I want a reasonable outside light (I need comparable illumination to at least a 100W incandescent).

I'm also on the verge of spending a bit to get a reasonable power source to the garden to light the decking so have put some time in to plan it properly. Garden bed lighting, mood lighting for evenings, bright for proper light, security light and some power points for lawn mower etc. If I've got to run the circuit I thought I might as well do it properly rather than trying for the minimum and missing a trick.