I just received two of these lights, and I like them so far, but the Amazon description has a few problems I'd like to sort out for people, as they confused me as I was shopping.
First off, the size of the item is unclear. Part of the text of the product description up as this is written says they are 5.4" square, but it also contains a diagram suggesting the lights are 11.8" tall and 15" (!) square. Someone answered my question on the community section (thank you) but I was still unsure until I received them.So here are the true dimensions, albeit done in a few seconds reaching over my head to where they are now mounted:
The base of the light is a 5" x 5" square. They flare out to a 7" square at the top of the fixture, and stand just shy of 4 1/2" tall including the solar panel on top. The base is about perfect for mounting on a nominal 6 x 6" timber fence post, which is typically about 5 1/2" square, which is what I wanted to do with them. Note they do not fit around or over the post though. They sit on top, attached by one screw going down into the center of the post. They are smallish, but on top of the fence posts, the large shade dominates and makes them look larger than they are.
You mount these by removing the top cap and the light "cylinder" on which the LED beads are mounted. You're left with the shade attached to the bottom plate, which has a centered hole for driving in a wood screw. No screws were included in either package, so I just grabbed two I had lying around, about 2" long, and drove them straight into the top of the posts with a 12v Bosch driver, without a pilot hole. They mounted in seconds and feel solid. Centered as best I could eyeball it, there is a small border of wood with about 1/4" around on all sides.
More good news is that these lights pack some great technology. Most of the solar fence post cap lights I found here on Amazon come with small batteries and very dim, bluish led lights that put out between three and 20 lumens. These lights have *18* small LED "beads," or bulbs, mounded in strips of three around a center cylinder, rated at a total of 200 lumens (which is similar to a 40-watt lightbulb). Based on one night's performance on probably-not-full charges, I'd say that's about right. The lights are bright but not obnoxious and have a neutral-to-warm color temperature. I'd guess they're about 3000k, or a little whiter than the warmest 2700k LEDs out there.
The seller says the solar panel is crystalline, which is a step up in efficiency from amorphous film, and that the battery is a whopping 2000mAh, That's roughly three times the capacity most of the post cap lights seem to be advertising. The rated lighting time of 15-18 hours is about double what others seem to be advertising. I will update when I see whether the rating holds up, but the sheer capacity of the battery is a great feature regardless.
That's a lot of LED bang for the buck. To get this kind of power, you normally would need to buy and wire "low-voltage" plug-in lights, which are great, but expensive and more complicated to install. And of course they use household electricity instead of free power from the sun.
The build quality of the lights is about what I expected -- lightweight plastic but solid enough. One piece of plastic mold was stuck to the top of one unit, but it does no harm, and I'm sure I could pull it off if I wanted to bother. The lens for the lamp is textured and attractive. From a few feet away, it looks just like frosted glass. And because it comprises most of the lamp, it makes the whole unit look good.
The lights open by twisting the top piece to unhook tabs on the top of the shade from slots in the top piece. The top, with the solar panel and the light cylinder attached, then comes away from the base / shade unit. There is a pretty solid light switch under the top so you can turn off the lamps to let them charge or what have you. In "on" mode, they come on automatically in the dark.
As for durability, I think these lights would break if dropped onto a hard surface or hit with an errant soccer ball or something, but just sitting unmolested on the fence I can see them lasting for years.
On the first night, after a few hours' charging, the two lights, mounted on gateposts on opposite sides of the house looked great, shining brightly enough to provide some real illumination. My 60-watt equivalent garage carriage lights looked a little brighter, so comparing these to 40-watt incandescents, at least when fully charged, seems about right. Which again puts them far above typical solar-powered LED post cap or pathway lights. The light on the north side of the house shone a bit dimmer as it did not get as much light to charge it, but think with a whole day's charging they'll both be quite bright. I will update this review when I've had a greater chance to evaluate the performance of the lights.
So far though, I'm giving these lights five stars, because despite being hampered by a somewhat muddled product description, they pack a lot of high-end lighting technology and power. While not exactly cheap in this category, the price for the level of specifications here is unheard of. I visited several "high-end" deck lighting websites looking for something better, and while some (not all) of the fancy ones look a bit nicer, I found nothing close to this power output or battery capacity for less than $100-something per light, and those still did not seem to have anything like the lightbulb-sized multi-LED lamp unit.
Five stars. Will update based on future experience.
| Brand | EASYOWN |
|---|---|
| Color | Warm light |
| Material | Plastic |
| Style | Classic |
| Room Type | Deck |
| Specific Uses For Product | Garden, Yard |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Outdoor |
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
| Special Feature | Waterproof |
| Control Method | Remote |
| Light Source Type | LED |
| Finish Type | Polish |
| Number of Light Sources | 18 |
| Voltage | 6 Volts |
| Embellishment | Crystal |
| Item Weight | 0.6 Kilograms |
| Wattage | 1.2 watts |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Mounting Type | Floor Mount |
| Fixture Type | Removable |
| Model Name | MD-208 |
| Manufacturer | Bigwood |
| Part Number | DM001 |
| Item Weight | 1.32 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 7.09 x 7.09 x 5.51 inches |
| Item model number | MD-208 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Assembled Height | 14 centimeters |
| Assembled Length | 18 centimeters |
| Assembled Width | 18 centimeters |
| Finish types | Polish |
| Special Features | Waterproof |
| Plug Format | A- US style |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Wattage | 1.2 Watts |
| Average Life | 8 Years |
