14 Solar-Powered Products To Avoid (According To User Reviews)

• Technology

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Feedback is very important when buying products, and user reviews tend to give the best insight. Users who have bought one can tell you what it is like to own it, the quality, and what the product does well. More importantly, buyers can explain the downsides of using a device, and warn others about issues or defects that could discourage purchases.

When flagging items, the goal was to make sure the feedback represented what you could likely expect, and not just one-off issues. So if user reviews kept pointing out a specific defect, that was worth paying attention to. It is safe to assume that if devices consistently arrived broken, it wasn't the fault of the delivery service, but a design flaw.

It's worth noting that some of these devices have a pretty high average ratings. That doesn't tell you the long-term quality, as some reviewers may not change their score after using the product for a month or so. This was a key factor when considering the selection, because you'd want them to work for a very long time.

Bell + Howell Solar Disk Lights

The Bell + Howell Solar Disk lights are marketed as being waterproof, rust-resistant, and tough enough for your lawn mower to run right over them. The product details really promote the durable construction, explaining how the metal casing has a moisture-proof design. However, according to reviews, these lights have some pretty significant flaws that really compromise how they function and how long they last.

Apparently, the plastic ground stakes are incredibly brittle and snap during installation, which means you can't even use the product properly. So you'd have to be very careful while installing this. The usage time is also not always as you would think, sometimes only being around two hours.

Basically, if it doesn't break on you, by the time midnight comes, these lights will turn off just because of battery issues. This makes it incredibly unreliable, since that means it won't even last until midnight, when you would want lights to be on, so it's not worth the cost. The inability to effectively charge or maintain light output, especially when you add the fragility of the plastic stakes, really shows that there are design flaws here.

Hampton Bay Solar Path Lights

The Hampton Bay Solar Path Lights sound great in the description, but that seems to be the case with all these products. They are marketed as elegant, durable, and a solution for pathway lighting that you won't really have to mess with. Unfortunately, they consistently miss the mark because of some serious manufacturing and design issues that you'd want to keep in mind before thinking about buying them.

The poles apparently break very easily, simply because they are plastic, which may be because the shaft that holds the light is too thin and weak. One user even said that the breakage rate was one in four, which is a huge ratio to lose just from material quality. There were also some reviews pointing out that the charge would not hold, which is a common issue with solar lights that aren't built to last.

Unfortunately, even if all the lights were able to get into the ground without breaking, not keeping a charge for longer than a few hours after spending all day in the sun is unacceptable. The point is to have these charging in the day and working at night, which the reviews point out this product cannot do.

Room Essentials Solar Spotlights

The Short Solar LED Outdoor Spot Lights from Room Essentials are marketed as a handy and water-resistant option for some simple ambient lighting. They look like they're meant to act as ways to light up your path, and come with their solar-powered batteries right on top of them. They would likely be something you'd like to buy if they worked when they were supposed to.

The main issue frequently reported is that they are delivered dead on arrival, meaning they just don't turn on far too often. Some that function initially allegedly fail after the first few days or months. Unfortunately, the lights are also very dim, which was a constant complaint. One of the most important mistakes to avoid is shopping for cheap products, and this seems like a cheap product that may not be as good as advertised.

Like the other solar lights mentioned above, these do not work for very long, lasting three hours at most. The fact that you're making a gamble just buying them, only to have a product that isn't going to reliably work throughout the night, just isn't worth your time or money.

Solar String Lights

These Solar String Lights are outdoor fairy lights that claim to be super flexible, durable, and have high-efficiency charging. That's exactly what you want from fairly lights, especially during the holidays, when houses tend to have lights out for Christmas. Unfortunately, these are not a good replacement for wired ones you plug in, just because they don't last a long time.

These lights do not look like they do in the image, according to many reviews. One review said, "they look like a toy, very flimsy. Even in direct sunshine for 4 days, don't work," which summed up the negative reviews. Unfortunately, some reviewers also pointed out that sometimes the lights just didn't work.

If you can get over the look, they don't last very long and the light they give is not strong. Unfortunately, some have said that they don't even turn on after being left in direct sunlight for days. So you're not getting lights that are reliable enough to be used at night regularly, which means you should save yourself the hassle and don't buy it at all.

Mademax Solar Fountain Pump

The Mademax Solar Fountain Pump is supposed to be a maintenance-free 1W solar-powered solution, perfect for your birdbath or small pond. This is supposed to give you a cheap way to keep a nice fountain, especially because the sun is supposed to give this birdbath the energy it needs to keep the water flowing. Unfortunately, the issues involved in the design of this device are what make it less than reliable.

It turns out that the pump doesn't have a battery buffer, which makes it sputter constantly, even if you have partial clouds passing by. The product page points out that these fountains aren't designed to store energy, which means they will have issues during cloudy days or may not work at all. According to user feedback, it needs to have direct sunlight to work properly, which isn't guaranteed.

Another issue is that the pump can actually shoot up to 15 inches or higher, depending on your nozzle, which means wind can blow the water right out of your 12-inch bowl. If you aren't careful and let the water fly anywhere else, it can get damaged, which the manufacturer warns about on the product page. So if you want this fountain to work well, you'll need perfectly sunny days with no wind.

GAME Solar Underwater Light Show

A light show under your pool is pretty neat, and that's what the GAME Solar Underwater Light Show claims to offer. It's designed to give your pool a floating, color-changing light display, and can project a pattern up to 10 feet thanks to its six ultra-bright multi-colored LED lights. While the claim on the product page is that this device is fully sealed, so leaks shouldn't happen, there are still issues once it hits the water.

The waterproof seal can't handle the thermal expansion of the air inside the unit, meaning the unit will suck in pool water and corrode right away. Due to this huge oversight in the design, it means the Underwater Light Show won't work long enough to enjoy it fully. This issue completely compromises the entire point of having a device underwater, which is why you would buy this anyway.

Some reviewers noted that the products they received never worked to begin with. It happening more than once, shows you that the quality checks aren't catching defective units. So even if it arrives intact, it will likely fail through regular use.

Wasserstein Solar Panel

The Wasserstein Solar Panel is designed to give you continuous, wire-free power for popular surveillance and camera gear like the Ring Spotlight Cam and other video equipment. That sounds great, but it falls short while trying to provide power to any units through the day or night. The company says on the product page that this is more of a trickle charger that is only meant to maintain a battery that is already full. So, this isn't a case where something like the 33% rule is hurting buyers.

The purpose of a battery is to keep devices charged without needing indoor electricity, but you'll have to come with a fully charged camera before even thinking about using this. Some reviewers have tried to use this as intended, but cameras in high-traffic spots where there is heavy recording activity don't last the test of time. So it would only work on a low usage camera, if it works at all.

A solar panel needs to be dependable, which isn't a word that can describe this panel. The battery allegedly doesn't work well, even when out in open sunlight. Some panels failed after a year or months of use, which means this is not a very trustworthy solar panel.

Westinghouse Solar Motion Sensor Light

Westinghouse's Solar Motion Sensor Light is supposed to be a bright and effective security solution that doesn't need any maintenance. It is meant to be for spots where you don't have power, and it will still give you 2,000 lumens from 80 high-intensity LEDs in a wide 180-degree passive motion sensor. While it is meant to be durable, a common issue is that it doesn't work well.

The biggest issue seems to be that you can't return the item. Many comments talk about how they got the wrong items, the quality was bad, and more, but that trying to contact the seller didn't help. In these cases, it's best to stay away from the seller, because there is a lack of trust.

Even when this unit does work, it doesn't last very long, and sometimes it will not function right out of the box. When it does turn on, apparently it does almost immediately after turning on, which makes it incredibly unreliable. To be fair, full daily sun works best for charging panels, so this could be part of what is causing the angry reviews, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Ameritop Solar Outdoor Motion Lights

The Ameritop Solar Outdoor Motion Lights are marketed as sturdy and reliable security lighting that covers outdoor areas like your yard, garage, or patio. The unit is supposed to be made out of durable ABS material and even comes with an IP65 waterproof rating, which means it should last through heavy rain or snow.

The lights are apparently not very strong and take a long time to recharge. That's not what you want from motion lights, because they should be ready to catch others at a moment's notice. These aren't solar-powered lights from dollar general, but the quality seems similar if these reviews are to be believed.

The worst part is that those who have claimed it doesn't work can't even get a refund. Plenty of reviewers have called out the company due to responses sounding like AI, and never getting a real solution to any problems. So even if it is called bright by some reviewers, it's better to stay away just because you won't get your money back if it's defective.

PIC Solar Insect Killer Torch

The PIC Solar Insect Killer Torch is supposed to use UV lights to cover 1/2 acres, thanks to its 600V bug zapper grid. However, despite these big promises, the device is unreliable as an insect killer, and it suffers from durability problems. Unfortunately, this isn't going to cover every bug type, since it works with UV lights, which means you're not going to get pesky mosquitoes this way, despite it saying so on the product page.

The quality of the stake for the ground doesn't seem very good, according to reviews. Plenty of reviewers mentioned that while the light worked for them, the stakes were flimsy. That means you're likely going to break this if you hit it too hard, which is part of how you'd put it into the ground.

The worst part is that this zapper doesn't seem to work, and that it will burn out over time. Plenty of reviewers pointed out this flaw, but a user said that due to the zapper not working, this became their light. Unfortunately, the Torch doesn't last the test of time either, and some reviewers said the torch died within a few months.

ToughTested Solar Power Bank

The ToughTested Solar Power Bank is a big 24,000 mAh portable charger. They are supposed to be rugged, high-capacity options to keep your devices charged up fast, using solar panels for emergency charging. While there are other ways to charge, you're better off buying another cheap solar-powered gadget for emergency situations.

Reviewers claim this just doesn't work, regardless of how long people put it out in the sun. The solar charging really only powers the flashlight and is mostly pointless for the main battery. That's a huge red flag for shopping, and means it's not reliable in a situation where you need charged batteries but only have the sun.

There were also issues where the device was dead on arrival. There are some that said it stopped working after a few weeks to a few months, but that's not much better. It was noted that it worked for a few weeks to a month for some, but that it ended up dying.

Pure Garden Solar Bug Zapper

The Pure Garden Solar Bug Zapper looks like an easy and natural solution for enjoying your time outdoors. It has UV light to attract insects and is supposed to be weather-resistant. However, the product has issues with its performance and durability that come back to how it was designed.

The main complaint is that the panel can't get enough energy to kill bugs effectively, and the reasons are baseline features that you expect to work well. This energy deficit doesn't give the device enough power to do the job, only hurting smaller bugs. Secondly, this causes the light to be a lot weaker than it should be, so it's not attracting pests to begin with.

Some users said that it doesn't work regardless of how long they have it out. One review mentioned that they bought eight for the whole yard, and it still didn't work for them. The lack of reliability and usability means that this product is a complete waste of money.

Solar Rechargeable USB LED Outdoor Table Lamp

The Solar and Rechargeable USB LED Outdoor Table Lamp is supposed to be convenient and weather-resistant. You can charge it through a USB cord, but while that theoretically could solve any solar-powered issues, it doesn't fix the issues that come from the design. Unfortunately, the biggest issue is that these lamps aren't coming protected in the box, so many are arriving broken.

The placement makes the lamp incredibly top-heavy and tends to tip over and shatter, even during a mild breeze. Adding to this physical vulnerability are some defects in the internal hardware. The lamp doesn't stay charged for very long, only lasting six minutes to an hour, even if charged through the USB cord. Some reviewers claimed they would charge the lamp for 12 hours but still not get long uses out of it.

The promised dual-charging also stops working because it tends to corrode, sometimes within a month. Also, the lamp doesn't stay charged for very long, only lasting six minutes to an hour, even if charged through the USB cord. So the product isn't lasting long enough for many buyers to consider it worth it.

Nature Power 12-Lumen

The Nature Power 120-Lumen Solar Motion Security Light is marketed as a high-intensity, motion-activated security solution. It comes with an amorphous solar panel that is supposed to recharge its batteries even on cloudy days. Some comments are saying that the main functional issue is that the solar panel is too small to support the battery drain required for the light to work reliably through the night.

Unfortunately, that's far too unreliable, and you're not going to have many days when the lighting is strong enough to charge the battery. The most frequently cited issue was that it doesn't last a full year, which disappointed many reviewers. Users claimed that rainstorms would be the end of some units, which is something that an outdoor light should be ready for.

The leaks seem to be a common issue, but those leaks lead to broken units, and many reviews stated that these lights don't last the test of time. This undermines the idea of a security light when it won't work most of the time. If you're interested in motion activated security lights, there are great ones you can find at Harbor Freight.