UPDATE: I am working with the manufacturer, Richarm, about doing the field testing. What we noticed is that one batch of the lights had bad batteries. So they sent us a new set. I also told them I want to hook them to bigger solar panels so they sent me 30 feed of their USB charge cables.
The latest LED outdoor light set they sent have been on for 21 hours and are still going! These lights are great!
Results of test #1
I purchased a foldable "24 watt" solar panel USB charger. It took 4 days of full sun to charge one of the test light. Total failure.
Results of test #2
Using an old Harbor Freight solar 15 watt solar panel with an el-cheapo solar charger (12 volt) and a USB auto charger, the test light charged over 6 hours of sunlight.
Test #3
Test 3 will be using two 15 watt solar panels to charge the test light.
Test #4
Test 4 will be using three 15 watt solar panels to charge the test light
Link to purchase (we do not make money from them)
I'm big into solar based lighting and LEDs in general. I've had a lot of various solar lights over the years and have gravitated towards the style with a solar panel and separate lights. Most fail after 2 years or less and even then they had to be fiddled with to keep working.
I also use part of the lighting kits indoors for nighttime lighting at the tiny home. However, most of these LED lights are rather dim for using as an actual light to do anything constructive. And they lose power after a few hours.
I'm doing a long term test for a company called Richarm that sells a solar lighting kit that consists of an actual solar panel, two 42 LED lights, a remote control and USB charge cables. The batteries for these are contained inside the lights not the panel assembly. The remote allows for on/off, 2-4-6 hour timer, dimming function and automatic on/off. The USB charge cables are great for cloudy days. The light housings are metal and glass instead of the usual plastic. Each light head has a charge indicator as well. The cables allow for 32 foot separation of the lights. And they're bright, very bright.
Currently, I'm using two of the lights as dismounted lights. These I use for night time lighting, as a trouble light for working on the car and emergency lighting during power failures.
These are the first lights that have stayed on all night when fully charged, which for me is astounding.
After my short term test and my review, the customer rep has sent me a third set of the lights, gratis, for the testing. This set I'm going to use a USB solar charger and a 45 watt solar panel for charging them which I am hopeful will work well.
