Durable solar fairy light strings- recommendations please!

I know these are not exactly tools but I bet many of you also have a string of these in your garden. They are pretty but these days they just don't seem to last - the first one I bought from Asda this Spring died after about six weeks (loose wire inside the solar panel) and now the replacement is dying too--I am experimenting to see if changing the battery helps but suspect the panel itself is no longer recharging that properly.

I don't think they were always this pathetic--I had some previously from Ikea which lasted five or six years, albeit they were fairly dim by the end. Then another set from Sainsbury's which lasted a summer or so. I never opened either of those up, but looking inside the Asda ones now you can see how poorly they have been assembled....

Does anyone have any better-quality ones they can recommend? Or should I just give up on the wretched things? I know they are cheap but I hate the idea of having something I constantly need to throw out and replace, that's a fiddle and feels so un-green!

 

Like you, we have tried and tested all sorts, B&M, Asda, Sainsbury’s and garden centre ones. To be truthful, the best were the ones from the garden centre which lasted 2 years.

We bought 240 bright white lights for the tree yesterday from B&M which aren’t bad for solar powered, but as to how long they will last, only time will tell.

 

I got 50 bright white ones from B and M which lasted all summer last year. Switched them on about a month ago and they have been working fine ever since, and are still nice and bright. They were £3.99. I have had others which didn't last, and only 1 of my 10 solar post lights is working this year. They were Everready ones.

 

I go for the cheapies...Poundstretcher at 80p each or so. They usually last a season or two. I have recently bought 3 at about £5 each online.......flat blue light. I would expect them to last at least 2 years. A friend of mine had some expensive lights as a present but they were no better than my cheap ones. Buy for now...they will all have a one year warranty so keep your receipt.

 

Thanks everybody! @Verdun, the guarantee for my Asda ones is for 100 days only-doesnt suggest huge confidence in their own product!

I've just stuck a fresh, partially charged, rechargeable battery in. that a few more hours of sunshine this afternoon will lead to a blaze of illumination tonight! If not - back to Asda they will go as they are still well within the 100 days!

 

I have various lights powered by electricity, ive tried various solar lights and they last two minuets, the ones making the red/blue glow are 5W led colour changeable and only about £13 each well worth the money easy to wire up and add a nice touch to the garden,

It was lovely sat out late last night with all the lights on i didn't come indoors while 12am.

 

I'm coming this season with the same question - please, any solar powered string lights lasting longer than 1 season?

 

I stopped buying solar lights 2 years ago, as you I found they failed after 1 season if I was lucky. If they just upped the build quality and add maybe 30% to the price, they could last for years. But China is cheap cheerful and unreliable,

 

OP here - I gave up on buying them too I'm afraid, after the ones I posted about died!

 

I think I then don't buy at all. One of my 2 remaining lanterns gone down. Will wait when they start producing more reliable lights. If not, then thanks. Even with myself liking very much having evening lights I will survive without those.

 

I have always found that the facade of the little solar collectors on these go cloudy quickly. I got a couple of extra seasons out of mine by using a Mr. Cleans scrubby to or extra fine sand paper to clear some of the cloudy bit and then used floor wax. Yes, that horrible stufff we used to put on linoleum. I wipe a layer of it on the surface I just cleaned and dried, to make it a it more transparent.

Got about 6 years now out of two of them. The other two died last year no matter what I did.