Thanks missingtheobvious, I did check out those old threads already about the "superior" solar lights. Those threads were helpful in that I did learn that the more light-emitting diodes (LED's) in a solar light fixture, the brighter it is, which makes sense. Also found out that the products that have rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries seem to work best. I did look into the solar lights at the two companies that were recommended on those threads, Frontgate and Grandin Road. They actually specify the wattage and number of LED's in their products on their websites. So far, most products from other companies that I've looked at on the net don't list the number of LED's in each fixture. Some web shopping still has room for improvement I think. Unfortunately, most of the products that I liked the look of from Frontgate and Grandin Road are a little out of our price range, as our budget for this project is less than $100. Something to save up for maybe for a future purchase. For now, I'm planning to take a look at an H.D. product in the store that I think may have at least two LED's in one fixture. The lights come in a set of two, and the set comes with four nickel-cadmium batteries, so it's possible that each lighting fixture has two LED's. Hard to tell just from the web, without looking at the box in the store. The product got good reviews on the website, and most of the reviewers were pleasantly surprised with how bright they are. Will post a photo if we end up purchasing the H.D. product and are happy with the brightness. Thanks again.

I have thethatct same solar globes as you, and I have to say thati don't think it has anything to do with you living in the north. I think the product is the problem. I live in the deep South, and I am having the same issues as you are having, with mine. I have both the taller color changing crackled globes from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I have the shorter $3.00 clear glass crackled globes from Walmart as well. The two that change colors, I have been having for a few years now and they are still going strong. I've never had to change the batteries on these and I've had them the longest. That being said, the $3.00 ones that I got from Walmart, are a different story. I bought these last spring and only one out of the four that I have, lights up. I bought new rechargeable battery's and replaced the three that won't light up. It didn't make a bit of difference. The one that worked still works with its original battery in place. The other three, just will not work. I went to Home Depot yesterday and talked with a gentleman there about it. He advised me on what I should try and I did just that. The first thing he told me to try was to take out the battery in the working globe and try it in the others. I did and that failed. Then he told me to take the rechargeable battery out of the non working globes and put in a regular AA battery. I did, and it lit up (in two out of the three non working globes). Then he told me to put the new rechargeable battery's back in and put them under a direct light or lamp and let it charge for 6 to 8 hours. (I did this too, but still have yet to see them come on). Granted, I only put them back out there this morning and its a dark rainy morning at that. So I guess I will have to see if they will light up tonight or after a full day of sun. He also told me that those solar receptors whiten over time with a film, that you can take a little sandpaper and file away the white film to clear them up again. Since the solar panel receptor is inside the glass globe, I didn't find this to be the case, add they still look shiny. You can try this though. I too, have experienced the moisture problem and the spiders inside the globes. I took the final one apart, cleaned out all the sand and water in it and dried it out. Unfortunately, the red wire came out, so I am waiting for my husband to try and solder it back together again. Will let you know if any of my attempts to fix these globes, work out or not. One more thing the man told me, was that some of these solar powered landscape lightsjust don't have the capacity to last and will only recharge so many times. He said they make better ones that last longer and have a higher capacity of storing energy with better output, but they are usually more expensive. I think that you and I thought we got a bargain with those pretty crackled globes, but in the long run, is it really worth the time, hassle and wasted money on more batteries that still won't light the darn things up? I'm like you.... I don't want to give up on them, but I may just have to bite the bullet and buy some more expensive ones, hoping that I get a better product that last longer. I noticed that Home Depot carries a six pack of these crackled glass globes that you have the option of choosing white or color changing, which sell for $50 bucks. I may end up giving these a try.

Hi chemocurl, thank you for the link. Why didn't I think of that? I checked some of those out and did find some commercial solar flood lights that would be great around the home and garden, although they are quite a bit more expensive, $300 compared to $80 for the domestic models. They are rated at being as bright as 100w to 150w, which is fantastic and way more than the domestic variety. I guess you get what you pay for!

I'm looking for solar-powered lights to illuminate my back stairs and sidewalk as an alternative to the blinding security light on my garage that I have to use now. I've found plenty that are meant to be stuck in the ground, but I have limited space and would like to mount them on a fence that runs alongside the stairs and walk. Surely somebody makes such a thing? Or can the in-ground lights be easily modified to be mounted on fence posts?