Karl in NY
Member
I just decommissioned a 12v landscape lighting system, after 20 years of use.
All cable was un-tinned copper and badly corroded, plus every year I had chipmunk(!) chewing damage to the buried cables. The insulation was hardened, and brittle, too, and I lacked the motivation to trench the entire yard a second time, since I will be selling the house soon.
So, decided on solar lighting that I can take with me when I move.
Price is the least of my concerns...my experience with 99-cent Westinghouse branded ones was a total disappointment, so, now willing to spend up to $25/fixture, despite their potential for theft vs. wired lighting.
The chipmunks won this battle...cute little *******s even undermined a concrete sidewalk, causing settling and unevenness. I stopped feeding birds due to the various rodents the feeders attracted.
Obviously, LED is the only reasonable choice, and instead of NiCad batteries want NiMH in AA size as they should last 2-3 years and even good ones, like Panasonic Eneloops, are affordable and have many discounters.
Obviously, too, I want them to be user-replaceable, and not soldered in.
I'll need about 8 path lights, for safety markers and deck use, and 2 spot lights with many more lumens needed for those.
I'm in northern NYS, walking distance to Quebec border, meaning short, cloudy days all winter. I prefer "warm" LEDs rather than the ones that lean to the blue end of the spectrum.
Looking for brand/model suggestions to meet these preferences. An AMZN search returns about 4,000 hits...and most descriptions even lack battery size and technology, and LED color temperature. Most appear to be cheap plastic junk, in the $5-6 range, or cheaper.
Ideas? Thanks in advance.
All cable was un-tinned copper and badly corroded, plus every year I had chipmunk(!) chewing damage to the buried cables. The insulation was hardened, and brittle, too, and I lacked the motivation to trench the entire yard a second time, since I will be selling the house soon.
So, decided on solar lighting that I can take with me when I move.
Price is the least of my concerns...my experience with 99-cent Westinghouse branded ones was a total disappointment, so, now willing to spend up to $25/fixture, despite their potential for theft vs. wired lighting.
The chipmunks won this battle...cute little *******s even undermined a concrete sidewalk, causing settling and unevenness. I stopped feeding birds due to the various rodents the feeders attracted.
Obviously, LED is the only reasonable choice, and instead of NiCad batteries want NiMH in AA size as they should last 2-3 years and even good ones, like Panasonic Eneloops, are affordable and have many discounters.
Obviously, too, I want them to be user-replaceable, and not soldered in.
I'll need about 8 path lights, for safety markers and deck use, and 2 spot lights with many more lumens needed for those.
I'm in northern NYS, walking distance to Quebec border, meaning short, cloudy days all winter. I prefer "warm" LEDs rather than the ones that lean to the blue end of the spectrum.
Looking for brand/model suggestions to meet these preferences. An AMZN search returns about 4,000 hits...and most descriptions even lack battery size and technology, and LED color temperature. Most appear to be cheap plastic junk, in the $5-6 range, or cheaper.
Ideas? Thanks in advance.
