Buy Gama Sonic Victorian Solar-Charged LED Lantern, 3-Inch Fitter

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I was looking for a solar replacement head for my lamp post so as to not have to run new wiring from the house to the lantern. (The line is broken underground.) I chose the Gamma Sonic as it seems to be one of the few full size units out there. My first disappointment was to find that one of the two screws holding the light/battery/solar-collector on the frame was rolling around loose in the box. It had fallen out of its hole as the hole was drastically oversized. The frame is cast metal so it was no big deal to use a self tapping screw as a replacement but still... All of the LEDs were misaligned, BADLY. As the light uses a conical reflector to disperse the LED light output this was a big problem. I had to completely dissemble the light to get at the bulbs. The LEDs were not potted in epoxy as they should how been, they were merely soldered to the printed circuit board. Gentle twisting got them mostly aligned but the holes in the upper reflector are also badly done so some of the LEDs were knocked back out of alignment on reassembly! The mounting screws supplied are much too long and have an excessively long conical nose. (Think of a pencil tip.) If you don't grind down the noses or replace them altogether with traditional machine screws they can catch only one or two threads when tightened on a standard 3" post. Then there is the light out put: It is slightly above what you would consider decorative. The throw and intensity is perhaps the equivalent of a traditional 15 watt bulb. On top of everything else, it's damned ugly. OK, ok... I knew it would be ugly from the pictures but I was willing to forgive ugly for the promise of easy installation combined with effective solar lighting. As it failed miserably in supplying either, ugly is all that's left!

All in all, this was an expensive and not at all satisfying solution. My advice is to wait a year or so until one of the "real" manufacturers puts something together and to avoid this poorly made and remarkably dim light.

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Within the first two quarter turns, the nuts that support the friction screws stripped. The vendor replied that he wouldn't bother the manufactuer with such a petty issue. He suggested that I find self tapping screws at the local big box hardware store. Look, it takes three friction screws to support the lamp. What is it that they don't get?

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Given the previous reviews I expected more from this light fixture. Just not nearly as much light as anticipated, especially given it has 8 LEDs inside. Also, the set screws which hold the fixture in place on the pole are not adequate. They are too long to be able to grab enough of the threads in the fixture before they touch the pole inside and could not be used. I went to Lowe's and purchased some black pan head sheet metal screws. Once I drilled a few holes in the pole and put the screws in the fixture was securely attached. Where I live is extremely windy so needed to be sure the fixture was securely attached.

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I've had one for a couple of years here in AZ. It still works great and uses a standard for 4 "AA" sized rechargeables that are still working. During the summer, even though it does not receive full, all day, sun this unit will provide very usefull levels of light ALL NIGHT LONG. Yes, it's still lit a dawn on some days. The little inner globes will get full of micro-fly carcasses and begin to block the light pointing downwards and therefore not reflecting off the the mirrored reflector. The unit is built to be disassembled but the clear half-globes over the LED's are stud-melted to the upper unit. You can use a razor blade (single edge type!) to remove the plastic flared out on the back side of the unit. Done carefully, you can then clean and replace the globes. I used plastic model glue to replace the globes or you could leave them off. I'm looking for a way to seal the edges so the little light addicted creatures can be kept out. I have many LED lights around this is the BEST performing and well built of all. ALWAYS seek a PV Cell that is built with glass. The plastic covered are the REAL cheaply built ones and the sun will eat those up in just a year or two (in AZ).

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I must say I am sorely disappointed in this light. When I got it in July of last year, it worked pretty well. I knew it wasn't going to give me the light I got from the 100 watt bulbs in my standard electric light that I had to replace, but it was reasonably good and it stayed on all night, which was a real plus. It worked reasonably well through the winter, too. Now however, the light has dimmed to the point that is nearly worthless, and it no longer stays on all night. And, of course, it is no longer under warranty, so I'm stuck with it unless I want to hire an electrician to find out what happened to the wiring for my old light. Don't buy this light.