Hybrid Solar Powered Flashlight with Emergency Battery Backup Review

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List Price: $34.99
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I bought a pack of these a couple of months ago, and they really work. Like the review ahead of me, they do what they say. Main good points: Very solid build, does not require direct sunlight to charge, easily changed backup coin cells, runs a long time on a full charge, nice usable amount of light. Cons: the on-off switch isn't labled, so if you don't use it regularly it is not clear if you are running off the solar cell or running down your backup coin cells. Takes a long time to fully charge the solar cell if the battery is completely run down (2 days direct sunlight, 1 week if set in a window that gets daylight but no direct sun). These are really useful lights.

UPDATE 10/21/10. I've now had them about 1 1/2 years and still going strong. Well made.

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I am a real fan of the Nightstar flashlights, but felt I had to check out the Solarlite. I had the Solarlite for a month now and feel it delivers what it promises. It floats, works under water, and just as tuff as my Nightstar. I have used it well over 6 hours on one solar charge. It is interesting to see that it does not need to be in direct sun light to start charging. I can see this as a general work light, where you leave it on the dash of your work truck to keep it full charged up. The backup batteries are 2 CR2032 3v button cells that are replaceable. It's brighter and smaller then my Nightstar. I can only see one advantage the Nightstar has over the Solarlite, and that is the on and off switch. The Nightstar switch glows in the dark to help find the flashlight. The Solarlite has a clicking system, where you have to click pass the battery backup mode to turn off the flashlight. This would drain a second of battery backup power each time you go to turn off the flashlight, but it can be seen as a way to make sure your backup batteries are working. I really like this light and have replace the factory lanyard with a split ring and glow in the dark tent cord.

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I was a little skeptical at first but I went ahead and ordered 4 of these (2x2-pack) to have around the house as my emergency flashlights. I was quite pleased when I got them and they seem to be made very well. I did not find the click through confusing at all (1st click = solar (yellow led), 2nd click = battery (green led), 3rd click = off/standby (red LED means it's charging)). There are also small symbols under each LED which are pretty self explanatory as to what mode you are in. I also didn't really realize they were water proof when I got them so that was a nice little bonus. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that I like a flashlight to have some weight to it (like a Maglite). I'm not saying I want to hit somebody over the head with it a more solid feel would make this perfect. Nevertheless, for the price it's a great solar flashlight and I recommend it.

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Edit: I had one of my four lights refuse to hold a charge on the solar battery after leaving it in the cupboard for three months. It seems my initial suspicions were confirmed. It had been charging in the sun for a week before I stored it. From reading other reviews, it seems that the company may have some QC issues. The other three of mine still work fine though. Just keep the receipt if you buy one of these retail, and test your lights!

:End Edit

To summarize this review: Great emergency flashlight, but keep it exposed to light to gain the full benefits. It is not as useful for deep storage, and I'll explain why below.

I bought two 2-packs of these lights at Costco. They are very light and rugged, and their backup battery is lithium which means the light can be neglected for up to seven years and still function. The lithium batteries are replaceable too! They are standard, disposable lithium button cells. The solarlite trickle-charges its solar battery whenever natural light hits it. And now, my one minor gripe:

Despite what they say about the solar battery holding a charge, I guarantee if you leave this flashlight in complete darkness for a year, its "primary" solar battery will be dead. The manufacturer is being a little coy about the fact that rechargeable batteries in general do NOT hold their charge well in deep storageyou need to top them off once in a while to keep them useful. That means keeping this light stashed on a window sill, rather than in the drawer.

This company also makes a hybrid shake light, which I think is better for deep storage. It uses lithium batteries as the PRIMARY batteries and the backup power is shake powerwhich makes more sense if you think about it.

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I just bought a 2 pack from Costco 3 days ago for $20. One of the two works just as claimed, one does not work off the batteries even after I swapped the batteries. It must be the internal circuitry.

However, both work pretty well from the Solar power and provide usable light. As I write this, I am in the process of testing one and will leave it running all night to see how long it lasts.

As mentioned in the other reviews, the on/off switch is a bit confusing as there is a danger that other family members who do not fully know it's solar to battery to off mechanism might drain the battery source.

I will most likely return to Costco and get a pair that works from both solar and battery energy sources.