You will have to assemble the lamp, but it's not difficult. The lantern is clear; the "candle" is white and is permanently attached at the base to the lantern. The lantern cover has a wire with a small light attached on the underside. You twist the cover onto the top of the lantern base. Then, you flip the switch to turn the solar lamp on. Set the lamp in direct sunlight to charge it up. (The solar batteries will not charge unless you flip the switch to "on.")
The stand is comprised of three metal pieces which screw together forming a pole that resembles a shepherd's hook. The total height is 30.7", and the width is 8.07". I opted to use only two lengths of pole pieces because I prefer lights closer to the lawn. I think the lower pole height allows the glowing lamp to accent shrubs and flowers nicely.
The only thing that keeps me from rating this 5 stars is that the pole doesn't weather well: Over the winter, several of the stands to my beautiful lights broke apparently it was just too cold in the Chicago area. I have been searching for replacement stands everywhere, but can't find them. Looks like I will have to just replace the entire light set completely which is a little pricey, but considering how much I love the flicker effect, any other light would just not be good enough.
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May 13, 2011 Update
Golden Asia company has gone out of businss, and this product is now being manufactured by Four Seasons Courtyard for True Value. If you still have a True Value Hardware in your neighborhood, it may be able to order these lights for you. I found a very helpful T.V.H. and the manager ordered the lights which arrived within two weeks. The price was right in line with what I have seen here on Amazon.
However, the new manufacturer has taken a few shortcuts, so beware. For one, the stake is not durable. Two stakes broke immediately when I tried to push them into the ground ground that was soft because it had been raining all afternoon.
Fortunately, the box clearly states it will replace the product if it is defective.
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I ordered six of these lanterns. I couldn't get the first one to go together, and opened a second to discover the first was missing some parts. I sent that one back at a cost of $6.50, and installed the five remaining in my back garden where they flickered beautifully for almost two weeks. Now that I've disposed of all the packaging, the two that receive the most sunlight during the day don't light up at all at night. The cost is high for something that works for only two weeks.Best Deals for Lumisol Electrical PL-2018N Four Seasons Courtyard Solar Flicker
I live in Colorado and we have alot of crazy weather and snow. I leave mine out all year long especially since i am the only one on my block that has different solar lights. Yes, on cloudy days its not going to work properly at all because of the clouds etc.Easy to assemble and yes you can get these at True Value Hardware. Like every thing not everything lasts forever if you pay 10.00 for one --just remember this -if you use it for 10 times at 1.00 a day you got your moneys worth out of it. If it lasts longer you got a real charm!!!
I would get these again-I liked the flickering of the gold lights and its just what i wanted also. Something different that my neighbors dont have. Still glowing after 2 years... and yes -I change my solar batteries when they get dim..
I would reccomend this to anyone!:)
Honest reviews on Lumisol Electrical PL-2018N Four Seasons Courtyard Solar Flicker
I just got one of these, so can't speak for its endurance yet. The color really is amber, the flicker circuitry looks authentic, the shepherd's hook is metal not plastic so it won't bow as much.They are plastic and obviously quickly assembled as most solar lamps are. But they are only hot glued in one spot (circuit board) and all the electronics is in the top half of the unit (no wires running to bottom half) which are two large points of failure with another solar light I've owned a long time.
They only have a single battery so when they run all the way down one battery doesn't reverse charge the other. That's the other point of failure.
In full sun the charge current was about 60mA. This is outstanding (normal is 45mA) and why it literally runs all night long. Still going full brightness at 5 am on just sun charge. I haven't measured in cloudy weather but I imagine it will do poorly as you have to make a choice between the number of cells (voltage) and strength of each cell (current) for the size of the solar cell.
My wife doesn't like the asian style but other than that they are perfect at $13 (price w/shipping went up a little since I ordered).
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