Cheap McFarland Cascade Terratec Solar Post Cap, Copper, Fits 4x4-Inch

Customer Ratings:

I've had two of these in use for several (summer) months. They do what they're supposed to do, shed a little light on my front steps and look nice. I said a little light--they're far from floodlights, but they make it much safer to use the steps when the porch light is off, and I really wouldn't want more constant light at my mountain home. They are in a partially shaded area (less than ideal, but that's where the steps are) reducing the charging time, but they stay on as late as I'm up--I haven't checked to see if they are still at full brightness by 3 am. I'll be interested to see how they do in the winter with the shorter days, and will also be interested to see how the battery life is, but at least they use standard batteries which are easily and inexpensively replaced.

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Update a year later: These are still working as I described above. They don't charge up as much in the winter, with the shorter days, but provide light for four or five hours into the evening. The batteries still seem to be fine, and they've survived the weather just fine. I came here to order an additional light for another location, which will be in full sun all day and will therefore charge better and stay on longer.

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These were nice looking and worked as expected for the first few months. By the end of 1 year, everyone has failed. On some, the plastic covering the solar panel has turned opaque. None light up at all now.

As a note I think they are copper colored plastic, not real copper.

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The supplied batteries die in minutes not hours. The supplied Ni-Cd (2-AA) were EXTREEMLY poor. $10.00 for new rechargeable batteries and you are in business. The difficulty of opening the installed unit for service and battery change is unusually difficult due to the design of the latch between halves. That said, they are VERY BEAUTIFUL, if a bit dim (average light output for this style light.)

Honest reviews on McFarland Cascade Terratec Solar Post Cap, Copper, Fits 4x4-Inch

Let's break down what isn't obvious from the picture:

The only copper component is the top.

There are four solar cells so this unit is great for grabbing sunlight from any direction.

The remainder of the unit is plastic, but this worked in my favor on two different locations (see below).

The recessed area that the 4x4 goes into is about 3/4" deep.

There are two holes in the bottom (one can be seen) and two mounting screws provided.

Packaging:

I normally don't have any packing issues with Amazon purchases, just the gorillas at the shipping companies who handle the packages. This was no exception, and all eleven ordered arrived safely. The units are packaged from the manufacturer in bubble wrap, and individually boxed. Then Amazon placed the boxes inside a large box with more bubble packaging. UPS (as always) was kind enough to test the tensile strength of the box Amazon provided. I imagined the truck rolling off the side of a cliff before it arrived at my house based on the condition of the package, but Amazon packaging prevailed.

Preperation:

Once these are out of the box, the copper top can be turned about 15 degrees and removed from the base. There's a switch underneath that has to be turned on and that's it. These are auto-on at dusk from there. Pop the top back on and they're ready to mount.

Installation:

Two screws it's a breeze. I mentioned earlier that the plastic base was a blessing in hindsight...I needed to mount two of these on the end of handrails beside steps. The handrails were angled with the steps, and the post had been cut only about 1/4" higher than the handrail at the bottom. I used my dremel and a cutoff blade to remove 1/2" of plastic on one side of the base. This allowed the base to skirt the handrail and sit flush on top of the 4x4. Easy.

Operation:

Because there are four solar cells, orientation is moot in regards to catching sunlight. These are automatic on and off, and every one I bought lasts through the entire night they're still on when I wake up, so I get to catch them turning off at daybreak. Actual light output is not bad. These are definitely not intended for illuminating a deck or porch for normal use (unless you purchase an absurd number of them), but they are brighter than most ornamental solar lights I've seen.

Overall, they look great, are easy to setup and install, and have the added bonus of being minimally functional (versus trying to find your way in pitch darkness). We don't regret purchasing them and I could definitely recommend them to others with confidence. Drop me any questions or comments if you wish.

Cheers!

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I ordered three of these caps and all three arrived broken...not due to packaging....that was fine. Two had broken on/off switches, two had broken plastic parts. I am very disappointed, especially since these were rated high by other customers.