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Addlon 54ft (48+6) Solar String Lights Review

These versatile Solar light fixtures are the perfect solution for outdoor decoration to create an ambiance that is festive and cozy.
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Editors Rating
4.6/5
4.6 stars
What we like
What we don’t like
Bottom Line
Solar string lights illuminate more than just spaces; they light up a sustainable future. With their versatile designs and applications, the Addlon Solar String Lights are more than mere decorations. You can illuminate your pathways, patio, deck, outdoor parties, camping tents, and many more. The best part is if it is cloudy, you can quickly recharge them using USB.

String lights, often referred to as fairy lights or twinkle lights, are a versatile lighting fixtures that have become a popular choice for both indoor and outdoor decoration. Comprising a string or wire adorned with a sequence of small, charming bulbs, string lights have the magical ability to transform any space into a captivating and inviting environment. Solar String Lights take this a step further by capturing Sun’s energy to light-up these bulbs.

Imagine a world where captivating illumination meets eco-conscious innovation. Enter solar string lights, a harmonious blend of renewable energy and enchanting design. These ingenious fixtures harness the power of the sun by day, transforming it into a mesmerizing tapestry of light by night. With their delicate charm and planet-friendly essence, solar string lights breathe life into outdoor spaces, casting a warm and inviting glow that dances in rhythm with the nature.

We recently came across such amazing light fixtures in the form of Addlon Solar String Lights. This particular model has a total string length of 54ft and came with 16 light bulb sockets. As the name suggests, these string lights are basically a bunch of LED Lights that can be powered with the solar energy. Alternatively, if it is cloudy or in case of emergency, you can recharge the lights using USB.

This is the review of the Addlon Solar String Lights. Before writing this review, we installed and used these string lights in different settings (patio, garden, and in light rain) for several days. In this review, we will talk about the ease of installation, its IP Rating capabilities, different ways to charge them, durability of the bulbs, and many more. If you are interested in purchasing these solar string lights, then do read on to find out about our impressions.

Let us take a quick look at the contents of the package of the Addlon Solar String Lights. First, we have the string lights themselves. Our particular unit has a total of 16 LED Bulbs (or sockets, to be specific). We also got a spare bulb in the package. So, if one of the bulbs goes bad, you can quickly replace it.

Then we have the main solar panel module that integrates the battery, controller, and everything else. We will talk more about the string lights and the solar panel module in the next section. Moving on, we have a couple of attachments for the solar panel module. Using these, you can attach the panel on a wall or stick it in the ground. There are screws and wall anchors, if you chose to install the solar panel module on a wall.

There is a very basic user manual in the package. You also get a bunch of cable ties as well. Last but not least, there is also a tiny remote control. We will look at the functions of the remote control in the later sections. That’s it for the unboxing of the Addlon Solar String Lights.

Overview:

As we mentioned before, the Addlon Solar String Lights that we got have a total length of 54 feet. There are a total of 16 S14 bulb sockets in the string with distance between the two adjacent sockets being 3 feet. There is a 1-foot extra cable after the last bulb and in case of the first bulb, there is a 2 feet cable between the connector and the first bulb. This makes the total length of the string lights to be 48 feet. The other 6 feet of cable comes from the Solar Panel module through its connector cable. Speaking of the connector, it is a screw type connector that ensures you can use these lights in any weather condition.

The actual bulbs are S14 LED Bulbs. At first glance, we though the bulbs are made up of glass. But thankfully, they are not. They are made up of very rugged and shatterproof plastic. Internally, there is a single line of LED in the bulb.
On the front of the solar panel module, we have, well, the solar panel. On the back, there are a couple of buttons with labels “ON/OFF” and “MODE”. Still on the back side, there is a mounting point where you can screw the wall holder part. Just beside the two buttons, there is a flap covering the USB-C port.

All the parts i.e., the string lights, the connector, and the solar panel module are rated for IP65. So, you can easily install them outdoors without worrying about water damage.

There are 10 buttons on the handy remote control. On top, we have the main power on and off buttons. Just below that, we have the mode selection button. Using this button, you can set the mode between breathing, flashing, and constant light. Then we have the three brightness selection buttons: Bright, Super Bright, and Soft.
Finally, we have four timer-related buttons using which you can set the off timer. The available timings are: 2H, 4H, 6H, and 8H.

Installation:

Installing the Addlon Solar String Lights is very easy. As all the LED Bulbs are already attached in a string format, just unwrap the string and place/fix/attach them where ever you like. Each socket has a small hole on the top so that you can tie them down using cable ties. In our case, we wrapped the string lights along a stair case.
Before proceeding with installation, make sure that all the LED Bulbs are properly screwed into their sockets. In our case, some of the bulbs were partially screwed. Even the manufacturer suggest to tightly screw all the bulbs in the string.
Choose a place to mount the solar panel module. You can either fix it on a wall or insert it in the ground in your garden. In our case, we chose to insert the solar panel module in the ground at the bottom of the stair case. This is the place where we get maximum sun light during day time.

After installing the solar string lights and fixing the solar panel module, connect those two with the help of the screw connector. That’s it. This is installation process of the Addlon Solar String Lights. You can experiment with the position of the lights and the solar panel module depending on your requirements, availability of space, and accessibility to maximum sun light.

Performance:

We first drained the solar panel module completely by running the string lights in full brightness mode. It took almost 5 hours to fully drain the module. After that, we recharged the module using a regular USB adapter with USB-C Cable. It took slightly over 4 hours to fully charge the 5,000mAh battery in the module from in the USB Mode. After this, we set the brightness to “Soft” and left the lights on to see how long does the solar panel module last. Even though the manufacturer claims more than 20 hours of backup when the brightness is set to soft, we got just over 18 hours. While this is not a complete setback, we wish the battery lasted the full 20 hours as claimed by the manufacturer.

Next, after discharging the module completely, we tried to charge using the solar panel. We left the solar panel under the sun for about 9 hours and then repeated the discharge test once again. Even this time, we set the brightness to soft and the results were very similar. We got slightly over 18 hours of battery life. If we use a higher brightness mode, then obviously the battery life falls drastically.

The benefit of having an USB Charging option on the Addlon Solar String Lights is you can install them indoors and charge the module using a simple USB adapter. Additionally, you can take the lights to camping and charge with USB if necessary. Of the three lighting modes, we mostly used the constant mode. Breathing and flashing modes are okay for a short period but constant mode is the ideal choice for long usage.

Another useful feature that is very useful is the timer. You can set the timer anywhere between 2 hours and 8 hours (with an increment of 2 hours) and forget. The lights will automatically turn off after the set time. The color temperature of the LEDs as per the specifications is 2700K, which is warm white.

What happens when we toggle the switch up? This activates the Phone Call Recording Mode. The specialty of this mode is it activates the Vibration Conduction Sensor (VCS) on the PLAUD NOTE, which can precisely record the internal phone sound. To record a phone call, just slide the toggle switch up and press the record button.

Model
: Addlon Solar String Lights
Number of Sockets
: 16
Socket Type
: S14
Number of LED Bulbs
: 17 (1 Spare)
LED Bulb Material
: Shatterproof Plastic
Color Temperature
: 2700K
Light Color
: Warm White
Total Length of the String
: 54 feet (48 feet + 6 feet)
Waterproof
: Yes
IP Rating
: IP65
Charging Option
: Solar and USB
USB Port
: Yes, USB-C
Remote Control
: Yes
Lighting Modes
: Constant, Breathing, and Flashing
Dimmable
: Yes
Brightness Levels
: Soft, Bright, Super Bright
Timer
: Yes
Timer Options
: 2H, 4H, 6H, and 8H
Charging Time
: ~4H Through USB and ~8H Through Solar
What’s Included
: Addlon Solar String Lights, Solar Panel Module, Wall Mounting Tool, Ground Mounting Tool, Screws, Wall Anchors, User Manual

The listing price of the Addlon Solar String Lights is $69.99 but the current selling price is $49.99. With coupons and discounts, you can get these light fixtures for even less. When you take note of the performance, price and the 12-month warranty that Addlon provides, the Addlon Solar String Lights are definitely worth it.

Overall, we really liked the Addlon Solar String Lights. It is very easy to install and use them. While the solar panel is definitely the main selling point, the ability to quickly recharge the battery using a regular USB adapter is a nice feature.

The Solar Panel Module houses a 5,000mAh battery that can last roughly 20 hours if you set the brightness to soft. Speaking of setting the brightness, you can set three levels of brightness using the remote control. Additionally, you can also set timer to automatically turn the lights off.

In our testing, the performance of the string lights, solar panel module, waterproofing functionality, and battery were very good. If you are looking for a decorating yet functional set of string lights that run on solar energy, then the Addlon Solar String Lights are a worthy choice.