Costco Is Selling Their Viral Solar String Lights Again, But Are They Worth The Money?

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Outdoor solar lighting has become hugely popular and has several stand-out benefits. Foremost is probably that it costs nothing to run. Even if you turn your backyard into a mini Vegas, there's literally zero impact on your utility bill. Second, they are usually easy to install because there's no need to wire them into the mains. Third, because they aren't drawing power from the grid, they are more environmentally friendly than standard garden lighting.

At first glance, Costco's Artika Blaze Outdoor Solar String Lights seem like a great example. There are 42 feet of cable containing 20 bulbs. They have replaceable bulbs so you don't have to junk the whole set if one of them goes out. There are four modes for different lighting moods, 10 feet of extension cable for the solar panel, and several mounting options. What's more, if the sun doesn't shine, you can charge them via USB.

As you would expect from Costco, the current online price of $33.99 is competitive (and they may be cheaper in-store). It's not all good news, though. While some people love them, there are also a considerable number of shoppers who were disappointed with their purchase. So, although there are some good reasons why you need outdoor solar lights for your yard, these might not be the best choice. Let's look at the pros and cons.

The Artika Blaze outdoor solar string lights are not exclusive to Costco. However, although we also found them at Amazon and Walmart, they were considerably more expensive, and there's little or no feedback from customers. As a result, Costco is the only place where there are enough responses to draw any conclusions.

On the plus side, there are customers who are absolutely delighted with this product. Comments like "Great lighting for the backyard" and "Great investment" are not unusual. Most thought them easy to install, and several noted that they ran from dusk to dawn (though the amount of sunlight obviously has an impact). Although Costco says they are weatherproof, one buyer, whose lights were still working fine after two years, did take them down for the winter.

Among the buyers who were unhappy, the main bugbear was the duration of the light provided. A comment that the "lights only stayed on for about an hour" reflected the feelings of several people. It was noted that "Charging them seems to work well but defeats the purpose of getting these." Others found they failed completely within a few days of purchase.

Often, product reviews will be largely positive, with just a few complaints. Unfortunately, with the Costco outdoor string lights, the split was about fifty-fifty. So while you might get good ones, it does seem something of a gamble.

It will come as no surprise that there's plenty of competition. Amazon has a host of different options, including the Addlon Solar String Lights for $39.99. Although this model only has 15 lights (plus a spare bulb), there are several options. There's also a remote, with a dimmer and a timer function. Over 8,000 buyers give it an average rating of 4.5 stars, with 77 percent giving it 5 stars and only 7 percent giving it 1 or 2. So while they're not without occasional faults, the chances of getting what you're looking for appear much higher. It's often the same story with other similar products, so Costco's outdoor solar string lights seem less and less like a good choice.

There's another issue you may want to consider — that of light pollution. This can have negative effects on local wildlife and even on plant growth. So, while lighting for security or to create an atmosphere for a seating or dining area is perfectly understandable, you may want to rethink adding extra lighting to your garden. If you do decide you want outdoor solar lights, consider looking for those that can be turned off when you go to bed.