Venusop outdoor LED solar string lights review

REVIEW – We’ve lived in our current home for over 20yrs and in that time, we’ve never put up Christmas lights. Why? Probably the main reason is that I don't have outdoor power receptacles and have not wanted to run extension cords into the garage. Is there a solution? You bet there is. It's Venusop outdoor LED solar string lights and today I’m going to tell you all about them. Let's go!

Venusop outdoor LED solar string lights are LED light bulbs connected in a series that uses a small solar panel to collect power during the day to light them went the sun goes down.

Venusop sent me two sets of their outdoor LED solar string lights. Each set is basically the same except for the shape and number of bulbs per string. First up is the Venusop S14 outdoor LED solar string lights.

The Venusop S14 outdoor LED solar string light set is a 48 foot long string that has 15 tear drop shaped bulbs.

On the base of each bulb there is a tab with a hole in it so that you can hang the lights from hooks or nails.

The light set is designed to be used outdoors and is fully waterproof.

Each set comes with a small solar panel that collects sunlight during the day to charge an internal battery which it then uses at night to power the LED bulbs.

The back of the solar panel has a mount with holes that you can use to attach it to a wall or you can insert the included plastic ground stake into the hole in the mount and then place the panel in the hard. You can also adjust the angle of the panel so that it gets optimal sun exposure.

There are two buttons on the back of the solar panel. One is a power toggle and the other button is used to cycle through the 4 lighting/light animation modes.

On the side of the solar panel is a micro USB port that you can use to charge the panel's internal battery. I did this once before setting everything up outdoors, but haven't done it again since that first time.

Venusop G40 outdoor LED solar string lights

Venusop also sent me their G40 set of lights. This set is like the S14 set only there are 25 bulbs that are smaller than the other set, are round, and the string length is only 27ft. The bulbs are spaced every 12 inches.

These bulbs also have a small clip on the side instead of a tab with a hole.

As already mentioned, I don't have any experience hanging outdoor lights, so I just wrapped them around the end posts on my front porch and used the existing hooks that we use for wind chimes.

I then situated the solar panel in the yard and connected the end of the light string.

For the Venusop G40 outdoor LED solar string light set, I wrapped them around the board on my built-in deck seating. It wasn't quite long enough to wrap the entire deck though but I can always buy another string and connect it into the end of the existing string (this is NOT an option with the other set). I’m pretty sure that connecting an additional string of lights would mean that the lights wouldn't stay lit up half as long since it would be drawing more power from the solar panel's battery.

I placed the solar panel on the deck railing and then I waited for the sun to go down…

In the video above, you’ll see me cycle through the 4 lighting animation modes. I don't know about you, but I don't like any of the modes except for the default steady light mode. The other modes are too jarring. It would have been nice to have a light chasing mode.

I’ve had both sets outdoors for the past couple of weeks where the temperatures have been as low as the 20's to as high as the 60's (F). We’ve also had wind and rain during the time they’ve been set up. Today when I went outside to get a picture of the G40's clips, I noticed that most of the G40 bulbs had condensation inside them. I will report back in a few weeks if this causes any issues other than just the way they look.

The solar panel charges all day (assuming there's sunlight) and then the lights automatically turn on when it gets dark. They will remain on 6-8hrs. It just depends on how much the solar panel's internal battery was able to charge during the day. One day we had grey skies all day with rain and that night neither set of bulbs came on. But the next day when the sun came out, they worked normally.

I really like the Venusop outdoor LED solar string light sets. They are simple to install and the fact that they run on sunlight is a huge plus. I like them so well, that I’m considering buying another G4 set to extend the lights I installed on the built-in setting on my deck.

Price: $36.99 – $49.99 (G40 – S14)Where to buy: AmazonSource: The sample for this review was provided by Venusop.