Classy Caps SL078W PVC Regal Solar Post Cap, 4" x 4", White

Edit 1/2022. The cap is still going strong 1 year and 9 months later, but the light was only staying on about two hours so it was time to replace the batteries. I used two Amazon Basic AA Ni-MH batteries. I tested the cap in the dark and saw it wasn't coming on. I cleaned the batteries and contacts and the springs seemed to have plenty of compression, but still no light. I noticed the plus sides of the battery holder have small walls that stick out some and it looked like they were keeping the battery from fully seating against the plus button. I put small washers between the battery plus and holder plus and now it is rock solid and lights. This is likely very battery dependent.Original review:It was time to replace our address sign and I came across the Classy Caps SL078W Regal PVC Solar Post Cap.  The address sign is about 80 yards from the house so I didn't want to run power all that way for light.  The solar rechargeable cap is a great option.  I read the comments by Alexander about raised numbers causing shadows on other numbers (when the numbers are arranged vertically).  That made sense so I painted (used a stencil) my address on to three sides of a 4x4 vinyl sleeve to avoid shadows.  Light duration: I have only used it for about two weeks, but so far I am really impressed by the duration of the light.  Each night it has lasted all the way from dusk to dawn.  (about 7:30PM to almost 6AM).  I wasn't counting on more than five or six hours.  One day was very cloudy too so I wan't sure how well the batteries would charge.  I've been reviewing video from our front camera to see how long the light stayed on.  It doesn't appear to even dim much.  As the batteries age and the temperature drops, they may not last all the way through the night, but they do now.  Since the batteries are Ni-Mh AA, they are very easy to replace.  I am guessing I will replace them every year, but time will tell.  Security:  We haven't had problems with theft in the neighborhood, but I didn't like that the only thing keeping my cap from walking off are two phillips screws.  I bought some #6 security screws off Amazon (original screws are #4) and used three of them to hold the cap to the post (adding one hole for the third screw to the back side of the cap).  I also glued the cap base to the lid as the instructions mentioned.  The cap really accents the address sign (4x4 wood with a 4x4 vinyl sleeve on it) and the LED light looks very nice at night.  The vinyl sleeve is a true 4x4 and the LED cap slips over it snug. Without the sleeve, the cap would have some slop on the 4x4 post since it isn't truly 4" by 4". It would still work though. I can't think of any negatives other than it would be nice to have security screws come with it.

There are a lot of solar lights out there and its really easy to pick a bad one that might seem good to begin with, only to break or show its flaws later (when you cant return it). This isn't one of those. In this review i'll go over what I like about this cap and also what I dislike about many of the other caps I saw.Description:1: It has a very large solar panel on top. Larger than most other caps out there. It runs off of two generic brand 1000mA Ni-MH batteries.2: There are four bright LEDs (5000K color temperature) on the underside of the cap (see pictures). One for each side.3: Its made of white PVC that actually stays white when exposed to the sun for a long time (more on that later).4: It comes with two mounting screws that let you anchor it to your fencepost. Honestly, you probably wont need them unless the cap fits really loosely (it was a snug fit on my fenceposts)Observations:1: Long lasting. Most solar lights will kick out in 4-5 hours after sunset. These things go for at least 8-9 hours. Even when it rained most of the day I saw them last 5 hours, that's impressive.2: Bright, excellent light distribution. Normally I see people use caps as kind of path lights, but on my relatively small porch 5 of these caps actually produce about the same amount of light as a 40w bulb.3: No drop in performance. I've had mine running for 3 months now in a place that's in direct view of the sun for approximately 9 hours a day and there has been no degradation in performance, and no yellowing from the sun.What to watch out for in other caps:1: For PVC caps, UV resistance. Always read the reviews and look for anyone complaining about discoloration over time, especially if what you're looking at is white. Cheaper caps use cheaper PVC that bleaches in the sunlight, turning them gradually yellow. (Metal caps may not have this problem). The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck with a deck full of stained yellow caps.2: Solar panel size. While size isn't always an indicator of how much energy it will pull in... more often than not it is. Expect caps with tiny panels to kick out in 5 hours. Always check to see if the manufacturer used one or two batteries. If it only holds one, no matter what the description may say, thats basically a tacit admission that they have no confidence the panel can charge more than 1 battery no matter how much sunlight it gets. (higher capacity Ni-MH batteries exist, but 2 medium capacity batteries (1000mA) will always cost less than 1 high capacity battery (2000mA+), so no manufacturer is going to use them.)3: Light distribution. Think about what you want these things for. Do you want to light up a walkway? Maybe light up a small table? Act as accent lights? Beacons? The direction of the LEDs and the texture of the glass matters (textured or frosted glass will diffuse light in different ways). These things are not usually high powered lights, so try to pick one that will naturally put most of its light where you actually want it to go otherwise you might get a disappointingly dim light.4: Price. Expect to spend at least 20-25$ a cap. Cheaper caps will fail sooner rather than later.5: Battery type. There are two types of batteries often used in solar light, Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (Ni-MH) and Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd). Ni-MH have superior performance (recharge better, last longer) and are much, much better for the environment when you dispose of them. If you see something using Ni-Cd, who knows what else they cheaped out on.Thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful. I try to write the kind of review that I would've wanted to read when buying something. If you have any questions let me know.*A note about the pictures: I tried to limit the light sensitivity of my camera to match what I was actually seeing, but my camera isn't perfect. The close up night shots look about 15-20% brighter than it actually appears, the far away shot looks 30% dimmer than it actually appears.6 Month Edit: These things actually still work in winter weather... that's actually pretty amazing. My smaller solar lights are turning off after 1 or 2 hours at this point, but these still last until midnight (not quite as bright though).

Had my son install these to light up my back ramp. They produce enough light and look very elegant.

Bought this for a mailbox post built from 4x4 lumber. I purchased the 3.5" adapter to make life easier and the fit is perfect. The light is actually way brighter than expected, which is okay in my situation, but may be too bright for some people. I might actually modify the light to disable three of the four LEDs. It stays lit almost all night long, which is actually my only complaint; I would prefer to have a simple switch to turn off after a certain number of hours. Easy to install and seems like it is built well, but only time will tell. On a deck I would probably only use one of these every few posts, not every single one.

These solar fence post caps are quite attractive. There are 4 LEDs in the light case providing pleasant soft background lighting. They fit on my 4x4 pvc fence posts like a glove...did not need to use supplied screw to secure to the fence.I have been using the lights now for 1 years, 7 months and they have performed perfectly. The lights are now no longer staying on thru the night and I had to replace the original batteries. After installing new lithium AA batteries, only one of the four lights is working but does not last thru the night as the new lights did with the original battery.Based on my current experience, unfortunately these lights are disposable and have a fairly limited life expectancy....nice while they lasted!

Right out of the box without even being outside for a shot of sunlight it ran for 11 hours before the battery was run down enough to no longer power the 4 Led's. I was like kind of impressed.,I knew before buying it, that it is a fit for a real 4 inch x 4 inch post and my post which is made up of 2 - 2x4's screwed together is a 3 inch x 3.5 inch post which is a misfit. However I knew I could modify the top of my post and make it a 4x4. No need to buy an adapter when one can add wood to make it a 4x4I am using it for a new mailbox Post and I decided for the top to have a solar light. There are 2 included screws for those that want to screw in two sides. I also painted mine to match the color of the post and now it looks like it is like a carved out post and not something on top.This is my first ever purchase of a solar light and I believe I made a wise decision as so far it seems real good. I read a lot of happy reviews and that sold me in the end.I read too many reviews of other products that will keep the lights on for 5 or 6 hours max and dim, while on a fully charged battery this should go close to 12 hours. If you like a light bright enough to read a newspaper, well this is it.

It is only 12 months since buying 4 Classy Caps and one no longer lights up at all and the other 3 have at least one side not working (the first LED stopped working after about 6 months.) New batteries made no difference. LEDs should last longer than that.

Looks great on snare material fence

I bought a Classy Caps Regal light last year for my post at the end of the driveway. It out-performed all the other solar lights in my yard by its number of lumens. People walking down the street at night remarked how nice and bright it was. This year, all of my other solar lights quit or barely shone. But my Classy Caps Regal light was just as bright as last year. So I bought 13 more lights for my deck, balconies, shed, playhouse-- on amazon.ca and through Home Hardware. I did not buy the adapter kits as they are rather pricey but instead bought an 8' long resin 'wood' trim from Home Hardware and then cut it into 4" long pieces to make my own "adapters." I have also purchased other Classy Caps products: the Nottingham hanging Coach Light (is not as bright as the Regal post lights); the White Aluminum Deck and Wall light (is helpful for illuminating steps but it is not a very bright light); and a couple of Eclipse Hanging Solar Chandelier (which is outstanding in its day and night-time beauty, and brightness.) I will never buy anything else except Classy Caps solar lights! And it's a Canadian company, eh?

The cap is good quality and is very bright and last until the morning. The only problem is the size of my cap is not 4" x 4", but 4" x 4 1/2" so the fit is not right.