Nokero Solar Lights

[mudbutt]

I purchased 6 of the Nokero Solar Lights to attach to my Rv's awning on our last outing to Julian, Ca. They arrived two days before we left.

They seem to be well built. They are made of ABS plastic which is very durable. And the hang loops are sturdy steel. They have a three way switch, lo-off-hi.

I was going to put them out for two day's sun before trying them, but monsoon season is here and it was overcast/rainy on the second day.

When we got to Julian and set up camp the first thing I noticed was condensation in the bulb lenses. They were outside in intermittent rain. They are advertised as being "rainproof". I didn't have time to fidget with them so I just hung them up.

Two things I noticed right off, if you put them too close to each other under the awning they try to turn each other off due to the light sensor. The other thing is they don't put out a great deal of light. More ambient light than task light. But they did the job. Also being in a campground there was a lot of light pollution. Being 30 miles from the center of nowhere, I'm sure they would perform well.

The second day in Julian I set them out all day to charge up again and except for one unit they all worked well and lasted until we went to bed.

That was last weekend. I just now dug them out to look at them and wow! All but two were still lit. They were inside a box in a cabinet inside the RV all week! And one of the two was only dark because it is faulty.

I'm returning that one as they have a year warranty.

Not much of a review as I've only had them a week and only used them once.

Today I'm taking them apart to see if the condensation did any real damage then setting them back outside to charge them up some more.

(Not affiliated, just like the idea of solar power.)
http://www.nokero.com/

 

[HenryJ]

Those do look like a good solution. There was a thread a while back about the N100. The N200 look like an upgrade. I like the hi-off-lo setting and the ability to turn them to the side to maximize useable light and sun for charging.
I think one inside the PETT might be very handy. Another under the awning too.
I carry the cheap solar yard lights for placement at the awning tie-down stakes. An attempt to prevent "clothesline" accidents and night.

Shopping around I was able to find the N200 NoKero lights at $35 a pair shipped. That seems pretty reasonable.

 

[Corey]

I have around eight of the 100 models the first ones that came out.
They are ok but I prefer the Goal Zero lanterns as they put out much more light.

 

[mudbutt]

They recently came out with a stand attachment for these. I bought some and they work great. They screw on to the light and allow them to be set down on any flat surface. This just doubled the usefulness of these neat little lights. And they are only a buck fifty!

http://store.nokero.com/Solar-Light-Bulb-p/stand.htm

 

[womacje]

DISCLAIMER: I am a retailer for these lights...

With that said, I have a quite a bit of experience with these lights. The N200 (crestone) are a great little light, the bang for the buck is outstanding. The switch is the weakest point, finicky sometimes, but if wiggled a bit, they will usually kick back on. Of the 6 I use, regularly, I have only killed one, one led fell out. The most convienet way to hang these on my truck is from the rack, this puts them in harms way, ie doors getting shut on them... They have held up to a ton of abuse and that is why the "one" failed.

I have over 2 yrs of experience with them.

My preferred use: 6 for a vehicle based camp for 3 people,
-when cooking, I use 3-4 to create a "work light" type of illumination.

-For camp, I prefer four at the corners of the awning, plenty of light to keep you from talking to a silhouette.

-1 in the RTT

-for charging I set them on the dash as we drive and they are ready for the next evenings lighting.

I have noticed an improvement between the 2yr old Nokero N200 and the most recent batch, (identifiable by gold "dots" on the solar panels) these lights are brighter and better made, if only by a little.

The newly named Shavano ie N220 (larger white) I have been testing for about 4 months. Opinions: a very nice light. Puts out just enough light to be uncomfortable to look at, benefit of the N200 is its soft light to not disrupt your living area with a "blind" spot. The button/switch is greatly improved. The bad, the size is a bit tougher to toss on the dash. A high quality light at a decent price.

I'll be heading to expo with cases of these to sell at the booth, a great product designed a made for a great reason.

Hijack off.

 

[mudbutt]

I was looking at the Shavano N220. I may have to buy a couple to play with, they look nice.

 

[womacje]

I'm digging my sample I have. I think you'll like it too. Ps. I had "rainproof" issues also, but have never seen an failure from that. I've also never torn one down to see if anything is corroding due to rain either.