So far I'm pretty happy with the 24V solar charger kit. I have spent several days getting it ready to mount to the hoist and have not operated it yet but plan to this weekend. I wanted to share some initial feedback.

I rank it at 5 stars but debated about 4. The directions are EXCELLENT. Very clear. Refreshingly clear as so many things you buy any more have poor instructions. Overall it seems to be a of decent quality but there are several areas of the design where I scratch my head as it could be easily improved. My biggest complaint is the garbage metric hardware. My suggestions:

Solar panel frame to arm bracket bolts. Metric pan head machine screws are provided with lock nuts. You fish the screws through blindly between the panel glass and frame. Screws have Phillips heads so there is no way to hold the screw while you tighten the nut. Simple fix by going to the hardware store and getting SAE stainless steel hex head bolts and lock nuts. (why metric to begin with????)

The wire that goes between the solar panel and the regulator is long. Really long. I didn't measure it but probably around 20-25'. Most people are likely mounting the panel and arm fairly close to the batteries. Due to constant Lake Huron winds in my application, I want a tidy installation and shortening the wire would require cutting and butt splicing it as the ends are permantly attached. Again, not the end of the world but options on the wire length or an end design that allows the wire to be shortened would be advisable. I ended up making approximatly 3' long loops, wrapped it in nylon wire sheath and slid it inside the arm tube with just enough ends hanging out to make my connections.

There is a carriage bolt and lock nut provided for the arm to panel bracket (metric again). Mind you, the bracket is aluminum with a square hole to prevent the carriage bolt from turning. Unfortunatly with that big heavy panel you can't get the nut tight enough to hold the correct panel angle before the square hole strips into a round hole. Now you're in trouble as you can't get ahold of the bolt to prevent it from turning to get the lock nut off! I had to cut off the bolt with a cut off wheel. Really poor design. I remedied this by slightly roughing up the interface areas of the arm and bracket so it wasn't polished smooth and would hold position better and once again going to the hardware store for a proper SAE stainless hex head bolt, washers and lock nut. Problem solved.

I would also suggest that the support brackets under the dual battery tray didn't terminate exactly center to the battery box! Why? Deep cycle marine batteries are about $200 a piece and I want to lock them. That interferes with placing a strap style battery lock on them. Again, simple design change suggested.

Overall it seems to be a decent quality kit but as described there are a number of simple improvements what would make life much easier and not impact the cost of the kit.

Piece of cake - so glad my local guy took over a week to get me a price - ordered it myself, did it myself, got free shipping and NO sales tax - saved over $500 and got the 24V version (which is definitely the way to go - SOOOO much faster).

A special thanks to Jeff at LakeLite who walked me through exactly what I needed - totally recommended what was best for my situation and not just selling me something to upsell me something - extremely knowledgeable and it shows when talking with him!!

The product looks pretty decent. I have 2 suggestions that would help your future customers.

- Screws that are for mounting the plate to the panel should be bolts, not phillips head screws. If they ever come loose, there's a good chance that you wouldn't be able to tighten them after the outer nuts are on. Wouldn't hurt to use nylon captivated nuts either. I replaced all of my hardware.

- The hole in the plate for the wire routing should be off-set since the arm is directly above the hole and the wires have to be looped to allow for insertion into the arm.

Before I talk about the lights, let me praise customer service! I have had the lights for two years. ANY problem I have had with these lights was addressed quickly and WITHOUT cost to me. I ordered a total of 12 packs and two individual lights didnot work. LakeLites sent me a new four pack and four new batteries. At the start of this season, I had four that wouldn’t come on and I got four more lights and four more batteries again feee I’d charge. Customer service beats everyone else’s!

The lights provide great marking as I come into my dock at night. In addition, the amber lights keep the bugs away and therefore keep spiders population way down. I strongly recommend these lights. As a side note: because the lights fit into a hole you make in your decking, waves can push them out from the bottom. Use a piece of electric tape around the lights to improve friction fit. You will love them!

Before I talk about the lights, let me praise customer service! I have had the lights for two years. ANY problem I have had with these lights was addressed quickly and WITHOUT cost to me. I ordered a total of 12 packs and two individual lights didnot work. LakeLites sent me a new four pack and four new batteries. At the start of this season, I had four that wouldn’t come on and I got four more lights and four more batteries again feee I’d charge. Customer service beats everyone else’s!

The lights provide great marking as I come into my dock at night. In addition, the amber lights keep the bugs away and therefore keep spiders population way down. I strongly recommend these lights. As a side note: because the lights fit into a hole you make in your decking, waves can push them out from the bottom. Use a piece of electric tape around the lights to improve friction fit. You will love them!

This was the second one I purchased and it had a bad wire. I emailed Saturday night at 1 am in the morning after diagnosing what was wrong. I got up the next morning and had a reply from a VP of the company telling me they would send a new wire out on Monday. I received the wire and the solar panel now work perfect. Now that is what I call customer service.

I've tried a lot of different solar lights on my dock at our lake in Wisconsin and these are the best by far! None compare to their quality, durability and brightness even with amber lighting that I use. I take them in during winter, detach the battery, insert the magnet and store them inside our home. Year after year they come out shining brightly in the spring.

I've tried a lot of different solar lights on my dock at our lake in Wisconsin and these are the best by far! None compare to their quality, durability and brightness even with amber lighting that I use. I take them in during winter, detach the battery, insert the magnet and store them inside our home. Year after year they come out shining brightly in the spring.