I am very impressed with these lights, they do their job really well and are very stylish looking. I left them to charge for 3 days as per the instructions, and since then they have stayed illuminated after I've given up and gone to bed - and I'm a night owl. They are very sturdily constructed and I can imagine them lasting for a good many years, giving them proper 'green' credentials - unlike many other solar lights. The spike is long and metal and so should cope with tough ground. The light from them is nice and bright, making them ideal to light a pathway - I have mine outside my summerhouse. Great value for money.