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Your cart is empty.3.7 out of 5 stars
- #14,408 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)
- #32 in Soil Meters
The SunCalc provides gardeners with the ability to maximize plants growing potential by placing them in optimum light conditions. It measures the amount of accumulated light that falls on a specific location. This provides gardeners with the ability to match a plant's nursery tag light requirements (full sun, partial sun, etc.) with the actual light conditions as measured by SunCalc. All gardeners need to do is place SunCalc at the desired location, turn it on and 12 hours later return to read the results. Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade or Full Shade.
J&S
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024
I purchased this as a used item from Amazon warehouse and it came to me in pieces and did not work. I am unable to move the review on its functionality.
J&S
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024
I purchased this as a used item from Amazon warehouse and it came to me in pieces and did not work. I am unable to move the review on its functionality.
msgaltman
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024
Before purchasing I read reviews stating that the product was easily damaged by water. So, after purchasing and before first use I thoroughly waterproofed the unit by sealing the screw holes and the gap between the two halves. It lasted eactly three uses before dying. Opened it up and found significant corrosion caused by water infiltration. The unit was not exposed to rain. This damage is probably caused by dew settling on the top membrane and infiltrating. Waste of money.
msgaltman
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024
Before purchasing I read reviews stating that the product was easily damaged by water. So, after purchasing and before first use I thoroughly waterproofed the unit by sealing the screw holes and the gap between the two halves. It lasted eactly three uses before dying. Opened it up and found significant corrosion caused by water infiltration. The unit was not exposed to rain. This damage is probably caused by dew settling on the top membrane and infiltrating. Waste of money.
Ana Karerina Wong
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2024
First day I tried didn’t work. After 12 hours was not showing any information. Second day I left it for 14 hours and it worked. It was showing the information.
Ana Karerina Wong
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2024
First day I tried didn’t work. After 12 hours was not showing any information. Second day I left it for 14 hours and it worked. It was showing the information.
SunshineGirl
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
I always have the hardest time figuring out if different parts of my yard are good for certain plants sun-wise. This Sun Calc is great. I've tried it in multiple parts of my yard and it reads accurately. One thing I noticed other reviewers saying is it did not give an accurate read and I want to give my suggestions for troubleshooting. First, this needs 12 full hours of LIGHT to read accurately. So it has to be put out at sunrise and picked up 12 hours later. If you put it out later and the full 12 hours run into evening darkness then that will throw off the reading. If it is a very cloudy day, that will throw off the reading. So do it on a day that is average for your area and make sure the sun calc is there for a full 12 hours of daylight. If none of that works, then you may have a faulty product. If you get a good product then this is AMAZING.
SunshineGirl
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
I always have the hardest time figuring out if different parts of my yard are good for certain plants sun-wise. This Sun Calc is great. I've tried it in multiple parts of my yard and it reads accurately. One thing I noticed other reviewers saying is it did not give an accurate read and I want to give my suggestions for troubleshooting. First, this needs 12 full hours of LIGHT to read accurately. So it has to be put out at sunrise and picked up 12 hours later. If you put it out later and the full 12 hours run into evening darkness then that will throw off the reading. If it is a very cloudy day, that will throw off the reading. So do it on a day that is average for your area and make sure the sun calc is there for a full 12 hours of daylight. If none of that works, then you may have a faulty product. If you get a good product then this is AMAZING.
Joshua
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023
Updating Review - I took this out to use it this year and it did not work. I opened it up to change the batteries and the ones that came with it leaked and eroded the thin terminal metal so this no longer works. I thought it would be okay to store indoors but I guess the batteries need to be removed when not in use. This was a complete waste of money.Updating review - The company responded to me with the sun ranges for each category. Posting here if you are interested.Full Sun – 6 + hoursPartial Sun – 4-6 hoursPartial Shade – 1.5 – 4 hoursFull Shade – Less than 1.5 hoursI placed this in an area that I expected to be partial sun and that is what the meter showed. It is easy to assemble, turn on, and use. It is also easy to tell when it is still measuring sunlight.It would be nice it the calculated level lit up as a solid light instead of a flashing light. With how quick it flashed I had to cover the two closest bulbs to make sure I was seeing the correct one light up.They also have poor product support. I reached out to see how they calculate the sunlight levels for each category. Depending on where you look, you can get different hour levels for the different categories of sun. Some also measure morning, mid-day, and evening sun differently. The company never responded to me.
Joshua
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023
Updating Review - I took this out to use it this year and it did not work. I opened it up to change the batteries and the ones that came with it leaked and eroded the thin terminal metal so this no longer works. I thought it would be okay to store indoors but I guess the batteries need to be removed when not in use. This was a complete waste of money.Updating review - The company responded to me with the sun ranges for each category. Posting here if you are interested.Full Sun – 6 + hoursPartial Sun – 4-6 hoursPartial Shade – 1.5 – 4 hoursFull Shade – Less than 1.5 hoursI placed this in an area that I expected to be partial sun and that is what the meter showed. It is easy to assemble, turn on, and use. It is also easy to tell when it is still measuring sunlight.It would be nice it the calculated level lit up as a solid light instead of a flashing light. With how quick it flashed I had to cover the two closest bulbs to make sure I was seeing the correct one light up.They also have poor product support. I reached out to see how they calculate the sunlight levels for each category. Depending on where you look, you can get different hour levels for the different categories of sun. Some also measure morning, mid-day, and evening sun differently. The company never responded to me.
Alison Petersen
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
I need to do better and try this on more full sun days, but it seems to do what it is supposed to, which is quite exciting! I’m not a good judge of where the sun hits, so this is a great tool to help me with my garden planning.
Alison Petersen
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
I need to do better and try this on more full sun days, but it seems to do what it is supposed to, which is quite exciting! I’m not a good judge of where the sun hits, so this is a great tool to help me with my garden planning.
tnotfte
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
Gives a good indication of how much sunlight a site receives and the device is easy to use.However, it is not waterproof and rain or sprinklers result in moisture inside the case.Applying a narrow strip of electrical tape over the seam on the outside edge of the case seems to seal it well enough to solve the issue.
tnotfte
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
Gives a good indication of how much sunlight a site receives and the device is easy to use.However, it is not waterproof and rain or sprinklers result in moisture inside the case.Applying a narrow strip of electrical tape over the seam on the outside edge of the case seems to seal it well enough to solve the issue.
Drea Kinard
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2022
We are having a record breaking winter (it’s June. We have yet to break 75° and it rains all. The. Time. But the few days that we did have some sunshine, this sucker was so helpful. I thought my side yard was shady, turns out it’s mostly sunny!
Drea Kinard
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2022
We are having a record breaking winter (it’s June. We have yet to break 75° and it rains all. The. Time. But the few days that we did have some sunshine, this sucker was so helpful. I thought my side yard was shady, turns out it’s mostly sunny!
jill
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2020
Look, you don't want to spend $200-$500 on a accurate readout on solar hours. You want to spend a nice, reasonable amount to tell you approximately how many hours of sunlight a certain area of your garden gets. Of course, it ONLY works on days where the sun is out all day ... so check the Forecast before using. I've used this originally to determine where to install my pool solar heater ... and I'll use it for gardening later. This thing is easy to use - like, totally braindead.
jill
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2020
Look, you don't want to spend $200-$500 on a accurate readout on solar hours. You want to spend a nice, reasonable amount to tell you approximately how many hours of sunlight a certain area of your garden gets. Of course, it ONLY works on days where the sun is out all day ... so check the Forecast before using. I've used this originally to determine where to install my pool solar heater ... and I'll use it for gardening later. This thing is easy to use - like, totally braindead.
Mikael
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2019
On ne fait que le planter dans le sol et attendre la fin de la journée pour voir si l'emplacement est bien exposé au soleil.
Mikael
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2019
On ne fait que le planter dans le sol et attendre la fin de la journée pour voir si l'emplacement est bien exposé au soleil.
A B
Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2019
Press a button, leave it outdoors for 12 hours, check back - easy as that. Now you know how much light that area gets.
A B
Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2019
Press a button, leave it outdoors for 12 hours, check back - easy as that. Now you know how much light that area gets.
Liucija Juryte
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2016
it only works if that day there isn't a single cloud in the sky. Does it ever happen in UK?
Liucija Juryte
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2016
it only works if that day there isn't a single cloud in the sky. Does it ever happen in UK?
S. Dakin
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011
My yard is entirely "natural area," with no lawn and with spots ranging from (barely) full sun to full shade and everything in between. The light conditions at many locations are constantly shifting, and I have found it next to impossible to judge how much light a spot actually receives over the course of a sunny day. I'm getting ready to transplant some perennials and shrubs, and I'm sick of planting things where I think they will do well, only to discover a year or two later that I have misjudged the amount of light! I found the SunCalc here at Amazon while checking out a pricier device that also measures soil moisture and temperature. All I really wanted was a one-day measurement of light level, so this fit the bill perfectly! The SunCalc works exactly as advertised and is very simple to use, with clear and complete directions provided. It has already let me know that a spot I thought was in part shade actually is in full shade and has confirmed that another spot gets part shade (which I thought might get part sun). I don't know yet how long the batteries will last, but that's no big deal. My only "problem" is that I'm not a "morning person," so it was tough getting up early enough to turn the calculator on! I'd love to have a version I could program to turn on at a certain time, but but that's probably asking too much! The SunCalc is a simple and elegant solution to a real problem.
S. Dakin
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011
My yard is entirely "natural area," with no lawn and with spots ranging from (barely) full sun to full shade and everything in between. The light conditions at many locations are constantly shifting, and I have found it next to impossible to judge how much light a spot actually receives over the course of a sunny day. I'm getting ready to transplant some perennials and shrubs, and I'm sick of planting things where I think they will do well, only to discover a year or two later that I have misjudged the amount of light! I found the SunCalc here at Amazon while checking out a pricier device that also measures soil moisture and temperature. All I really wanted was a one-day measurement of light level, so this fit the bill perfectly! The SunCalc works exactly as advertised and is very simple to use, with clear and complete directions provided. It has already let me know that a spot I thought was in part shade actually is in full shade and has confirmed that another spot gets part shade (which I thought might get part sun). I don't know yet how long the batteries will last, but that's no big deal. My only "problem" is that I'm not a "morning person," so it was tough getting up early enough to turn the calculator on! I'd love to have a version I could program to turn on at a certain time, but but that's probably asking too much! The SunCalc is a simple and elegant solution to a real problem.
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