I started by testing the brightness with just one lantern. I opened it up, turned it to on and set it on our front porch to catch the southwest sun all day. Then, I brought it in for the night. It has a great flicker, shines brightly and surprising lasted all night. It never lost it's brightness. Unfortunately, because we installed a 2x 6 rail across the top of our fence, we had to return this set. The solar panel is on the top of the lantern. The top of the fence overhang covered 1/2 of the solar panel. We needed to select a lantern that will attach on top of the rail. However, if you are looking for a flickering lantern to attach on a vertical post or fence, I can definitely recommend this set. They are lightweight, easy to attach, look great and the battery seems easily to outlast the night.