As practical as it can be, the idea of installing outdoor lights doesn’t appeal to many. They find it outrageous when the wires across the ground tamper with the look of their landscape design. If you see yourself in this, perhaps the best solar lights would be more to your taste.
These lighting systems make a worthwhile investment with feature-rich and available in multiple designs, allowing you to get exactly what you need. They can even activate or brighten automatically when they detect nearby movement, thanks to technological advancements in their system.
This comprehensive guide we put together will enlighten you more on the matter, so read on!
10 Best Outdoor Solar Lights – Quick View
| 1. InnoGear Solar Outdoor Lights | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 2. Greluna Solar Wall Lights Outdoor | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 3. Brightech Ambience Pro | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 4. Solpex 8 Pack Solar Lights Outdoor | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 5. SUNNEST Solar Lights Outdoor | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 6. JACKYLED Store Solar Step Lights | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 7. URPOWER Solar Lights Outdoor | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 8. URPOWER 3-Mode Solar Lights Outdoor | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 9. HOMEIMPRO Solar Big Lantern | SEE LATEST PRICE |
| 10. Enchanted Spaces Bronze Solar Path Light | SEE LATEST PRICE |
The Best Solar Lights – An In-Depth Review
1. InnoGear Solar Outdoor Lights – Best Overall
This package of 4 from InnoGear is the best bet to incorporate solar energy into your life. Its stable illumination throughout the night is powered by Dusk-to-dawn technology that automatically switch the light off when morning comes, giving users the added benefit of energy conservation with the manual activation out of the way.
By default, the whole set goes about 12 hours after a finished charge, but you can switch that to a brighter mode for stronger power and push the working duration back to 6 hours if needed. Combined with the 90-degree angle that reaches even hard-to-see corners, it promises to be as good a warning for intruders as a means of decoration.
There’s one thing about these lights that puts us off. Their design includes a solar panel that rotates 180 degrees to capture better sunlight, yet they won’t make it to sunrise unless placed under a bright area all day long.
Pros
- Automatically turns on/off
- ABS plastic for more durability
- Bright and focused light beam
Con
- Can’t absorb sunlight well under poor solar exposure
2. Greluna Solar Wall Lights Outdoor – Best Mini-Sized Lights
Measuring at 3 inches in width and 4 inches in length, each unit in this Dusk-to-dawn set doesn’t require much space for installation. As little as they might be, there’ll be plenty of light after fixing them all to an intended area, whether that’s your porch, deck, pathway, or stairways.
These reasonably sized lights’ have a 3000k color temperature. This is considered ideal for outdoor solar LEDs, so trust that they will give off a soft glow that’s pleasant to look at even when you have sensitive eyes. On festive occasions, the lights may double as your unique outdoor finery thanks to the multi-color mode.
It’s a shame that the set is prone to go out of order pretty soon. In fact, you might lose one or two among them after the first six months.
Pros
- Compact size, suitable for any location
- Resistant to heat, water, and frost
- Various lighting most for your needs
Con
- Short lifespan
3. Brightech Ambience Pro – Best For Outdoor Get-Together
These outdoor led light strings from Brigtech meet all the standards for outdoor events. They’re so high up above that they won’t interfere with any of your activity, not to mention the fact that their golden warmth may accentuate the ambience of any space in their presence. Convincing enough to take your wallet out for them?
Similar to what we have from Greluna, this lovely creation brightens the spot below in a 3000k gentle warm light; No glare, no overpowering, perfectly suitable for a long-term gathering.
The fact that the whole string does a great job providing illumination for up to 6 hours also helps to concrete those claims from the producer.
As an outdoor device, these party LEDs are made to last. With the help of the WeatherTite technology, harsh winters, day-long downpours, or even repeated wind up to 50MPH hardly do them any damage.
The only complaint we have is that the string isn’t backed by any modern technology. If you want to turn it on/off up high, there’s no choice but to climb.
Pros
- Resilient and shatter-proof
- Emit a pleasant glow to generate a cozy ambiance
- Estimated to last for 2-3 years
Con
- No automatic feature
4. Solpex 8 Pack Solar Lights Outdoor – Best For Garden Lighting
Solpex 8 Pack Solar Lights Outdoor is one of the few light sets that manage to combine illumination and decoration. The warm white light shines through the glass, past the crosspiece on the outside to cast a snowflake-like shadow on your lawn.
These lights follow the Dusk-to-dawn principle, automatically switching themselves on. You can say that you have found yourself a free nighttime landscape designer!
Remember, these are some decorative lights you’re looking at here, so their intensity hardly goes above 20 lumens each. Their coverage won’t include your entire garden like that of a flood light for that reason, but the romantic effects balance it all out.
However, we would be more pleased if there’s at least one metal piece in the design. As they’re supposed to be for decor purposes, the plastic makes for a rather cheap look.
Pros
- Stunning design to enhance your garden’s look
- Cozy and warm light
- IP44 waterproof (protection against splashes from multiple directions)
Con
- Made of plastic
5. SUNNEST Solar Lights Outdoor – Best Value For Money
This 12-in-1 package of SUNNEST brings users the benefit of a large-scale illumination for a price as low as it could get. The sheer number opens up so many chances for installation. With a well-thought-out staking method, it may be possible to light up a medium backyard.
Each light from the set is on the modest side, no more than 14.5 inches high and 2.1 inches wide each, but the producer has put in extra efforts to ensure that the shine lasts at least 8 hours after one full charge.
We know they seem rather fragile, but there’s little to be concerned about an early replacement. All 12 lights in the set result from putting ABS plastic, polypropylene, and stainless steel together before finishing with IP44 waterproof technology. A set like this could resist all weather elements for years.
It should be noted that the lumens per unit could be relatively low, so you are going to need all for ideal lighting.
Pros
- Dusk-to-dawn lights
- 12 ready-to-use pieces for a wide application
- Sleek design for your landscape’s finishing touches
Con
- Overly soft light
6. JACKYLED Store Solar Step Lights – Best For Durability
The numerous reinforcements in design have given this JACKYLED lighting set resistance to all environmental factors.
All 8 pieces have their polycrystalline silicon core, a technology using high-purity silicon to lower the price of each panel yet maintain its efficiency, framed in a blend of stainless steel and PC plastic. These already sturdy items are then wrapped behind a rustless, weatherproof shell that fears neither rain nor snow.
Even the internal bulbs have a lot to impress users. Every light is equipped with 3 premium bulbs, casting a bright beam of 30 lumens – a great deal for their size.
Unlike most average options, whose 600mAh battery only allows an 8-hour illumination at best, the set runs on Ni-Mh AAA 1000mAh, extending their run time to nearly 10 hours.
Still, we found that a charge under direct sunlight is much needed for the lights to deliver a desired performance.
Pros
- Brighter than desired
- Heat-resistant, waterproof, and weatherproof
- Suitable for stairs, decks, or any places with walls
Con
- Charge poorly in shady weather
7. URPOWER Solar Lights Outdoor – Best Pathway Lights
Next we have a pair of solar lights for paths designed with a rather high brightness intensity (200 lumens) from URPOWER.
Most of the time, anything going from 100 lumens to 200 lumens is believed to have reliable coverage for walkways. Now that the indicator is maxed out, trust that these items will provide all you ask for and more. For consistent and efficient lighting until dawn, the whole package has brought in some more worthy factors regarding its quality build.
Above the ABS plastic stake strengthened with IP64 waterproof technology (keep rain and spray at bay) is a 90-degree light to shine over the path from one end to another. Inside each of them are 4 lightbulbs which offer 2 helpful modes serving different lighting demands: Low-light (10 hours) and High-light (6 hours).
However, the risks of receiving a malfunctioning product that shuts down after a couple of hours are alarmingly high. A call to the producer solves the issues right away, yet we still find it a huge hassle.
Pros
- Bright lights (200 lumens)
- Rotatable solar panels to catch more light
- Withstand any weather condition
Con
- Might come with faulty parts
8. URPOWER 3-Mode Solar Lights Outdoor – Best Motion-Activated Lights
URPOWER solar lights are one step ahead of their original version. All the lights will stay active for a whole 20 seconds before turning off, enough for them to illuminate your surroundings (or to warn unwanted visitors).
In general, most motion-triggered light sources stay on for as long as 1 minute, or 30 seconds at least. The shorter duration prevents the risk of power drain, increasing the run time for these devices.
There are more ways to make the most out of them. The light set can pick up movements within a range of 16 feet and a scale of 120 degrees, which is quite a long distance that suits all lighting purposes. It’s now easier to ward off burglars or stray animals before they come too close for your comfort.
URPOWER even carries the versatility into the setting ranges. Rather than the standard on-and-off style that reacts to the nearby motions, you have three helpful modes to choose from.
If you aim for the lowest power consumption, the traditional way of shutting down when there’s no motion might foot the bill. Next in line is the Dim mode that instantly brightens when something passes, in case you still prefer having some light around the house when night falls.
There’s also a light mode to temporarily deactivate the sensors and keep the light on until sunrise.
As solar lights, this set shares a similar downside with most products in this category: Poor power absorption without direct sunlight.
Pros
- 3 available modes
- Waterproof to withstand harsh weather conditions
- Small size to fit a variety of spaces
Con
- Can’t charge well in dimly lit environments
9. HOMEIMPRO Solar Big Lantern – Best Decorative Light
HOMEIMPRO proudly presents to you a lovely 7-lumen solar light taking the form of a lantern. Through the endless exquisite floral patterns on the stainless steel shell, the flood of golden light leaves a unique shadow on your garden floor.
Whether you intend to hang it on a branch or directly leave it on the stone-clad path, it still has a way to create a warm ambiance all night long.
Being an outdoor decorative light, the lantern proves unbreakable despite a somewhat flimsy look. Rust won’t ruin its aesthetics as a result of its materials, and the whole shell is waterproof so water splash is not likely to cause any peeling.
We have tons of praises for the light itself, save for the paint it arrives in. The color’s hardly a great match for the bright light, so we suggest coating it in a new color that actually resonates with the look.
Pros
- Sophisticate solar lantern for decoration
- Long run time (8 hours)
- Unbreakable construction with waterproof shell
Con
- Illy matched color
10. Enchanted Spaces Bronze Solar Path Light – Best For Low-Light Area
There aren’t many solar-powered equipment that absorb energy in the shade as well as Enchanted Spaces Bronze Solar Path Light. Coming with advanced, extra-large solar panels, even when the sun is nowhere to be found, the charge still manages to give it at least 5-6 hours of run time, almost sufficient to cover one night.
The starburst pattern that the glass lens cast on the ground is another selling point of the set.
For each glow, the size of their coverage easily crosses a 4ft x 4ft square area, accentuating the overall appearance of your garden or backyard. You can position them along the path as decorative lights or take advantage of the illumination to avoid tripping in the dark.
We only hope that the quality of the set gets more consistent from here on out. Over the weeks we put it to the set, one among six lights has already stopped working for good.
Pros
- The battery charge in all weathers
- Decorative lights that may double as illumination
- Decent coverage for the price
Con
- Inconsistent quality
How To Find The Best Solar Lights
Types
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Motion-activated
Motion-activated solar yard lights only switch on when triggered by movements. This working principle provides sufficient illumination for you to walk around after night falls without consuming more electrical power than necessary.
We think it’s important to stress that the design of these solar lights helps reinforce the security of your place. Whenever something suspicious steps inside the detection range, their surroundings will instantly be flooded with light, alarming you of the intrusion.
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Dusk-to-dawn
Dusk-To-Dawn solar lights work just as well as a method of conserving energy. There’s a sensor built into their core that turns the light on and off according to the warmth of air temperature. Unless the sun has gone down, they won’t shine.
Categorized as reactionary, a Dusk-to-dawn solar light needs almost nothing from you once the installation is over. No switch checking to ensure that the wiring is in working order, no manually turning on and off at the end and the beginning of the day, nothing. They’re that easy to use!
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Time-controlled
As the name implies, time-controlled outdoor lights allow the homeowner to specify how long the illumination would last.
They are a recommended choice if you plan to eliminate any electrical wastage throughout the night, as you can program them to go into sleep mode when you’re about to do the same.
Level Of Brightness
Otherwise known as lumen – a measurement gauging how much brightness you get from a bulb. Standard outdoor lights – with or without solar power – go from as low as 5 lumens, to as high as over 1000 lumens (high-end flood lights might surpass 6000, even 7000 lumens).
Keep in mind that the most intense light level doesn’t always work out in your case. Take into account your personal needs as well. For example, if the purchase serves no purpose other than enhancing the look of your home, too many lumens might end up piercing your eyes with their harshness.
Battery Charge Time
For a lighting system that doesn’t die out before the time specified by its producer, you have to keep tabs on how long it takes to fully charge fully.
You should try to find a model that can continuously draw in energy even under poor solar exposure, especially if your backyard doesn’t receive the best of sunlight every day. In such a light, the battery can finish a proper charge even in cloudy weather, thus lasting longer as night falls.
In case you wonder, 6 to 7 hours would be an ideal charge time.
Material
High-quality material goes a long way in preserving the lifespan of your solar landscape lighting system. As they have to sustain numerous environmental impacts day after day, protection against water is a key factor to safeguard them from all the rain and snow.
Along with that, durable materials that won’t break down for years to come, such as ABS plastic or stainless steel, would give you a more resilient, longer-lasting purchase.
Conclusion
Having the best solar lights at your service is the first step in all kinds of benefits that come along. Take another look at what we have recommended so far if you couldn’t really follow.
InnoGear Solar Outdoor Lights is the Jack of all trades that satisfies your every need. Then there’s URPOWER Solar Lights Outdoor if you fancy motion sensors and care about security more than the rest. Decorative only? Don’t miss out on the atmosphere HOMEIMPRO Solar Big Lantern could build using its exquisite look!
Buying Guide: