The best solar path lights are a no-brainer when it comes to keeping your deck and yard well-lit and enjoyable with little effort on your part. It is important that your options are bright, well-reviewed, weather-resistant, and automatic (meaning that they turn on and off based on how much light they receive).
However, there are still other things to keep in mind. It is likely that your preferred style will have the biggest impact, but you should also consider the materials and the price per light.
Solar-powered path lights allow you to enjoy the outdoors well past sunset without spending a cent on electricity. These solar-powered lights utilize sunlight directly to generate electricity, either through a rechargeable battery or a remotely mounted solar panel.
It was important for us to see whether these lights were as good as they claimed. The sets were placed along sidewalks and garden beds for a few weeks to see how they fared in the outdoor elements and whether they came on at sunset every night.
You can learn more about our top tips and recommendations below, along with our hands-on tests of the best solar path lights. Here’s a spoiler: some of them are blazingly bright; others emit a softer glow.
| Products | Price |
|---|---|
| Solpex 8 Pack Solar Pathway Lights Outdoor | |
| JSOT Solar Outdoor Lights | |
| BEAU JARDIN Solar Pathway Lights | |
| GIGALUMI 8 Pack Solar Pathway Lights | |
| OSORD Solar Pathway Lights |
1. Solpex 8 Pack Solar Pathway Lights Outdoor
When buying solar path lights, you should also consider Solpex since it comes with numerous features, making it a viable option for many people.
There are 8 lights in each Solpex solar path light pack so you can cover a larger area with decent illumination.
With these solar path lights, you get a decent battery life of 6 to 8 hours. One of the best things about these lights is their waterproof designs. In addition to the light being great, you get a 1-year warranty with it.
2. JSOT Solar Outdoor Lights
This solar path light system enables us to switch from cool white light to a warm white light by simply pressing a button on the backside of the post.
Heavy-duty plastic is used to construct the JSOT Solar Path Lights, and the covers are white plastic. Despite being only 15 lumens bright, they lit up about six feet in front of them.
Rather than attach the included stakes to the posts, we placed them in a patio bed so their light would shine outward. A pattern, similar to a honeycomb, is also cast by the JSOT lights on the ground.
There was a noticeable reduction in battery life when choosing the cool white light. When cool white light was selected, the lights stayed on for just under five hours, while warm white light kept them on for over six hours.
3. BEAU JARDIN Solar Pathway Lights
Among the many brands of solar path lights available, Beau Jardin can be a good option because of its high-performance models, like this one.
This battery pack provides excellent performance to the user. This solar path light also comes with eight lights per pack.
Solar path lights have an excellent battery life of 8 to 12 hours, which makes them the best solar path lights on the market. Due to the fact that Beau Jardin solar path lights are a bit on the expensive side, they also come with an expected 1-year warranty.
4. GIGALUMI 8 Pack Solar Pathway Lights
Gigalumi, as you can probably tell from its name, makes solar-powered lighting products including these solar path lights.
For those on a budget, the Gigalumi solar path lights would be the best choice. Although the price tag on these solar lights is so low, you still get an impressive amount of solar lights per pack, making it a great value for your money.
In addition to offering a decent battery life of 6 to 8 hours, these solar path lights are also comparable to more expensive paths lights. This is an entry-level solar path light, so it only comes with a 60-day replacement warranty.
5. OSORD Solar Pathway Lights
Solar pathway lights by Osord are a stunning addition to any landscape. 15-lumen bulbs offer a wide range of illumination.
We found that the lights cast the brightest glow when turned to white, which was bright enough to see clearly from about three feet away. Osord lights shine in a fanned-out pattern, as opposed to some of the earlier lights which shone in a circular pattern.
Heavy-duty plastic is used for the posts and lampshades, but the material seems to be sturdy and pretty durable.
Pressing the button on the back underside of the head, we were able to change the color of the light, which was one of seven different shades: white, red, blue, green, purple, cyan, and yellow.
Before the six-hour time limit, the Osord lights had gone dark, and they acted the same way on subsequent nights. Nevertheless, they provide a colorful option for those who wish to extend their outdoor entertaining into the evening.
Things to Consider Before Buying Solar Path Lights
You may have a hard time choosing the right solar path lights for your garden and outdoor space since there are so many options available.
Here are some key factors you should consider while buying solar path lights to help you make the right choice.
Providing watertightness
When living in a wet climate, it is crucial to choose a light that is water-resistant. Otherwise, you must turn off the lights when it rains or snows. Waterproofing of lights is not an issue if you live in a mostly dry and warm climate.
Brightness
You can measure the brightness of a light by its lumen (lm) rating. Lumen rating refers to how bright the light will be, and the higher it is, the brighter it will be.
Most solar lamps run between 2 and 200 lumens; the lower range (2 – 50 lumens) may be used for decorative purposes and the higher range (50 – 200 lumens) may be used for security purposes.
To avoid placing them too close to the house, brighter lights are the best option. In other words, choosing a light with a higher lumen rating will brighten an area over time without the need to purchase additional lights over time.
Battery
Solar lights have different battery capacities that affect how long they will last and how long they will take to charge. It is important to choose a solar light with a high battery capacity since it works well and lights up the area for consecutive nights, even on cloudsy or winter days (when solar radiation is not optimal).
When you choose a path light with a low battery capacity, its battery is recharged fully within one day. During a sunny day, you will have light at night, not on a cloudy day.
Solar resources in your area will determine how much battery capacity a solar path light has. If you have a good source of light, choose either low or high battery capacity lights, but if you don’t, choose lights with high energy storage capacity.
Material
Stainless steel, metal bronze, and high-density plastic are the three main types of materials available for solar landscape lights.
As far as the light fixture and solar panel are concerned, plexiglass or tempered glass is found to be the best choice for solar path lights. It is possible to find models with patterns or textures that add interest and make them look more appealing. However, if you think about its brightness, clear vision is better than opaque.
Regarding durability and temperature performance, stainless steel and metal bronze are considered the best materials.
As well as having a higher melting point, stainless steel has less temperature conductivity and is stronger than bronze, which is why it is considered superior.
During extreme weather conditions, high-density plastic materials are most vulnerable. Therefore, if placed in areas where extreme heat is present, it will lead to plastic models’ batteries being damaged.
However, freezing temperatures may cause them to crack. Despite being less expensive, it is not durable or lasts as long as other materials.
Warranty
A manufacturer’s warranty is an important consideration before purchasing a product. A minimum of a 1-year warranty is included with most solar path light models.
Choosing a solar-powered light within your price range that comes with a long warranty is important.