5 Best Outdoor Solar Lighting Options of 2021 [reviews]

A well-lit yard increases both the asthetic appeal of your home and your personal safety. And outdoor solar lights are both the easiest, cheapest, and most eco-friendly way to light your home.

There are a ton of options to choose from, so we’ve done the hard work for you and compiled a list of the top 5, all both great quality and great for the money. We’ve included a variety of styles from hanging lights to pathway lights so that you can light the entire exterior of your home without breaking the bank.

At a Glance – Our Top Picks

The 5 Best Outdoor Solar Lights – Reviews

Looking at some of the best solar light options makes it easier to pick the ones that will work best for your property. It also gives you some insight into what these types of lights have to offer.

1) TomCare Solar Lights (top pick!)

TomCare Solar Lights have an interesting dancing light design. When lit, it looks like there is a fire candle on the inside of the light, though it’s just a lightbulb. These lights are attached to stakes so that you can easily place them in soft ground.

These lights do not require motion activation, as they are designed to light your walkway or yard for the entire night. They’ll really bring out any pathways or flowerbed borders, making neighbors jealous of your home even at night.

Each light is 43 inches tall, allowing you to put the stakes relatively deep into the ground for stability without sacrificing any of the light that they emit.

Of course, these are water resistant. You can leave them outside during all four seasons without worrying about the weather or temperature extremes causing damage. They have durable shells, ensuring that they’ll never break when getting hit by a weed whacker.

• Eight hours charging time
• 12 hours of light with a full charge

Pros

• Very soft light that doesn’t overpower your eyes
• They have a flicker to them, making them look similar to a candle
• They last throughout the night

Cons

• Might not be bright enough for some outdoor spaces

2) LITOM Premium Lights

LITOM Premium Solar Lights are motion-activated so that you’re not wasting power unless you’re there. Once activated, the lights will stay on until 30 seconds after motion stops.

The sensor detects motion up to 26 feet in the distance, and both the sensitivity and sensing range are 20 percent higher than comparable motion activated lights. These are super sensitive – even a small pet or critter can activate the them.

Like most outdoor electronics, these lights are waterproof. Even in strong storms, they will not malfunction as a result of excessive moisture. They’ll withstand the coldest of winters and the hottest of summers.

The LITOM lights are powered by LED beads, with a lifespan of 3,000 hours. That’s as good as you’re going to get.

• They stay on for 30 seconds after activation
• Batteries charge in eight hours

Pros

• These lights are very durable
• The light is very bright
• Motion activates them immediately

Cons

• None that we could find

3) Baxia Technology Lights

If you want to scare away an intruder, Baxia Technology Solar lights are for you.

Baxia Technology’s sun-powered lights do not have a dim mode; they’re meant to really brighten up your yard when activated. They’re motion-activated, which is convenient when you come home at night. Not to mention these suckers are bright enough to scare away any burglar.

These lights only turn on automatically when it is dark outside, so you won’t waste any power during the day. Each light has 28 LEDs inside of them. The motion detector is extremely sensitive, and senses motion in a 120 degree aperture, so that it can detect motion from various parts of your property to trigger the light to come on. The sensors can detect motion up to 10 feet away.

These lights are eco-friendly and highly-efficient. They are also heat-resistant and water-resistant so you can use them outside during a variety of weather conditions without any problems.

Since these lights do not require wires, you can put them up anywhere on your property. You can even place them on stairs to illuminate walkways at night.

• They get a full charge in 24 to 48 hours
• They only go on when motion activates them

Pros

• The lights turn off automatically to preserve the battery power
• The light is very bright
• These lights are easy to install
• They are very sensitive to motion

Cons

• Not for those looking for an aesthetically pleasing light, these may scare your visitors

4) Sunkly Hanging Solar Lights

Thees Hanging Solar Lights look like an antique lantern, a really nice look that can compliment the right landscape installation.

You can place them just about anywhere, but they are best for posts on fences or porches. The light that they emit is a yellow color, casting a soft glow where you place them. They have a candle flame effect.

These lights are waterproof so that you can leave them outside during all types of weather. The casing is both metal and plastic to ensure durability.

The solar function turns itself on automatically so that as soon as the sun comes out, it starts to charge. The charging feature shuts itself off automatically at night.

• They only take four hours to charge fully
• They will last approximately eight hours on a full charge

Pros

• These are easy to install on fence, porch, or deck posts
• They are not overly bright
• The light looks similar to a flame from a candle
• The illumination is soft

Cons

• Some users reported a shorter life than normal

5) Maggift Pathway Lights

The Maggift Solar Pathway Lights provide a warm white light wherever you place them. They are about 16 inches tall. You just push them into soft ground to install them.

There are six lumens, so these are relatively bright compared to similar pathway lights. You can keep them outside during rain, snow, and frost, and they will not sustain any damage.

To charge the lights, just remove the remove a tab on the cover. You only need to do this once. Make sure that they are in direct sunlight during the day to get a full charge.

• They charge in six to eight hours
• The light they produce lasts for up to 10 hours

Pros

• They emit a gentle light
• They are easy to install
• You can place them anywhere the ground is soft

Cons

• Easy to pull out of the ground due to the short pole

Buying Guide

Looking for help choosing the right solar light for you? We’ve got you covered. We’ve done the research and have put together everything you need to know about solar-powered lights and how to choose the right ones for youl

How Do Solar Lights Work?

Solar lights contain photovoltaic cells, which basically absorb sunlight during the daylight hours to charge batteries inside the light. Then, at night, the bulbs turn on using the electricity from the battery power. No wires, no replacing batteries, no fuss.

Since these lights do get their power from the sun, it’s pretty important that you place them in areas where the sun hits them directly for at least eight hours. This amount of time should provide sufficient power to allow for illumination throughout the night.

Battery Capacity

Each option you look at should provide estimates about how long a battery with a full charge will last. Nighttime can range from 8-12 hours depending on where you life and the season. Remember that certain times of the year have less sunlight, so you need to take this into consideration when picking the best battery capacity for your lights. Also, the older the light, the less battery life they tend to have.

Picking the Right Color

The bulbs inside solar lights come in a variety of colors. The most common colors are amber and soft white. However, you can find them in other hues too, such as green, red, and blue. Which color is best depends on your outdoor decorating scheme and personal preference.

Design

There are solar lights in just about every design option you could want. For example, you can find them in a stake design that you push into the ground, or in a spotlight design that only comes on when it detects motion.

Lighting Effects

Some sun-powered lights have different effects that you can take advantage of. For example, you may be able to adjust the brightness of the lights. Some also change into multiple colors or only activate a result of motion. Who would have thought we needed so many options for something so simple?

Brightness

You can find a variety of brightness levels with solar lights. On average, they provide about the same amount of light you’d expect from a standard 40-watt light bulb. However, there are plenty of solar lights that provide a stronger level of illumination. Heck, some are as bright as a spotlight.

To determine how bright the light will be, look at the lumens. Lumens are a measurement that describe the visible brightness of the light. You will find solar light lumens ranging from an average of one to 30. More Lumens = brighter bulb.

Maintenance

Solar lights require practically zero maintenance due to their design and technology. Since the sun is responsible for charging these lights, you never have to worry about plugging them in or changing the batteries.

Once a month, look at the lights to ensure that there is no structural damage, such as cracks. If structural damage is present, it is best to replace them. You can also clean them so that dirt and debris do not obstruct the light that they put out. Of course, no battery lasts forever so eventually you’ll have to replace them…most likely every 5-10 years.

Safety Benefits

Outdoor lights – especially motion-activated ones – provide an easy and affordable way to make your home safer. Burglars are far less likely to approach homes that have lights, and automatic lights can be a strong deterrent.

See this video below from Life Hackster.

Conclusion

Solar lights are pretty cool technology. From floodlights, to pathway lighting, to faux candles, there are a ton of options out there, and they’re all convenient, eco-friendly, and pretty affordable.

What lighting options did you choose for your yard? Let me know in the comments below!