If you’re thinking about purchasing solar lights for your backyard, patio, or garden, there’s plenty of components you need to consider before landing on your final selection. From lights featuring LED technology to the newest models with photovoltaic cells as a power source, you need to make sure you select the best solar light that is durable and will stand the test of time.
We took matters into our own hands, did the research, and narrowed the vast solar light offerings on the market down to a list of the top products available. For the best solar lights you can purchase today to a thorough buying guide just for you, keep scrolling.
Out of all the solar outside lights available, one of the easiest to install are solar pathway lighting. These are lights that you use to light up you driveway or walk ways. Usually solar pathway lighting are self contained units that you just take out of the packaging and stick in the ground. What could be easier?
Here, you can read:
- Here our selection of Solar Outside Lights and Pathway Lighting
- A couple of things to consider first before you buy a pathway lighting
- Illumination of paths and roads.
- Illumination of roads with solar stakes
- Ground lighting
- Lighting of embeddable roads
- Illumination of roads in embedded ground with solar panel
- Illumination of roads with different stakes designs
- Examples of lighting with beacons
- Solar Spot Lights
- Uses Of Solar Spot lights
Here our selection of Solar Outside Lights and Pathway Lighting
A couple of things to consider first before you buy a pathway lighting
First of all, you want to make sure that the locations you have chosen for your lights are accessible to sunlight. If not, you will need to get lights that have a separate solar panel that you can place in a sunlit area, or they will not charge enough to give off light at night.
The second consideration is the type of lights. Solar pathway lighting are a little different from other types of solar lighting, like solar outside lights with sensor, in that they are designed to point the light downward towards you path or driveway. If you accidentally get accent lights and hope that they will light up your walkway, you will be disappointed. They will not put out nearly enough light. There are some solar accent lights that you can use to cast a glow on your walkways, but “cast a glow” is about all they will do. Be sure you think about how you want the lighting to look, so that you know the exact type of light to get.
The third consideration is the quality of the light. Do your research. Make sure the manufacturer uses quality solar cells and LED bulbs. Check the “lumens” to make sure they put out the right amount of light. Here is a tip for you. Check the lumen rating for a solar light that you like. Then go to the “flashlight” isle. Most flashlights tell you the lumens and offer you the ability to test the light in the store. Check out the flashlights that have the same lumen value as the solar path lights that you like. That will give you an idea of whether or not it will put out enough light for your application.
Other than that, just stick them in the ground and watch them work. Easy!
Illumination of paths and roads.
One of the most requested options in the gardens is the solar lighting of paths. The advantages of this type of solar garden lighting are many. From safety to avoiding stumbles to the saving of having a high number of lights on a path without bulging the electricity bill. Putting an illuminated path in our garden is very simple thanks to solar stakes that improve the visibility of our gardens. If the path is made of wood and we are little hands we also have solar floor lights that can give a much more sophisticated look to our greenest area. This type of solar garden lamps are the most used although there are other alternatives such as wall lights or solar lanterns.
Illumination of roads with solar stakes
Solar stakes are one of the easiest forms of lighting to place. There are many types of models from the most sophisticated to the most classic. we also have solar torches that imitate the light of the fire in our garden giving it a much more tribal touch.
Ground lighting
to illuminate floors we can use this type of sunlight. It adapts perfectly as much to earth soils as any other type of soil if we want to fit it in wood or stone they look very good. Before placing them I recommend to load them and place them even if they are lying down and at night to see the illumination and to place them in a correct way with the illumination of the suitable way.
Lighting of embeddable roads
This is another type of recessed light in the ground, the difference with the previous one is that the battery is a little more durable although the ease of installation in soft soils is more complicated. Depending on the type of lighting we need we can choose one or another or intercalarlas depending on the area
Illumination of roads in embedded ground with solar panel
If we need an extra lighting we can buy solar garden lights with external solar panel. The good thing about this system is that there will be no difficulty when it comes to improving the installation or giving more power. Also the lights will last longer at night. The bad thing is that when carrying cables the installation is more complicated.
Illumination of roads with different stakes designs
There are many designs of solar stakes to illuminate the path of our garden and we can choose the one that best suits our needs. The classic streetlights are a good alternative for rustic gardens and the more modern for gardens with more white tones. The advantage of solar stakes over wall lights is that we can change them at any time we need and put them anywhere we need extra lighting. Accessories can be installed in vertical conduits, on a wall next to the ladder, or under the floor.
Down
When placed on top or on a tree, solar spotlights create a moonlight effect, bathing a ladder or a stretch of path in a soft glow.
Roads with stakes
Placed on stakes driven into the ground, these lamps have a huge range of decorative styles, but their real purpose is to project light downwards, towards your feet.
Placement
As a general rule, it is best to light from above. A lamp in a tree covers more soil than one installed at knee level. Spacing It is not necessary to illuminate every inch of the road perfectly. We can play with the shadows as long as they are not too accentuated and it will be much better and more natural.
Positioning
Badly directed lamps can annoy and dazzle, especially that of stairs and uprights. It is necessary to place carefully the lights in these zones since to be dazzled while we climb a staircase is not anything pleasant so the lateral lights to put them down well that do not protrude of the staircase and if we are going to focus from above to make that the light falls straight and not of side. When we place the lights in a way is better staggered and not one in front of another…
Examples of lighting with beacons
| Concrete zones | Road lighting | Stairs | stairway lighting |
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Lighting with solar beacons or stakes is usually the best result . In addition this type of solar lighting for gardens can be moved so we can change the style of lighting according to the time of year or according to changing our garden fence. One of the limitations of classic garden lighting installations is that at the time of putting or removing plants we must be against the electrical circuit that goes under the ground. When we use this type of solar garden lighting the facility to move the lights will make it possible to configure the landscape of our garden to our liking and at any time.
The solar wall lights to illuminate roads are highly recommended especially on stairs .
We already know that ladders, especially in winter, are a danger. that is why we must buy good lights for ladders that allow a powerful lighting all year round. In winter when there is less sunshine the load of the lights may be lower. Even at the end of the night if the solar lights are not good the power of the light is very little. That is why we always advise that for the most sensitive areas of the garden do not skimp on the cost and buy a quality sunlight.
Quality solar lights last longer because the battery has much more charge cycles.
Look at the type of light battery it’s carrying. Also the lumens and the intensity of the light. The advisable thing for the sensitive zones of the garden is to buy solar appiques of fast load that they load in 4 or 6 hours . thus in the 8 or 9 hours of light of winter although this one is not intense or it is cloudy we will have load enough to support all the night. Another option for these areas is to buy a solar panel with a good battery and place a circuit for the most dangerous areas. even if we already have our garden lit connected to the electricity grid we can consider placing a solar panel and attach it to the circuit that you already have in the garden to save money.
Solar Spot Lights
Solar spot lights vary according to uses and to ensure that you choose the best solar spot lights, we will be giving you tips on what to look out for. Whilst we won’t be able to cover all the features you can consider, we are sure our tips will go a long way to help you reach your purchase decision.
Installation
Importantly, you should choose solar spot lights that you can easily install and this can is visible due to the absence of wiring. In addition, if you have a preference of your light shining from above, choose solar lights that you can mount on walls. Also, if you prefer your lights to shine from down up, buy solar lights with spikes that you will stick in the ground.
Size
Sizes of solar lights vary and you must note that because the solar light is bigger doesn’t mean that it is better. If you are trying to make your solar light discreet, then you should choose a smaller solar light.
Storage Batteries
Storage batteries are one of the most important features of solar lights and this is because they are where the energy from the sun is being stored. When solar panels collect the energy from the sun during the day, the batteries are what will ensure that you get to use the light at night. This is why you should choose batteries that can hold a charge for long. The different batteries available for purchase include; lead-acid batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries and nickel-cadmium batteries.
The best type of solar battery remains the nickel-cadmium batteries. This is because they are cheap, easy to install and known to hold a charge for long. Besides, ensure that you also choose a battery with high capacity. This is because; the higher the capacity, the longer they will serve you when you need the light.
Sensors
Another feature you might want to consider is sensors which include motion detectors and light sensors. The motion detector sensors work by turning the light on immediately it detects movement around its radius. This is very good for security and you can have a heads up if there is any unwanted movement around. Also, the light sensor works by turning on the light immediately the solar light senses darkness and turns on immediately it senses light. This helps to end the stress of having to turn on or off the solar lights yourself.
Uses Of Solar Spot lights
Apart from the general use of solar spot light which is for lighting the environment, they have some other benefits. We will be highlighting these benefits in subsequent paragraphs.
Security
Solar spot lights are very good for security purpose and this is because they help light up the environment. Also, some solar spot lights have motion detectors that turn on after detecting movements around it. This makes it easy to spot intruders early.
Showing Off Structures
When trying to put a focus on specific structures in your house, then solar spot lights are a good way to. This is because they are very bright and you do not have to worry about extra electricity costs because you want to put attention on structures.
Useful In Situations of Blackouts
Another fantastic use of solar spot lights is when there is an unprecedented blackout. With solar spot lights, you can rest assured that you will have the surroundings lit up when the blackouts happen. Also, it is possible for you to take the solar spot lights into your house to brighten the interiors.
Last update on 2020-07-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API