Solar path lights are a great way to illuminate driveways, walkways, yards, or gardens in the house. They increase visibility and safety at night without consuming electricity. It makes them a suitable option if you are planning to buy pathway lights.
You will not need to lift an extra electricity bill burden due to these lights as they work on sunlight. You will also save the cost of electrical wiring from your house's main panel to each light pole.
They also elevate and highlight the different features of outdoor space and landscape. A solar panel charges the batteries during the daytime, and the battery lights up LED in the night. This way, you reduce the electricity bill, getting the same benefits as a standard path light.
Standard path lights can have a giant or a smaller top head. In contrast, solar path lights have a spacious structure to fit a small solar panel at the top.
If you plan to install path lights in your garden or backyard, solar path lights are the best option to invest. There are plenty of options available in the market. Here, I will help you to choose the best one, which suits your needs.
It is necessary to find your needs for selecting the solar path light of a particular brand. Every solar path light has its features depending on the price and components used in the light. You should take these points in mind while selecting a solar path light.
There may be one or many reasons you are going to use the solar path lights. You need to take these points in mind while selecting the solar path lights.
We install the ground solar path lights on the ground level. They are waterproof to avoid any damage to the light. They directly come into your eyes while walking on the pathway or near these lights. Due to this reason, many people do not like them. In contrast, landscape solar path lights are installed at height. They through light on the sides or below them based on the design and features.
Unidirectional solar path lights are suitable for the light at an angle on one side of the pathway. They highlight the features while concentrating the light on the walkway or the specific object. This way, a smaller power rating light is enough for some applications. Omnidirectional solar path lights are suitable to lit the area in all directions. They highlight the space around the path light.
When the light comes out of a simple path light, there is no particular pattern or texture on the ground. Simple lights are suitable when we need only a highlight to an area with no specific pattern. Textured path lights have a pattern designed on their glass lens. It produces a pattern of light on the ground or nearby objects.
Now, I will give you in-depth details of some of the best solar path lights in the market. I will review their features while keeping in mind all the factors discussed earlier.
There are many famous brands in the market as well as online stores. Selecting the best solar path light of their choice is a difficult task for many people. Here, a review of some selected products is presented, covering the solar path lights' technical and aesthetic features.
BEAU JARDIN Solar Path Light is the real glass stainless steel solar path light with waterproof housing. Due to the actual glass, they give off a bright light. The stakes are made of stainless steel and ABS plastic. A bonus point is that they create a beautiful snowflake on the ground due to a glass lens pattern. The solar path light comes in a pack of 8 with light sensors. These sensors turn on or off the light based on day and night, thus saving energy and battery life.
All you need is to install it once, and the controller will do the job. The light is easy to assemble and all-weather-resistant. The steel body and rugged ABS plastic give the light a long-lasting life.
This 6 lumens light needs 6 to 8 hours to charge and gives a backup of around 8 to 12 hours at night. The battery life depends on the daytime duration, as it needs a bright sun for 6 to 8 hours to get it charged. They are available in white light and colorful light, having seven auto-color changing feature.
GardenBliss manufactured this elegant, reliable, and long-lasting path light. The light comes in sizes of 8 inches and 12 inches. The pack includes ten lights, each of them has a double waterproof seal to avoid any damage from a raining.
The light gives a remarkable enhancement to the landscape or the garden. You will get a more considerable LED light in this solar path light, making it brighter than other brands. These LED lights do not have a long life due to the same battery size used in other smaller solar path lights.
The manufacturer claims that the light will last longer than 30,000 hours, which is quite a long time for this price point.
For installation, remove the protective sheet from the solar panel. Assemble the solar light by connecting the post and head, and nail it down in the ground with a soft hand. If the soil is hard, dig a hole in the ground. Otherwise, it may damage the lamp post.
InnoGear is one of the best brands selling the best solar path lights in the market. This solar pathway light has a body of high impact ABS plastic material, which makes it rust-free. The glass lens makes an eye-catching pattern on the ground.
It has an auto on/off feature in day and night to save battery life and energy. The light has a monocrystalline solar panel. It has a higher efficiency than a polycrystalline solar panel, used in many solar path lights.
If you want to have some fascinating features, this path light is a suitable option. It has two operational modes, the white light mode and the color-rotating mode. The color-rotating mode gives you a spectacular and striking look for a function at your house.
It has a 1200 mAh battery, which gives you a longer backup time during the night. One box includes 6 InnoGear solar lights and a user manual to guide you about the installation. The installation is effortless and can be done by yourself.
The Solpex solar path light is one of my favorite path lights due to its traditional and classic style. The unique design of the lantern helps it fit neatly in any environment and mood. The light comes with four small solar panels held at the top, keeping the battery charged to use it at night.
If you are looking for a high brightness solar path light, this one is the best option as it has two LED lights in one lamp. This antique light has a real glass lens, which helps in reflecting more light. The four small solar panels compensate for the amount of power required for this high brightness solar path light.
The material used in it is a glass lens with a plastic body. The seller offers these lanterns in a pack of 6 lights. Like other good solar path lights, it also has an automatic turn on/off feature based on day and night. As explained, this one is high brightness light, a backup time more than five hours is not expected.
Voona solar path light is a well designed outdoor light. The light has a plastic lens instead of a glass lens, which produces a sun pattern effect. It makes a beautiful pattern on the ground and nearby objects when turned on in the night. Rays coming from properly spaced lights make this pattern more eye-catching.
They are available in a pack of 8 lights. As the manufacturer claims, they are 6 lumens but seem to be lower than the claimed value. Due to their elegant design, I will suggest using them to decorate your garden. This light did not fulfill my expectation in terms of brightness. You will not get enough light to make your pathway or walkway visible.
They have a plastic lens instead of glass, used in other big brands. The body is stainless steel, which gives a longer lifespan. The type of light is a warm white light through the patterned plastic glass lens. The manufacturer provides only one choice of silver and white. The battery life after a full day charge is around 8 hours. It includes 30 days of a full refund if you find any issue in the light.
For party decorations and particular functions at your house, these solar path lights are the best option. ABS plastic in the mainframe of the Geloo solar pathway light gives it durability and long life. You will get a solar panel of 0.88 W with a battery of 1000 mAh capacity, which provides a good backup.
It is a perfect match for outdoor decorations with changing colors. It enhances the landscape view. The sun effect looks stunning with these continually changing colors.
The lights come with an auto on/off feature to enhance battery life and energy-saving. It will give you about 8 hours of illumination on a charge of 6 to 8 hours in full-day sunlight. The manufacturer provides a 12-month warranty with 30 days money-back guarantee as well.
Some questions may come into your mind while selecting the best solar path lights for your walkway. Here, you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
The output of solar path lights decreases after raining or snowing due to water splashes. It will need you to clean their solar panels after raining or snowing to get enough light to charge the battery. You should clean the lights once in a week or two, depending on the air's dust content. If not cleaned, the solar panel's efficiency will be affected, and you will not get enough battery backup. To clean the solar panel, take a soft cloth lightly soaked in water and clean the solar panel's top.
The solar panel needs direct sunlight to charge the battery. It would be best to consider the building’s shades in the pathway before installing the solar lights. Otherwise, you have to compromise on the efficiency and productivity of solar lights.
There are plenty of solar lights in the market with different storage rating of the battery. A smaller battery may find it difficult to completely charge in the winter to give you the expected backup.
Good solar path lights are maintenance-free and do not have any upfront cost. Many solar lights have damaged batteries due to more extended storage in the warehouse. You may need to change the batteries of some lights for first use. It is one of the expected costs for many units after two years of usage.
