Outdoor LightingProduct Reviews
Written By The Lighting Guide
One of the questions we get asked the most at The Lighting Guide is: What is the best solar-powered pathway light?
Over years of testing hundreds of products, we know that this isn’t a simple question to answer. As solar landscaping lights have risen in popularity, the number of brands selling these products has grown dramatically. Today, you can find countless solar pathway lights on Amazon, big-box retailers, and specialty lighting stores. To complicate matters more, these products often look very similar — and in many cases, are made by the same manufacturers.
In our research, we’ve found that there’s no one best solar light. The choice comes down to a variety of factors including budget, durability, battery capacity, and personal preference. Thus, instead of providing a single recommendation, we’ve compiled a list of our favorites for different needs.
Enjoy, and happy lighting!
Categories:
Best value solar light
Best mid-range solar light
Best premium solar light
Best modern solar light
Best multi-color solar light
Best torch solar light
Best smart solar light
Best solar light for shaded areas
Best budget solar pathway light
If you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the 16-pack of SUNNEST solar lights. These have a modern, minimalist, and elegant steel design and boast a battery life of up to ten hours.
I’ve had these lights for five years now, and except for a few, they’ve lasted well over Seattle’s showers and occasional snow storms. On a cloudy winter day, they’ll produce a dim glow in the evenings, while at the peak of summer, they last from dusk to dawn.
They come in a variety of colors, including cold white, warm white, and a multi-color design that would look great for parties and holidays.
Pros:
Great value - about $1.50/unit
Easy to assemble and install
Waterproof and rust-resistant
Cons:
Thin material, prone to dents
Some reviews mention that not all lights worked when they arrived (although I’ve ordered 32 and never had any problems)
Best mid-range solar pathway light
If you’re looking for a higher quality light, we’d recommend the Balhvit glass solar light. Compared to our budget choice, the Balhvit has a faster-charging battery and higher quality materials, with a glass surround and thicker stainless steel.
The glass seems to magnify the light and cast a nice diamond pattern on the ground. It also seems to last slightly longer, up to 12 hours on a sunny day. The light comes in both warm white and cool white.
Pros:
High-quality materials and a durable, weatherproof design
Brighter than your standard solar light
Casts a fun pattern on the ground
Cons:
None - this light strikes a great balance between quality and price
Best premium solar pathway light
If you’re looking to instantly elevate your landscaping, consider the Linkmoon solar path light. We’re obsessed with this stylish pillar that screams luxury with its warm glow, rust-proof aluminum design, and high-quality construction with concrete anchors.
The Linkmoon stands 32” tall with a 180-degree illumination angle to produce an impressive amount of light with an 8-10 hour charge.
Pros:
Sturdy, highest quality construction
Sleek modern design
High intensity light output
Cons:
$$$
Best modern solar pathway light
If you’re looking for a more sleek, modern design, try the Bobcat pathway lights. These lights feature a thin design, a fast-charging solar panel, and high-efficiency LED chips that enables a brighter glow than most solar lights.
The lights can also toggle between warm white and cool white and come with an unmatched two-year warranty.
Pros:
Super bright output
Ability to switch between warm and cool white
High-quality construction
Cons:
The brightness of the light causes the battery to drain faster, lasting 6-8 hours on a sunny day
Best multi-color solar pathway light
If you’re looking to make more of a statement with fun multi-colored lights, we recommend the Nupostai. These lights can be individually set to warm white, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or purple. (We love the purple/orange combination for October). They also project a colorful sunflower pattern on the ground and can last up to 13 hours on a sunny day.
Pros:
Configurable colors - including classic warm white
High-capacity battery
Cons:
Slightly bulkier design than most pathway lights
Best solar torch light
If you’re looking for more of a Tiki torch effect with a life-like flickering flame, I’d opt for the Permande Solar Torch Lights. These solar-powered torches look great, both at a distance and close-up, and will make your backyard feel like a resort.
We’ve had these for several years now and just love watching the flames dance and cast shadows on the surrounding areas. They’ve held up well through the years and weather, even when we’ve moved them around and packed them in a car to take on camping trips.
They tend to use their battery reserve a little faster than your traditional solar light. They look fantastic in the Seattle summers but tend to be fairly dim in the overcast winters (although they are part of our Halloween display every year).
Pros:
Realistic flickering flame effect
High quality, durable and weatherproof design
Cons:
Tends to use up the battery quicker than your standard solar light, so better suited for sunnier areas
Best smart solar pathway light
A newer category in our 2023 list, smart lights can be controlled from your phone and connected to a home automation or security system. If you’re a Ring user, we recommend checking out the Pathlight product, which is can be configured to either stay on from dusk to dawn or turn on any time motion is detected. You can even get alerts on your phone every time motion is detected.
Pathlight also works with other Alexa-enabled devices, allowing it to be part of a larger automation routine or turned on/off by voice command.
Pros:
Elegant design with high-quality materials
Connects to your home security system
Long battery life, especially if using in motion sensor mode
Cons:
Requires a Ring Bridge (included in the starter kit or sold separately)
Best solar pathway light for shaded areas
While we all strive for a uniform look, solar lights will naturally have different brightness levels depending on how much direct sunlight they get during the day. Large trees, fences, and structures can cast shadows that render solar lights less effective in parts of the yard. If this is the case (and you don’t want to deal with the hassle of wired lights), you may want to consider the NESENNI 3-in-1 solar landscape lights.
This unique design features one light that has a large 3.5W fast-charging solar panel, which connects and transfers energy to two non-solar lights. This means that only one of the three lights needs to be placed in sunlight, while the other can be placed in shaded areas. The lights also feature three intensity modes, the highest and brightest of which lasts up to eight hours while the low-light mode can last up to 25 hours on a single charge.
Pros:
Offers greater flexibility for all climates
Brighter than most solar lights
Cons:
Requires a cable connecting the lights to one another (but not to a wall outlet)
And there you have it — our top picks for solar-powered pathway lights.
The Lighting Guide
