Buying Solar Garden Lights? I'm a Gardening Editor And These Are the 5 Facts You Need to Know First

I’m a sucker for a solar light, and I’ve bought far more than my fair share over the years. Some are still brightening up my backyard season after season; others stopped working after one summer and went straight into the trash. And believe me, what died and what survived hasn’t always correlated with cost: I forked out a fortune for a solar lantern that barely lit the patio table it was standing on. The bargain pathlights I picked up, though? 10 times as bright.

This inconsistency particularly bugged me. I am, after all, choosing solar lighting because it's a sustainable and easy option over wired-in or battery-operated lighting when creating a nightscape garden. Sub-standard or short-lived products were neither.

Through trial and error, I’ve worked out what’s worth paying for and what’s not when you're shopping for garden lighting, as well as the small print you should pay attention to. Here’s everything I learned, so you don’t make the same mistakes I did.

The 5 Variables You Need To Know

Sure, we all buy solar lights because they’re pretty. But if you want them to be practical, too, these are the variables to base your buying decisions on.

1. Weatherproof Rating

How long a product will last outside, subjected to everything the weather can throw at it, depends on its Ingress Rating (IP). This measurement shows how well protected an electrical or mechanical product is in its environment. An IP has two figures: the first relates to solid matter, such as dust, on a scale of 0–6; the second relates to liquids, scaling 0–8.

Many solar lights are rated IP44, and this indicates that solid particles smaller than 1mm can’t penetrate and it’ll cope with splashes of water. So, an IP44 lantern such as this Boho Wicker Lantern from Amazon will be fine in the garden in dry weather, but leave it outside permanently and it’ll quickly fail once fall arrives. To be rain- and dust-proof, a product needs a minimum rating of IP65, like this similar Solar Rope Lantern from Amazon.

For long-term use, a second digit of 6 means it’ll withstand the heaviest rain, 7 indicates it’ll cope with temporary submersion, while 8 shows it’s fine to be permanently submerged. Even if you’re not planning to submerge a lamp, a maximum IP rating of 68 is a real asset for a light in an exposed position, such as these Nymphy Pathlights from Amazon.

Don't waste your dollars on durability, though, if you simply want a product to style up your garden for one season.

One-Summer Up-Styles

2. Light Output

The other figure you’ll spot when you’re shopping for solar lights is the number of lumens (LM), a measure of how much light the product puts out. If you want to add some garden ambience, then a light with a rating less than 100 lumens will give a welcoming warm glow. However, if you want enough light to enable you to see your way around the garden after dark, look for products with at least 200 lumens.

So, to simply pretty up a path, you might choose these Dimmable Solar Pathway Lights from Amazon with 10–40 lumens, but if your aim is to actually illuminate that path, these Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights from Amazon with 300 lumens would be a smarter buy.

Looking for security lights? Some solar lights carry a sky-high output, such as these Motion Sensor Floodlights from Amazon with a rating of 3,000 lumens.

Lots of Lumens

3. Bulb Warmth

Choosing the bulb color to match its purpose makes a world of difference. A warmer, yellow-toned white light creates a welcoming, cozy atmosphere, like this Nfever Lantern from Amazon; a colder, blue-toned white light gives a crisper, brighter look, like this UBright Lantern, also from Amazon.

If you enjoy sharing your garden with wildlife, then it’s good to know that a warm-toned light distracts critters less than a cold-toned one. There's plenty you can do to limit the effect of lighting on wildlife, too.

Warm Tones for a Cozy Ambience

4. Solar Panel Material

Solar lights work by using a solar panel to harness the power of sunlight and convert it into electricity. These panels are typically constructed from silicon-based photovoltaic cells – but not all are created equal.

On older, cheaper products, you’re likely to find polycrystalline panels, which absorb less sunlight than more expensive monocrystalline panels. If you live in a sunny climate, or if the product isn’t emitting a high level of lumens, then a polycrystalline panel is perfectly adequate. But if you want lights with a high lumen output to work well even in cloudy conditions or on short winter days, it’s worth paying the extra for a product with a more efficient panel made from monocrystalline.

Mono panels are a smart move, too, if the light will be positioned where it only gets sun for part of the day.

These Solar Deck Lights from Amazon and these Solar Security Lights, also from Amazon, look pretty similar, but the first has monocrystalline panels, the second polycrystalline. I know which ones I’d buy.

Products with monocrystalline panels usually state this fact but, if there’s no indication, you can take an educated guess by the color: poly panels often have a blue hue, while mono panels tend to be black. Poly panels may also carry the abbreviation PET.

5. Battery Capacity

While we’re talking about cloudy, short days, let’s look at batteries, too. Almost all solar lights now have batteries, meaning the electricity generated from the sunlight can be stored and used to power the lamp after-dark. However, the light’s long-term performance is heavily impacted by its battery type and capacity.

Most solar lights feature Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries. These give a good balance of capacity, cost and lifespan, and are – as far as batteries go – environmentally friendly to produce. However, older and cheaper solar lights are often fitted with less efficient and less eco-friendly Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries.

At the other end of the spectrum are lithium-based batteries, offering greater capacity and a longer lifespan, though this premium option often comes with a price tag to match. There are two types, with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) batteries now beginning to supersede Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) technology; the former are more expensive, but they last longer and tolerate extreme hot or cold temperatures better.

If you’re buying a product that’s going to be fixed in place and used for prolonged periods over several years, like these Solar Wall Lights from Amazon, or one that uses a significant amount of energy such as a floodlight, then a lithium-based battery is worth the splurge – otherwise, a NiMH battery will do its job just fine.

When you’re comparing top-end products, check the battery capacity too. This is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh) and ranges from 300mAh to 1000mAh-plus. The higher the rating, the greater the capacity.

Lithium Batteries for Longevity