The Best Solar Path Lights of 2024 for Illuminating Outdoor Walkways, Tested
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Solar Path Lights of 2024 for Illuminating Outdoor Walkways, Tested and hope the blog can help you.
We tested the most popular walkway lights for quality, luminosity, and durability. Before choosing a set for your home, find out how these trending models fared in our hands-on testing.
Solar path lights can help you enjoy outdoor activities well past sunset without adding to your electricity bill. We wanted to know how illuminating these lights were, so we researched more than 50 solar path lights and tested the top ones in our own yards.
The models we tried out encompass several styles, and we found a favorite: Beau Jardin Color-Changing Solar Pathway Lights. While all the products on our list scored well in our tests, the Beau Jardin set stood out for its real glass shades, long-lasting illumination in various selectable colors, and classic style that complements any landscape.
Keep reading for our top tips and recommendations when shopping for outdoor solar lights, and find out how the following products earned a spot in our lineup of the best solar path lights for most users.
- BEST OVERALL: Beau Jardin Color-Changing Solar Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Maggift Solar-Powered Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST DUSK-TO-DAWN: Gigalumi Warm White Solar Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR COLOR: Osord Color-Changing Solar Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FLICKERING FLAME: Dynaming Flickering Flame Solar Torch Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST PATTERN DESIGN: Anytalk Sunflower Solar Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST TALL LIGHTS: Alfiot Solar Pathway Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST TORCHES: Aityvert Flickering Flame Solar Torch Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR STEPS: Audles Solar Step Lights
↓ Jump to Review
| Testing Stats | |
| Products tested | 11 |
| Time spent testing | 45 minutes per set |
| Tests performed | 3 to 4 |
| Price range | $30 to $60 |
Our Top Picks
The solar path lights in our lineup feature various designs. Some are more utilitarian, while others are more decorative, boasting chic profiles and casting pretty patterns of light on the ground. Brightness and maximum illumination time vary between models, too.
Best Overall
Beau Jardin Color-Changing Solar Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 4/5; Light Quality 5/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 4.5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 8
- Materials: Metal, glass
- Lumens: 10
What We Like
- High-quality materials
- Textured glass creates an attractive light pattern
- Turns on at dusk and off at dawn
What We Don’t Like
- Spikes may stick in ground when light is lifted
Made from rust-resistant steel and featuring thick glass light shades in an attractive diamond pattern, the Beau Jardin solar pathway lights earned our top spot in the lineup due to their long-lasting walkway illumination.
Assembly was simple: We attached the ground spikes to the steel posts, turned on the on/off switches beneath the twist-off tops, and then reattached the tops. The batteries were already in place. We then inserted the lights in the ground and waited. It was early, and the day was sunny, so the solar chargers would have plenty of time to reach a full charge before nightfall.
When dusk fell, the lights flickered to life, emitting a bright white glow and casting an attractive mandela-like pattern on the ground. (We also had the option to choose from four other colors in addition to white.) The Beau Jardin lights were still shining the next morning, shutting off only at dawn, making them true dusk-to-dawn lights. Over the next few weeks, the lights withstood rain and wind and occasionally served as bird perches. The Beau Jardin lights lit up throughout the 3-week testing phase, even after cloudy days. We found them to be beautiful, durable, and high quality.
Get the Beau Jardin solar path lights at Amazon.
Best Bang For The Buck
Maggift Solar-Powered Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 3.5/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 5/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 6
- Materials: Plastic
- Lumens: 6
What We Like
- Affordable price point
- Clear plastic shades look like glass
- Stay lit all night
What We Don’t Like
- At 6 lumens, these are not as bright as other options
You don’t have to spend big bucks to enjoy the ambience of solar path lights. The Maggift solar path lights are an affordable option to higher-priced lights, and they light up just as well.
Rather than utilizing metal and glass, the Maggift lights are made from plastic—but their plastic housing is thick and durable, and their see-through plastic shades are as clear as glass. Without actually handling them, you might not even know they’re made of plastic. We took extra caution when inserting them in the ground to ensure the plastic posts didn’t break; the ground was hard when we tested these lights, but none cracked.
When dusk fell, the Maggift lights came on, emitting a soft white glow that was enough to illuminate the sidewalk so that we could see it clearly. At just 6 lumens, these are not as bright as some of the other sets we tested, but they were still lit when the sun rose, and they stood up well to wind and rain.
Get the Maggift solar path lights at Amazon.
Best Dusk-to-Dawn
Gigalumi Warm White Solar Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 4/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 4.5/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 8
- Materials: Metal, glass
- Lumens: 10
What We Like
- Striking bronze color
- Attractive light pattern
- Dusk-to-dawn illumination
What We Don’t Like
- More lumens would help provide greater light spread
We found the deep bronze metal color of Gigalumi’s solar pathway lights to be the perfect complement to their clear glass shades, and we liked how they looked both during the day and at night. The multifaceted design of the glass shades illuminates the ground in a starburst pattern, with dozens of tiny points of light radiating outward in a circle.
Perhaps best of all, these are true dusk-to-dawn lights; they were still shining bright when the sun rose in the morning.
The Gigalumi solar lights are made well, but two of them succumbed during a wind storm that tore off a section of a downspout and tossed it right on the lights. The force broke the glass shades right off the metal posts, but we feel that any of the other solar path lights would have suffered the same fate had the downspout struck them. The remainder of the Gigalumi lights held up well and continued to shine night after night.
These lights are well made, and if you’re looking for long illumination, they won’t disappoint.
Get the Gigalumi solar path lights at Amazon or Gigalumi.
Best for Color
Osord Color-Changing Solar Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 5/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 5/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 4
- Materials: Plastic
- Lumens: 150
What We Like
- Color selection is easy to use and customize
- Provides bright, clear colors
- Large illumination area with 150 lumens per light
What We Don’t Like
- Relatively short illumination (under 6 hours)
With their bright-colored lights, Osord’s solar pathway lights are showstoppers. They offer 150 lumens of brightness, so they’re capable of illuminating a relatively large area. We found that they cast their widest glow when the bulbs were turned to white, which was bright enough to see clearly about 3 feet away from the front of the light. Unlike some of the lights that shone in a circular pattern, the Osord lights are made to shine in a fanned-out pattern.
The posts and light shades are made from heavy-duty plastic, which is substantial and seems quite durable. We changed the color of the lights by pressing a button on the back underside of the head, which allowed us to scroll through seven shades: white, red, blue, green, purple, cyan, and yellow. Cyan and blue were nearly identical, however.
The Osord lights were among the first to run out of battery power—they’d all gone dark before the 6-hour check, and they behaved the same way on subsequent nights. Still, they’re a colorful option for someone who wants to extend outdoor entertaining a few hours after dark.
Get the Osord solar path lights at Amazon.
Best Flickering Flame
Dynaming Flickering Flame Solar Torch Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 4.8/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 4.3/5; Value 4.8/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 6
- Materials: Plastic
- Lumens: Not listed
What We Like
- Realistic flame effect
- Choice of solid or flickering effect
- Can be hung like little solar lanterns
- All-night illumination
What We Don’t Like
- Not as durable as some
If you’re a fan of outdoor campfires, you might fall in love with these flickering solar landscape lights. We certainly did. The lights let us choose between a solid, warm yellowish light and a flickering light, and we chose flickering every time. We were surprised at how realistic the flame looked, very much like a gas yard light we once had—alluring and almost hypnotic.
Installation was straightforward but not as user-friendly as we would have liked. To set the lights up, we had to remove the cage, pull the battery protection strip, and then reinstall the cage. That’s pretty typical, but the opaque inner sleeves had a tendency to fall out during the process. Once we put them together, it was smooth sailing.
These pathway solar lights offered a perk none of the others did: We were able to remove the ground stakes and hang the lights via an attached handle, similar to hanging string lights. We really liked this feature because it allowed us to illuminate the walkway while keeping the lights out of our puppy’s curious reach. Another perk was that the Dynaming lights came on at dusk, flickered throughout the night, and were still going strong at dawn. If you’re looking for a flame effect, these landscape path lights will not disappoint.
Get the Dynaming solar path lights at Amazon.
Best Pattern Design
Anytalk Sunflower Solar Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 4.5/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 5/5; Value 4.8/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 6
- Materials: Metal, plastic
- Lumens: Not listed
What We Like
- Visually appealing sunflower and butterfly designs
- Durable steel stakes and laser-cut cones
- Easy to assemble
What We Don’t Like
- Slightly higher price point
If you’re looking for a decorative floral effect from your outdoor solar lighting, it doesn’t get any better than this. Anytalk’s solar path lights turn sidewalks and patios into delightful silhouettes of sunflowers and butterflies.
The set of six lights is easy to assemble. Each light features durable steel stakes and laser-cut metal cones fitted with LED dusk-to-dawn toppers that snap into the cones’ tops. These outdoor path lights are made to last, too—during testing, they weathered a rain shower and kept shining. While they don’t offer a wide illumination path, their decorative effect is spectacular.
We could make out the sunflower designs on grass and nearby foliage, but we found the best decorative effect when we used these as solar patio lights. The flower and butterfly shapes were clear and defined on our concrete patio. These solar yard lights are a bit pricier than standard outdoor path lighting, but if you want to create a magical effect, these are the ones to purchase.
Get the Anytalk solar path lights at Amazon.
Best Tall Lights
Alfiot Solar Pathway Lights
Photo: Amazon
Our Ratings: Installation 5/5; Light Quality 4.8/5; Appearance 5/5; Durability 4.5/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Number of lights in set: 8
- Materials: Plastic
- Lumens: Not listed
What We Like
- Durable plastic construction
- Taller height for better visibility
- Pleasing warm white illumination
What We Don’t Like
- Height discrepancies are more apparent