Are solar lights worth it? Five truths from a product tester | Homes
I''ve tested plenty of solar lights, and I think they can be worth it – but only sometimes. These are the five truths I''ve learned from years of testing
In our guide about how to buy solar lights, I went over lumens and Kelvin, measures of brightness and color. For bright solar lights, you need around 300 lumens, and it should be above 3000 Kelvin for a bright, light white that illuminates everything. Bright solar lights can be worth it, you just have to shop around.
If you need more options with your outdoor lights, these lights can be transformed into any color, so they're perfect for atmospheric lighting. Solar post lights are particularly cheap compared to wired-in post lights. For example, this four-pack of Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights at Amazon costs $79.95.
That said, it can be hard to find good solar spotlights, whereas most wired spotlights do the job. You often can't replace the bulbs in solar spotlights, so wired spotlights are better for longevity. These four landscape lights are IP64-rated, so they should last for a long time. Best of all, they're pretty cheap.
One of the biggest benefits of solar lights is that they don't need to be installed. Most of the time, the only thing you need to do is push the solar panel stake into the soil and switch it on. This is a huge timesaver compared to lights wired into your utility power.
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