The 10 Best Garden Lights
Editor's Notes
June 01, 2020:
During this busy round of updates, half of our previous selections – the Favolook 3 Pack, SolarGlow LED, Solarmart Lilies, TomCare 2-in-1 and VicTsing Spotlights – all needed to be removed due to availability issues, and were replaced by a host of new additions including the Pic Killer Torch — which doubles as a bug zapper, the Osord 2-in-1 — which features a flexible design that can be either wall- or ground-mounted, and the Tdyjwell Ground Disk — an eight-pack of low-profile fixtures that you can safely go right over with a lawn mower.
A few things to think about for this category:
Location: While most of our selections can easily be installed by any DIYer with a basic skill set, it’s obvious that each model was designed with specific installation methods in mind, so take care to select a set of fixtures that work well with the space you’re decorating.
Ground-mounted models with integrated stakes – like the Gigalumi Outdoors, Maggift Pathway and Zuckeo Landscape – tend to dominate this category, but we have included some wall-mountable options – like the MaxVolador Wall Washer and Osord 2-in-1 – and even included the Amir Solar String to ensure that string lights got some much-needed representation in this category. If you think string lights are a feature your project could benefit from, we maintain a separate set of rankings for string lights, as well as an independent page reserved strictly for solar string lights.
If ground mounting is the way you want to go, but you’re somewhat particular about what height your lights needs to be at, the Pic Killer Torch is a choice you might be interested in. Its adjustable pole can see your light supported two, three or four feet off the ground, according to your preference.
Power Source: Conveniently, solar-powered LEDs are the driving force behind much of this category, resulting in a wide selection of excellent options that, so long as they have decent exposure to the sun, should require no electrical wiring. A couple notable exceptions are the MaxVolador Wall Washer — a simple plug-and-play option, and the Zuckeo Landscape — an eight-pack of low-voltage lawn fixtures that need to be wired up to a separately purchased voltage transformer.
Despite the obvious drawbacks, in terms of their inconvenient installation processes and extra costs associated, one benefit of line-voltage selections like these is that they present users with the option of hooking them up to an outdoor remote control outlet, which can make controlling your lights much easier. Another benefit worth considering is that you can easily situate these lights in any shady area, without worrying about whether they’re getting enough sun during the day to shine all night. By and large, I’m still a major fan of solar lights, but for these reasons, there are still times when a line-voltage selection might be advisable.
Flexibility: Although we feel that all of our selections for this category might make great additions to your garden, there are a few, which we think are worth mentioning, that are suitable for other applications, as well. While the Pic Killer Torch comes with a tabletop base that make it easily useable as a patio bug zapper, string-light selections like the Amir Solar String might come in handy when it comes time to decorate your Christmas tree, and models like the MaxVolador Wall Washer may pair nicely with a bubble machine or fog machine, if ever the urge to throw a dance party comes over you.
Now that you’ve got that sorted out, all that’s left to do is pickout a new garden fence, some landscape speakers and a hammock and your outdoor space should be just about good to go!