For the most relaxing time spent with your family and friends outdoors, you should go with an excellent invention with no need for battery replacement and no extra utility electricity cost.
If you are stuck for inspiration, keep on reading to see our list of the best outdoor solar string lights!
- Brightech Ambience Pro Solar String Lights BJ-4TZ9-8ISY – Best overall
- BINZET Solar String Lights Outdoor 8542006644 – Best fairy light
- FOXLUX Solar String Lights 8541866378 – Best for patio
- Toodour Solar String Lights – Multi-use
- Brightown Solar Outdoor String Lights – Longest working time
Best outdoor solar string lights
Brightech Ambience Pro Solar String Lights BJ-4TZ9-8ISY – Best overall
- Bright enough to grill and eat by, without being overpowering
- Heat-resistant (up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Withstand wind, rain, and damp climates
- Deliver good value for your money
- Expensive
These commercial grade weather-proof gazebo lights feature lovely shatter-proof retro Edison bulbs which look gorgeous on a balcony/back patio or in a garden and give off a warm, nostalgic glow.
Unlike other products on our list, these Italian-style bistro lights are incredibly powerful!
Instead of using 1 watt of electricity for the whole string with 12 S14 bulbs, it consumes 1 watt each bulb – for a total consumption of 12 watts. That means greater brightness – a big plus if you’re looking to light up your whole patio or porch.
The only thing that users don’t love about the Brightech Ambience Pro Solar String Lights BJ-4TZ9-8ISY is their higher price compared with most products available in the market.
Product Specifications
| Color | 3,000K soft white light |
| Charging time | 6 hours |
| Working time | 5-6 hours |
| Material | Plastic |
| Bulb quantity | 12 |
| Length | 27 feet |
| Highlight features | 20,000-hour lifespan, Brightech’s durable WeatherTite Technology, a full 3-year warranty. |
If you don’t mind spending good money on a high-quality unit, an extra-durable bistro-style light fixture like the Brightech Ambience Pro BJ-4TZ9-8ISY can produce ample illumination for your entire patio for multiple seasons.
BINZET Solar String Lights Outdoor 8542006644 – Best fairy light
- IP45 waterproof and heat-resistant
- Flexible and bendable
- Durable enough to experiment with any shapes
- Energy-efficient
- Highly flexible
- Safe enough for all family members
- Easy to store and ready for the next use
- Uncoated thin copper wiring
As this delicate strand is made from thin and bendable copper, you can string these LED lights virtually anywhere from patio, pool, pathway, and deck to garden and yard.
Each 32.8-ft strand comes with 100 tiny yet excellent LED lights that can work for 8 to 11 hours after being fully charged in 8 hours under sunshine.
Tuck these LEDs in a lovely jar to dress up a dessert table, take them to the beach for an evening picnic, or wrap them around shrubbery or tree branches for the picture-perfect outdoor oasis. Let this carat diamond ultra-bright & silver string make every single night a starry night!
What users complained about is the uncoated thin copper wiring which is not as durable as expected.
Product Specifications
| Color | Warm white |
| Charging time | 8 hours |
| Working time | 8-12 hours |
| Material | Plastic and thin & bendable copper |
| Bulb quantity | 100 |
| Length | 33 feet |
| Highlight features | 100 excellent LEDs, safe double mode, upgraded solar panels, low power consumption, long time warranty. |
The BINZET Solar String Lights Outdoor 8542006644 takes your daily backyard, friend reunion, or weekend picnic to the next level.
FOXLUX Solar String Lights 8541866378 – Best for patio
- Weatherproof, shatter-proof, bright, and sturdy
- Safe for your use
- Automatically turn on at night
- Easy to install & use
- Could be more durable
The FOXLUX Solar String Lights 8541866378 can solve this issue by including a light sensor for an elegant & vibrant atmosphere all night long!
Upgraded larger-capacity 5V/3000mA solar panels on this specific fixture also help shorten the charging time of these built-in 3000mAh lithium batteries. A good charge of 6 hours under sunshine will allow for a long operation time of 6-8 hours at 100% brightness, with a soft and warm golden glow covering your outdoor living space.
Though the Foxlux Solar String Lights 8541866378 can work without these AA batteries, they always act as a standby for usage in the rainy season.
The only problem that some customers note is that this unit stops working earlier than expected.
Product Specifications
| Color | 2200K warm cold light |
| Charging time | 6 hours |
| Working time | 6-8 hours |
| Material | Heavy-duty rubber |
| Bulb quantity | 16 |
| Length | 48 feet |
| Highlight features | 25000-hour rated average life, waterproof sockets, 5 V/3000mA solar panel, heavy-duty 48 ft flexible rubber strand design, and paper instructions for easy setup. |
FOXLUX Solar String Lights8541866378 are perfect for creating a relaxed & romantic ambiance in your outdoor living space.
Toodour Solar String Lights – Multi-use
- Withstand all patterns of weather
- Energy-saving
- Automatically light up at dusk and turn off at dawn
- Ideal for a lot of applications
- Short cable
What makes the Toodour 200 LED Solar String Lights outstanding, though, is the 2 different switches and 8 different modes making it great for multiple applications and keeping the lights new & fresh for many seasons to come.
This set comes with a 72ft long string great for hanging inside the outdoor table umbrella, putting on your gazebo, wrapping around a tree, or lining your tent’s edges to illuminate your campsite.
These lights are stated ‘warm white’, so expect something around 2,000K-3,000K on the Kelvin scale – not the harsh, bluish-white like any other cheaper LED string lights.
The minor drawback is the 6.5-ft cable requiring more effort put into finding a suitable place to put the panel.
Product Specifications
| Color | Warm White |
| Charging time | 6-8 hours |
| Working time | 6-8 hours |
| Material | Heavy-duty rubber |
| Bulb quantity | 200 |
| Length | 72 feet |
| Highlight features | 2 Switches & 8 Different Modes, IP65, lighting sensor technology, 1200mAH NI-MH rechargeable battery, built-in memory chip. |
For your home, deck, garden, yard, wall, and landscape, Toodour Solar String Lights are the best décor solution.
Brightown Solar Outdoor String Lights – Longest working time
- More shatter-proof than traditional glass bulbs
- IP44 waterproof for performance in any regular type climates and on rainy days
- Provide value for years after purchase
- Easy to charge
- IP44 waterproof
With from 4 to 8 hours of direct sunlight on a beautiful day for a full charge, these solar string lights can last for up to 16 hours if being used on the continuous light mode– roughly double the working time of other products on our list.
What’s more? They come with four alternative lighting modes including quick-flash, slow-flash, pulsating light, and steady light.
The minor drawback seen here is that these string lights by Brightown which are rated at IP44 cannot be as waterproof as the units with an IP56 rating. Though they can withstand light to moderate rain, it is not recommended to leave these string lights outdoors all day & night.
Product Specifications
| Color | 2800K-3000K Warm White |
| Charging time | 4-8 hours |
| Working time | 16 hours |
| Material | Plastic |
| Bulb quantity | 20 |
| Length | 20 feet |
| Highlight features | Adjustable solar panel, 4 light modes, 120° wide-angle range, solar/USB powered. |
Delivering a good value for your money, Brightown Solar Outdoor String Lights are the best solution for long-lasting performance at night.
How to choose the best outdoor solar string lights?
Color
Solar string lights are available in all colors of the rainbow. Thus, it is vague to only look for ‘white’ lights. Most solar lights are cool white or white, which appears in a crisp almost bluish color.
Consider warm white for a warmer shade similar to that of incandescent bulbs.
Color temperature
Kelvin scale accurately measures the true color quality of a light. The higher the Kelvin degrees the whiter the color. A warm white LED comes in at around 3,000K while cool white or white typically falls around 5,000K.
Lifespan
While solar LEDs light bulbs themselves can last at least ten years before burning out, their batteries are believed to last from 3 to 4 years before you need to replace them. When your LED lights are not capable of maintaining charge to provide illumination during the night, it’s high time to change these parts.
Light modes
While some outdoor solar string lights only can be turned on/off; others can get activated manually using a switch yet can automatically go off according to the surrounding ambient light. The one between the steady light & flashing modes is the best option.
Who makes the best outdoor solar string lights?
Foxlux
Starting with the desire for creative, fun, and timeless lighting system inside their home & office, the founder of Foxlux has developed it into one of the world’s biggest & strongest LED string light manufacturers.
From architectural floor lamps to glowing strings with vibrant vintage bulbs, all products by this US-based family business are not only eye-catching but also functional.
Brightech
Knowing that everyone wants to have lightweight & durable fixtures to enjoy the best lighting experience in their outdoor living space, Brightech has been offering customers the types of products chosen by professional decorators and designers.
Let’s create a magical ambiance for your garden parties, patio, or intimate get-togethers!
Brightown Lights
Brightown Lights is the leader in the lighting industry. From pathway & patio lights to string & accent lights, all fixtures by this manufacturer are among the strongest and most energy-efficient models with a better quality illumination distribution on the market.
FAQs
Do solar fairy lights work in winter?
As long as the solar panels can receive a decent amount of sunshine to power up these batteries to a point that the light fully functions, solar fairy lights, regardless of their manufactures, can work in winter.
Whether it is in summer or winter, outdoor solar lights charge themselves in exactly the same way. The biggest difference between summer & winter is that the length of time from sunrise to sunset decreases.
Do solar lights work on cloudy days?
Though solar panels cannot generate electricity as much as they often do on sunny days, solar lights still can work in cloudy weather. Anticipate the amount of powered produced equal to one-quarter of their productivity on a normal sunny day, or one tenth on a very cloudy day.
Do solar lights work in the rain?
Both visible & infrared light can be the power source of solar lights. The cloudy weather, rain, and even the harshest storms can’t make it completely black. Still, there is visible light that can penetrate through rain & clouds.
Also, during the rainy season, these solar panels can absorb all the diffused light that bounces off the ground & collides with dust, clouds, and haze.
If your solar LED lights don’t work after a flooding activity or a big rainstorm, you should replace the battery and dry out its casing area.
How long do solar lights stay on at night?
The more sunshine the solar panels receive during the day, the longer the solar lights themselves can stay lit at night. Most models require more than 6 full hours under the sun for a full charge, and they are expected to run up to no less than 8 hours. The bigger-sized the battery, the longer the LED lights can work.
Conclusion
If you don’t have enough time to read the full review of every single lighting fixture out there, it’s better to check out our article of the best outdoor solar string lights above!
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I’m James J. Decker, a hobbyist and DIYs and also a big of home improvement and gardening tools. I immensely enjoy how these amazing products improve productivity and efficiency, and allow me to do jobs for which I would’ve otherwise needed professional help.
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