Cheap But Good Solar Lantern
No one likes a nice solar lantern more than me – trouble is they can be expensive. Here’s a solar lantern from 21st Century Goods that’s both good on price and features.
The Soladyne 7450 solar lantern comes with 12 bright LEDs and a built in solar panel that can provide 7 hours of eco-friendly light from 10 hours of bright sunshine. What if you don’t get 10 hours of bright sunshine on any particular day? No problem, it comes with a hand crank for when solar charging isn’t available. One minute of winding will give you half an hour of light.
Alternatively, you can charge the lantern using a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter (included) or with an optional AC charger.
Quality Solar Deck Lights
Although it’s easy enough to source solar powered deck lights these days, the problem is often that its difficult to find lights that actually give a decent amount of light. This is particularly a problem with cheaper types of deck lights – they usually don’t have a very bright light to begin but also often only have limited openings for the light to come out from.
Not so the solar deck lights from Kansas based Moonlight Decks. The lights are big – three inches tall and 4.5 inches in diameter – and designed in transparent acrylic so the light is bright and emits in all directions.
Solar Patio Umbrella Light
Solar patio lights come in all shapes and sizes but the this has got to be one of the more ingenious – the solar powered patio umbrella light.
Providing a generous nine feet canopy with a UV and water resistant coating, the umbrella has sixteen LED solar lights in the spreader rods attached to the ribs. These LED lights are how the umbrella provides ambient glow lighting in the evening.
Solar charging comes from a weatherproof panel at the top of the umbrella which provides the rechargeable batteries with eight hours illumination time.
Cozy Solar Lanterns
Energy efficient lighting meets modern design in these cozy solar lanterns from Earth Tech.
The Soji Modern lantern will automatically charge itself during the day and switch on at dusk to give a warm golden over your garden, deck or path.
Each 9″ x 9″ lantern comes with two high powered Amber LED lights, solar panel and rechargeable battery.
Soji Modern lanterns come fully assembled and ready to go and are available in three color patterns – Pure White, Peal Motif and Mineral Motif.
Are Indoor Solar Lights Right for you?
While many people have heard of solar garden lights for drives and pathways, fewer people consider buying indoor solar lighting. There many areas around the house where it can be difficult or expensive to install traditional, mains powered light systems – garden sheds, garages, gazebos and so on – but these are all ideal locations for a little bit of solar powered magic.
Because there aren’t any mains wires or cables to deal with indoor solar lighting is very easy to install. The most important thing to remember is that your solar panel will need to be at least approximately south facing so that it can capture the most amount of sunlight.
Make sure the spot you choose is free of shade caused by buildings or trees for most if not all of the day.
Kits for indoors are often more expensive than outdoor solar lights – but remember the extra cost will be offset by the reduction in electricity bills and over a relatively short time period will pay for itself.
Discount Solar Path Lights
If you’re thinking about buying new pathway or driveway lights it’s well worth considering buying solar path lights. Aside from the obvious power savings – not to be sniffed at in today’s financial climate – they’re also very easy to install.
Most solar pathway lights are self-contained units. Just buy as many as you think you’ll need to light up your pathway – you can always buy more later. They’re among the cheapest form of solar lighting you can get and you can normally find a great deal of a pack of three or four.
Remember, because they’re solar powered there aren’t any wires to worry about so need to dig up the garden. Although the stake design is the most common form of solar garden lights – where you need to push the stake into the ground, you can even get lights designed to look like rocks. Just lay them next to your pathway or driveway to “install”.
Choosing Solar Garden Lights
There’s an almost endless choice of solar garden lights to choose from. If you’ve never looked into them before you might be surprised just how much variety there is in solar garden lighting.
Aside from cost, you’ll need to think about what type of lighting you’re looking for. Is it just a decorative effect or do you need a more substantial light source, for example, for solar security lights?
The easiest type of garden lights to install is the ’stake’ light. It’s a plastic or metal stake with the light and small solar panel at one end and a point at the other. Just push it into the garden earth or your driveway and wait for sundown.
You can buy each solar light individually and they’re cheap way to light a garden path or driveway.
Solar Light Cap
The Hat that's a Solar Charger
Looks like the ubiquitous baseball cap has had a solar makeover. UK company Solar Select has come up with a hat that has a solar panel on the top part of the brim and LED lights on the under side. Result? After a full day hiking you’ll have enough light stored to carry on for half the night.
The initial charge takes three days (!) after which the hat takes eight hours to fully recharge. Each full solar charge will knock out five hours of light. The light can shine from 6 feet / 1.8 meters up to 30 feet / 9 meters ahead of you, depending on the jauntiness of your cap angle.
The manufacturer notes the product is “hands free” – which is definitely something most people look for in a hat.
The Solar Light Cap from Select Solar (UK).