Amazon solar light deals – how to get the best savings on string, security, and solar spotlights

Solar lights have a deservedly bad reputation. Many of us will have bought cheap festoon lights on a whim only to find that they barely produce light and break within months.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on Amazon. The site is flooded with cheap lights listed under fake names with sketchy reviews, and it can feel like there are no solar lights out there worth your money.

However, as a product tester, I've found a handful of lights that are worth buying. A good set of lights for under $10 sounds too good to be true, but in a tiny number of cases it's actually a good deal. These products are still surrounded by some dicey business practices, but the actual lights themselves are great

What's the deal with solar lights?

Solar lights don't have 'brands', as such. Apart from Brightown and Brightech, solar light brands don't exist. Instead, solar light models are created in China (at least, almost always in China) and exported.

The importers, usually Chinese, but often small American operations, then put a fake 'brand' name onto their lights, typically a random string of letters. I've seen my favorite solar lights listed under dozens of names, originally as 'Usboo', but in this sales period, they're listed as 'LORRYET' and 'Cottone'. The importers slowly sell all of their stock and then remove the storefront from Amazon. They then repeat the process.

This means that the market is flooded with cheap lights that don't always work. It's technically above board, but it seems sketchy because the brand name shifts. It also means that there's no customer service if your lights break.

However, there are still some gems that are worth considering. While there are poor business practices around the lights, the underlying product is still good. It's as if the name of the iPhone changed every other week - it's a little shady, but there's nothing wrong with the phone itself.

I've tested several different models of solar lights, and some have lasted for years. I've seen the same product listed under dozens of names, but the actual lights are often surprisingly sturdy - and usually at a low price, especially around Prime Day.

Best Amazon solar light deals

When is the best time to get a solar light deal?

Prime Day and Black Friday are the best times to buy solar lights. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that the two events see the cheapest prices throughout the year more generally. The second is that garden equipment and decor see the lowest prices in winter, because demand is low but supply is high after the summer. Big brands want to get rid of their summer garden equipment to make way for new stock, so you often find the best prices on garden products during these fall and early winter sales.

How can you tell if you've found a good solar light deal?

Solar lights are already pretty cheap, so look for deals that give at least 30% off for the best value.

What's more important is to know how to buy good solar lights. Look out for lights with at least IP65 weatherproofing, but aim for IP68 for the best protection. Look for lights of at least 100 lumens to ensure they're bright enough to provide practical lighting.

What's a good price for solar lights?

There are lots of different types of solar lights. For string lights, aim to pay between $20-$40. For solar spotlights, expect to pay $30-$40 for a set of two lights. For solar security lights, pay between $30-$50

Solar lights are far from the only thing on offer for Prime Day. Our experts are all over a huge range of deals from the best bedding deals to the best vacuum deals.