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A solar floodlight in your driveway or front yard may come in handier than you think. Whether you want to be able to get up to check on the dog at night, look out for your spouse or kids coming home or feel protected from intruders, the best solar flood lights will give you peace of mind without wasting your money or energy.
The Upgrade Option
Cyberdax 100W Solar Powered Street Flood Lights
An extremely bright light that can be set on a timer or schedule. The Cyberdax floodlight goes above and beyond what a standard floodlight normally does.
The Value Option
A-Zone Solar Motion Sensor Light Outdoor
A smaller, compact floodlight with a motion sensor and solid performance at a lower price, perfect for someone on a budget.
How to Choose the Best Solar Floodlights
Before we get to our reviews of specific products, let’s talk about how to pick out the very best solar floodlight for your needs. While some systems will be better suited for your individual household, there are a few common features of solar floodlights that you will want to look out for.
Brightness
What matters most in a floodlight? How bright it is, of course! For the best security, your floodlights need to be bright enough to completely fill an outdoor space and allow you to see clearly.
In floodlights, brightness is measured in lumens, which is a term to describe the visible light. In other words, the more lumens a floodlight has, the brighter it will be. We recommend a floodlight to have more lumens than an average household lightbulb.
For your reference, a light that you might put in your kitchen or bathroom generally has around 800 lumens, while the brightest floodlight on our list has 5,000. If you are looking for a floodlight for a large area, the more lumens the better.
Run Time
Having solar-powered lights is great for your energy bill, but they can be a little annoying when it comes to their run time. The best solar-powered floodlights will hold their charge well and be able to run for a long time continuously before they need recharging.
To elaborate, most solar-powered lights require about 7 to 8 hours of full sunlight to charge up completely. The average runtime for a floodlight is around 5 or 6 hours – that means 5 or 6 uninterrupted hours of light. The longest runtime on our list of floodlights is up to 20 hours.
Floodlights with dimming settings or motion sensors will help to conserve energy and extend their runtime. If you are looking for a floodlight to stay on all night or for longer periods of time, keep an eye out for those energy-conserving features.
Weatherproofing and Reliability
Another important factor in finding the best solar powered floodlights is how long they are going to last. Regardless of the cost of your lights, once you have installed them in your home, you are going to want to keep them there for a long time, without having to hassle with repairing or replacing them.
That’s why it is important to look for floodlights that will hold up well to wet or stormy weather. For the best reliability, look for floodlights that are waterproof and corrosion-resistant – especially if you live in an area that sees a lot of rain or snow.
Sometimes simpler is better for reliability. The less special features and modes a set of floodlights has, the more likely it will be to last for years without repair.
Modes
Even though simpler floodlights are often more reliable, you can benefit a lot from a light system that has dimming modes, automatic shutoff, and motion sensors.
A light with motion sensors is great for security. The sensors will automatically detect movement and turn on automatically – they can also be set to shut off again after a certain period of inactivity. This also helps to save energy in the lights so that they will be charged to run whenever they need to throughout the night.
If you don’t want your lights to shut off fully, a dimming mode is also helpful to help conserve energy.
Attached vs. Detached solar panels
In some lights, the solar panel is directly attached to the light itself. This makes installation a little easier, but it also means that you have to mount the light somewhere it will receive a lot of sunlight during the day.
Other lights come with a separate solar panel that can be mounted in another spot. That means a little more effort setting up the system, but you will be able to get the most charge by mounting the panel somewhere it will stay out of the shade and get the most sunlight possible.
If your light has a lower run time, detached panels would be the best choice, to help it get the most charge. Likewise, if the place you want to mount your light is in the shaded through much of the day (like on the side of a garage or under an awning) you should also look for a model with a detached solar panel so that you can properly charge it.
Best Solar Floodlights Reviews
Sunforce 82123 120-LED Triple Head Solar Motion Light
The Sunforce triple headlight is one of the best options on the market right now, in terms of price, durability, brightness, and features. It is waterproof and has a long enough run time to stay on all night if you need it to.
It has a motion sensor range that can be adjusted according to your needs. In other words, you can decide exactly where the movement will trigger the floodlights – this can be helpful if you don’t want a swinging door or movement on a walkway to turn on the lights, for example.
The second setting on the light controls the length of time that it is on after the motion sensor has been triggered. This helps you to save energy and set the light to stay on for only as long as you will need it before it automatically shuts off again.
This light has 1000 lumens. That is not the brightest out there, but bright enough to make a dark area completely visible without being too shocking. The solar panel is not mounted directly on the light but comes with a 15-foot cable.
That’s enough length to mount the light wherever you will need it, and still be able to mount the solar panel separately somewhere it will get plenty of direct sunlight.
All things considered, the Sunforce Triple Headlight is our best pick overall because it is reliable, has adjustable settings, and a great run time, and it comes at a really fair price. If you are looking for the best floodlight system out there without overpaying, this Sunforce could be the best way to go.
Pros
- The Ultra-clear design maximizes the amount of sunlight streaming into your pool.
- The Heavier design makes it durable and wind-resistant.
- UV protection for long-lasting solar coverage.
- 6-year warranty.
Cons
- Run time can vary dramatically depending on how much charge it gets during the day
- Waterproof but may be damaged with serious stormy weather
Cyberdax 100W Solar Powered Street Flood Lights
This Cyberdax floodlight goes above and beyond what a standard floodlight should do. It comes at a much higher price than the other options on our list, but with that price, you get extreme brightness, a consistently long run time, and a variety of adjustable features.
One of the coolest things about this floodlight is the brightness. It has 5,000 lumens – by far the brightest floodlight on our list. That brightness could make it a great choice for someone looking for a security floodlight.
The light operates in two different modes. The first is an automatic on/off mode. You can set the light to turn on and shut off at certain times so that you will always have light at night and conserve energy during the day.
No need to worry about it losing charge – the maximum runtime on this floodlight is 20 hours, so it will always stay on through the night. The second mode is a timer. With the compatible remote control, you can set the light to turn on for 3, 5, or 8 hours, and then shut off automatically once the light is off.
One drawback to this floodlight is that it does not have a motion sensor – that is why it falls just short of our number-one spot. But with the handheld remote and easy controls, it could be awesome for someone that wants to keep a large property lit up at night for security purposes
Pros
- Detached solar panel – mount it wherever it will get the most sunlight
- Super long run time
- Far-reaching light – illuminates approximately 300 square meters fully
- Adjustable modes
- Will automatically shut off, either at a certain time of day or at the end of a set duration
- Easy to control with wireless remote
- Durable and weather-resistant – IP67 waterproof rating
Cons
- Much pricier than other options
- Does not come with a motion sensor
- The light itself is fairly small – for a farther reach, you will need to purchase more (3-4 units will light a whole basketball court, for example
A-Zone Solar Motion Sensor Light Outdoor
This next option might be the best choice for someone looking for a reliable solar powered floodlight on a budget. It is a little smaller than the other lights on our list, but it has a surprisingly long run time (up to 40 hours) and a few high-tech features.
The A-zone light has a motion sensor with a range of 26 feet. It has 800 lumens of visible light. The light beam is a little smaller and more concentrated than others, but it will illuminate the area around the motion sensor range pretty well.
That means it could be a good light to mount above a driveway, to help you safely park and get out of your car at night. It could work equally well over a front doorway. T
he solar panel is attached to the light, but it is on a 360-degree swivel so that it can be angled to catch the most sunlight during the day. The look of the light is actually really helpful for security – it is designed to look like a mounted security camera, which might help to ward off break-ins.
Pros
- Motion sensor with a fairly long range
- Photocell sensors automatically shut the light off when it is light outside – you will not need to set it to turn off.
- Lightweight and durable aluminum construction
- Amazing run time
- Single unit – easy to mount and adjust
Cons
- Much dimmer than others on our list
- Smaller, concentrated light beam
- No waterproof rating – there is some risk of it wearing down or having some technical issues after a storm.
Conclusion
All three of these floodlights are some of the best in the business right now. There are plenty of reasons to like all of them, but we think one stands out above the other two.
The Sunforce Triple Headlight meets all of the features we discussed earlier in this post. It has a motion sensor with adjustable settings, a detached solar panel, and it is waterproof and reliable. On top of all that, it comes at a really reasonable price. The Sunforce light simply has all the requirements of a great solar powered floodlight.
That said, any of these options could work well in your home. Whether you are looking for an extra security measure or just a way to light up your driveway when you get home late, one of these solar-powered floodlights should do the trick.
