Solar Light Buying Guide

What is an LED?

Solar lights are equipped with LED's. An LED, or Light Emitting Diode, contains a chemical compound that gives off light when an electric current passes through it. They've been around for many years, but only recently has the technology advanced so that they can be made bright enough to actually use as an independent light source.

How much light does an LED produce?

LEDs put out a tremendous amount of light for their size and energy draw. They create almost no heat and use very little electricity. In general, an LED uses about 1/10th the power of an incandescent bulb and they are up to 90% more efficient than both fluorescent and neon bulbs of similar wattage. Best of all, an LED will last thousands of hours; some have been tested to over 50,000 hours (vs. a standard flashlight bulb that will only last a few hundred hours).

A common mistake is to compare wattage between LED units and their incandescent and fluorescent cousins - wattage is a function of power consumption, not brightness.

What are the advantages of Solar Lighting?

An advantage of buying solar lights is that LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product. Low voltage incandescent and fluorescent systems will need bulb replacements often and add cost and inconvenience to the product.

LED Lighting Guide*
1-2 LEDs (equivalent to a night light)
3-5 LEDs (equivalent to a desk light)
6-8 LEDs (equivalent to a porch light)
9 LEDs and Up (equivalent to a flash light)

*This is only to be used as a reference when comparing brightness of a solar light. Items pictured may vary in brightness depending on the wattage used.