10 Best Solar Lanterns For Money [Review and Guide 2021]

We’ve been always concern about lightening our indoors such as bedrooms, drawing rooms and even bathrooms. But what about lightening up outdoors?

A beautiful source of light can be a real beauty enhancer of your lawn, garden or driveway.

But, it costs money as long as you prefer to pick an electrically powered up lanterns.

What if you think about a solar power source?

A best solar lantern that will power it up automatically from the daylight and lighten the garden at night?

Yes, I know you have been curious about solar lanterns and understand it’s essence already. And to help you out in this process is the sole intention of writing this entire post.

What we’ve done in this article is, we did a week-long research on all the available products of the market and picked out a set of most popular ones.

Then our experts did a thorough analysis and sorted them out based on performance and price-quality ratio.

Finally, we have a detailed list that contains the best solar lanterns of the market of USA.

Keep going through the article and we’re more than sure that you will have one that fits perfectly within your requirements.

10 Best Solar Lanterns in 2021

Let’s get started with a glimpse of 10 of them at once-

1. Smart Solar 3960KR1 San Rafael II Solar Mission Lantern

Presenting the #1 best solar lantern of the current market- the Smart Solar 3960KR1 San Rafael II Solar Mission Lantern.

What motivated us to keep the pick on the top of the list is its ultra consistent performance and a unique and elegant design that can withstand any kind of environmental hazards.

Apart from these two, there are some more features that received applause from the users. We will break them down below-

First of all, let’s have a closer look at the design. The 3960KR1 is made of all-weather poly and a seeded glass.

The advantage is, it will look all the same even after years of use. In fact, that’s what we all expect from an ideal garden lantern, right?

Moving forward, this solar powered illuminator is made to be an automatic darkness remover. What it means is, it will turn on at the dusk and turn off automatically when it’s dawn.

As a source of light, there is a couple of high-performance lamps(LED). And when they’re on, they create such a glowing effect that makes your beautiful garden even more delightful.

No matter it’s the garden pathway or the midst of a garden you can always use it as a source of visual beauty. The mission style design will a plus to the greens of the garden or driveway.

PROS

• Elegant mission style design
• Made of weather poly and seeded glass
• Can be placed ground or hung with hooks alternatively
• Turns on at dusk and turns off at dawn
• A perfect lantern for lawns, gardens or driveways
• 2 high performance LED lamps
• Durable till all the night

CONS

• Can’t be used as a portable source of light

2. SUAOKI Led Camping Lantern Lights

Camping lanterns are one of the most important essentials that backpackers had always kept with them. But the problem with traditional camping lantern is, they are either too bulky to carry along, or comes with a very high price. We didn’t find any portable light source that can both of the problems together. Until we met the new SUAOKI Led Camping Lantern.

It’s not made to use to increase your lawn’s beauty. Instead, it’s a backpacker’s essential. The foremost feature that turned out it to be so is, it’s adjustable dimension. You can collapse it into a size of iPhone 6+, and even fold it down to carry in the backpack easily.

Moving forward, we found three different lighting modes as per the situation’s demand. The settings are called High, Low and SOS, which pretty much explains the purpose.

To protect the lamp from overcharging, over discharging or any other problems regarding circuitry, there are a set of smart protection chips included. So don’t worry if you forget to unplug it from charging.

We have saved the best two features for the last.

First one is, you can charge it in two ways- the solar power, and through any USB ports of 5V. Usually, lamps like this come with a 5V USB output, but can’t take power input through such low voltage sources. But somehow, the engineers at SUAOKI made it happen.

Secondly, the most attractive feature of the SUAOKI Led Camping Lantern is its price. It costs very less than what it actually should. So, grab your one before the company decides to tag a higher price on it, however.

PROS

• Both solar and USB 5V power sources
• A fillable and compact sized lamp for outdoor enthusiasts
• Three different modes of light intensity
• Smart protection from electronic mishaps
• Can be used both in indoor and outdoor
• Very cheap price range
• Comes with a uniform light distribution from the lamp
• A backpacker’s best kit when he’s on an outdoor night out

CONS

• No USB power provider source to charge phones

3. MPOWERD Luci – The Original Inflatable Solar Light

You know the benefit of having a transparent finish of a solar lamp is? Yeah, you guessed it right, you will have maximum light intensity in any situation. That being the most unique features there are several other pros and cons that we would like to show you. By the way, the product name is MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Light from the brand MPOWERD.

No batteries or another source of power provided needed for this awesome lamp. All it needs is direct sunlight for 6-7 hours at a stretch and it can lighten up its surroundings for up to 12 hours.

To make it backpacker-friendly, the structure and design of this lamp are made to be collapsible and inflatable. As a benefit, you will have to face almost no hassle at all to carry it. In addition, it’s as lightweight as 4.4 ounces only. 

With the transparency of it’s finish, don’t think that water can go through its body. It’s a waterproof lamp and has an IP67 rating with it.

To create a strong source of light, 10 LEDs are combined inside the frame. And all these can be sorted based on three different settings- Bright, Super Bright and SOS(1-second flashing).

What most of the other lamps don’t have is a charge indicator. But the MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Light didn’t disappoint us and contains an indicator that will show you how much of charge is left in the battery.

Overall, we found the MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Light to be a perfect pick for both a static source or light and a camping essential. The only drawback is, it doesn’t have a carrying handle, and can’t withstand extreme level environmental hazards. Rest of the features are really praiseworthy.

PROS

• A clear finish with the transparent outer part
• 7 hours of full charging time
• 12 hours of maximum performance
• Collapsible and inflatable
• Weighs only 4.4 ounces
• Waterproof design with IP67 certification
• 10 LEDs with three brightness modes
• Contains a charge indicator
• A budget-friendly pick

CONS

• Doesn’t have a strong frame
• No carrying handle provided

4. Solar Lantern Lights Metal Sunwind

If you are concerned about the types of various solar lanterns, you might know that a motion/time sensitive lantern is the smartest kind of them all. And at #3, we’re presenting one of the high-end lanterns from the brand Sunwind. It’s named as Sunwind Solar Lantern Lights Metal and we loved every bit of it!

First thing first, we’re highly impressed by it’s vintage and elegant design. It consists of 30 small LEDs with a soothing light. Such a lantern will not only produce solar lights but also be a part of your garden’s beauty.

Worrying about the strength of its structure? Well, to make sure that it sustains all the odds of the outdoor environment, it’s made with metal frame and a strong glass.

To enlighten the dark spaces of your garden or lawn automatically, this lantern will turn on when it’s dusk, and get turned off at dawn. You won’t have even moments of darkness.

You can place it on any flat surface, or hang it over anything if you want. Because of the flat bottom and a hanging loop at the top, it’s made possible.

PROS

• No wiring or operating effort needed
• Turns on at dusk and turns of at dawn
• Metal frame with strong glass
• Flat bottom and a hanging loop at the top
• 200 LED bulbs with smooth light
• A great design to enhance your garden’s beauty

CONS

• Doesn’t have an alternative charging mode

5. AGPTEK Solar Lantern

Solar lanterns are supposed to be charged and powered up by solar power. But what if it’s rainy season or winter when there’s no sunshine at all? Will you accept these lamps to be no use at all?

Well, not until or unless you have something like the AGPTEK Solar Lantern.

This epic solar lantern has five different charging methods- Solar Power, Car Adapter, Crank Dynamo, AA batteries or AC adapters. No matter whichever you chose, it can be of use perfectly.

What comes with such a versatile charging method is its versatility in use. You can use it both in outdoor and indoor. In fact, it can be a source of illumination even in campings.

To provide the light, there are 36 LED bulbs that are distributed all around the axis of the lamp. You might wonder about the durability of solar charge that it sucks from sunlight. Well, the AGPTEK Solar Lantern has been proved as a low energy consumption. What it means is, it will keep lightening around for a longer time than usual models. 

In case you are on a camping night out and in need of a charging source to power up your phone? Worry not, as long as you have a 5V power USB output in this AGPTEK Solar Lantern.

Lastly, you can choose between the two brightness modes based on the place you’re in.

PROS

• 5 different charging modes
• Low consumption of energy
• 36 LED lights for a 360-degree coverage
• A 5V USB power outlet for charging your devices
• 2 different brightness modes
• An elegant design and strong structure

CONS

• The number of LEDs could have been more

6. CMB 2-in-1 Rechargeable Camping Lantern

Among many of the solar lantern types, one is the solar flashlight. In such lights, you can put a beam of light on a particular spot as per your necessity. Such a necessary source of light can help you a lot when you’re in camping or at outdoor night out. And one such product that checks the quality boxes is the CMB 2-in-1 Rechargeable Camping Lantern.

While going through the product, the most significant feature we found is its ultra brightness. Comparing to almost any other lamp of this price range, this provides a more intensity of durability of light. With a fully charged battery, it can keep going until an insane time of 12 hours!

Moving forward, you can use it both as a sanding lantern or a handheld flashlight. The structure is made in such a way that it can collapse into a smaller size, which turns it into a carriable flashlight.

As a bonus feature, the CMB 2-in-1 Rechargeable Camping Lantern will work as a standby power supplier through a USB port. Starting from iPhones to any of the Androids and Tablets, it can charge any mobiles.

Such an extraordinary solar lantern is a must-to-have while you are in outdoor activities like camping, hiking, fishing or anything similar. It can withstand all kind of environmental challenges as well. 

PROS

• A strong beam of light with more lifetime
• Can be used as a double wall lampshade
• Has a separate handle to carry it as a flashlight
• 2-in-1 collapsible design
• Made out of water-resistant plastic
• Perfect for both indoor and outdoor use
• 5 different colors and designs available

CONS

• Can’t be used in gardens, lawns or pathways

7. Smart Solar 3940WRM1 Riad 7-Inch Solar Lantern

Not always we consider a solar lantern as a life savior in darkness. Sometimes, we desire one to enhance the beauty of our patio or garden. On that note, now we’re about to discuss the most beautifully designed solar lantern of the market. It’s named as Smart Solar 3940WRM1.

The shiny part of its design is its yellow interior and a textured and distressed teal exterior. The presence of yellow interior will make more lights coming out of the source, and the teal outside will surely be a pleasure for the eyes. No matter wherever you place it in the garden, it will surely earn one’s complement. 

As it’s powered by solar power mainly, you have to place it under sunlight during daytime. Once the battery is fully charged, it can serve you with its textured lumens for up to 8 years.

The duration may seem little less than other picks of the list. But remember what I said? It’s more of a beauty enhancer than a light source provider. So, 8 hour seems okay from our perspective.

Now the next question is, where should you put it? Well, there is a flat bottom for placing it at outdoors, and a handle to hang in somewhere indoor. So, you can place it on the ground to have charges in, and they can use it both in indoor and outdoor as per your preference.

The soft and smooth lighting will be a part of your home/garden’s decoration and the no-wiring design will be a matter of wonder for whoever notices it. What do you say?

PROS

• Teal exterior and yellow interior
• Round shaped design for 360-degree illumination
• Soft and uniform light distribution
• Has a flat bottom and a hanging handle
• An enhancer of the beauty of your garden
• Soft and wire-free lighting
• A great textured outside of the lamp

CONS

• Can provide only 8 hours of lighting

• Way too pricey

8. Twinkle Star 8 Pcs Hanging Solar Lantern

Want to have something that will enhance both the beauty and visibility of your garden? We have the right one here at #8. It’s such a pick that can be placed anywhere in the garden, even on plants themselves! And the compact and environment-friendly design comes with a promise of years of durability.

Therefore, presenting the beautiful Twinkle Star 8 Pcs Hanging Solar Lantern.

First of all, let’s see what it has to decorate your garden or porch. It’s made with a black, cool tone that radiates light from the lantern. With a unique texture printed on each side, it will create a beautiful pattern of light. Really great to have a more beautiful garden, lawn, patio or driveway.

Moving forward, this Twinkle Star 8 Pcs Hanging Solar Lantern turns off and on based on the presence of daylight. Although it’s common among all smart lamps found these days, but still, a lamp that turns on in evening and turns off at dawn is a great buy for the money. 

There are two mounting patterns and two installation modes provided by default with this best solar lantern. You can place it on flat surfaces like grounds or tables, and hang it with the tree branch if you want. And the dual mounting option certainly will bring some variation in the experience.

Once the Twinkle Star 8 Pcs Hanging Solar Lantern is fully charged, the 8 pack LED will provide a soft and beautiful lamination for 8 long hours.

Worrying about the rainfall or storm? Well, it’s proven that neither rainfall nor any other environmental unfriendliness will harm its body. It’s waterproof and safe from anything that might worry you.

PROS

• 8 pack LED with 8 hours of lamination
• Enhances safety and visibility of your garden or lawn
• Two different installation and mounting modes
• Can be kept both on flat surfaces and hang on trees
• A nicely decorated design for smooth light
• Waterproof and sustainable

CONS

• The hanging handle is way too small

9. Espier Solar Lantern Outdoor Hanging

We’ve picked up a really cool solar lantern way before we actually reach at #9. But due to some minor drawbacks, we couldn’t rank it higher. But believe me, once you go through the feature list, you’ll be as surprised as we were.

The full list of feature that this cheap solar lantern brings on surely will leave your jaw dropped. By the way, we’re talking about Espier Solar Lights Outdoor LED, a strong and beautiful way to enlighten your garden or driveway.

 The battery is a 2V, 0.72W one that has a capacity of 1500mAh. What this value means is, with a full day of sunlight, it will charge itself up for 4-6 hours only. And in return, it will keep shining for 8-10 hours continuously. What again!

Moving forward, we found the Espier Solar Lights Outdoor LED to be built with a strong frame with a flat bottom and a hook on the top. What it means is, you can place it with hung up with something, or keep in on anything flat. 

The design is made to be waterproof and shock absorbing. In terms of waterproofness, it has an IP55 rating. And the reasons behind its sturdy structure is because it’s made of solid ABS material.

The material is also rustproof with its protective finish. So, you can say that it won’t get away with time for a long timespan. Also, it won’t be fragile under sunshine.

You can have it to provide a consistent light in gardens. Driveways or any such places. Also if you want, you can use it as an alternative source of light when you are in a camp or night out. The intensity won’t be that much, but still, it’s okay to go.

PROS

• A flickering frame torchlight
• Made of strong and rustproof ABS material
• Waterproof and has a label of IP55
• Contains 75 LED and a 1500mAh battery
• Will charge fully within 4-6 hours
• Turns on at dusk and turns off at dawn
• Built-in photocell sensor
• Easy to install with no wires at all
• Won’t wear or get fragile under sunlight
• A strong and sturdy frame to protect the unit

CONS

• Don’t have any alternative charging method

10. PARTYSAVING Camping Emergency Portable LED Lantern

Eventually, we have reached our #10 and here we have the PARTYSAVING Solar Rechargeable LED Lantern. It’s a multiple purpose lamp that has a collapsible design, a dual power supply, and an emergency power bank provided. With everything taken into consideration, we think it is a good buy as long as you’re in any outdoor night out.

Check out more details of its features below-

You can use the PARTYSAVING Solar Rechargeable LED Lantern as a two-way light source. First- when you need a 360-degree illumination and secondly when you need a focused beam of light from a flashlight. In both ways, the design is made in a way to provide maximum output.

There are 6 LEDs that are made to do both of the lightnings.

As you know already, the power source of this lamp is solar power. Also, you can charge it from any DC power source like batteries or laptops through a cable.

So, you never have to worry about the power source in a sense. Even, you can use it as a power source itself. Because there is a built-in UPS power output that will provide power to charge any phones or tablets.

TO place it on any flat surface, the bottom is made to be flat, and in case you need to carry it along, there is a couple of hanging steel provided. Either way, it will lighten up all around itself.

The last thing that we appreciated about this PARTYSAVING Solar Rechargeable LED Lantern is its collapsible design. You can collapse the entire body, and even the metal handles can be folded down.

PROS

• 2 in 1 dual lantern modes
• Can be used as a static lantern or a beam of flashlight instead
• Collapsible design with foldable handles
• Charged by both solar energy and DC power
• Has an emergency power bank inside
• Contains a push button to switch off and on
• A great companion in any kind of outdoor activities

CONS

• Not for use at gardens or lawns

• A bit over-priced than what’s expected

Best Solar Lantern Buyer’s Guide

Look through these few factors when you are up for buying a solar lantern for your own-

Power Consumption

There are a number of light source types available when it comes to solar lanterns. Some of the popular ones are LEDs, Halogens, Incandescent, Fluorescent etc. LEDs being the most conventional one, there are both pros and cons for each of them. Be aware of the consumption of light that each of these sources conveys.

How Much Maintenance Do It Need? 

As solar lanterns are powered by solar power, there should be a little amount of maintenance work needed. But still, the best solar lantern will need a little amount of maintenance. In critical cases, it might have a power on and off button that controls its functions.

Is It Rated for Indoor or Outdoor? 

Solar lanterns are of three types- for garden use, for use in outdoor night outs and for use at both. What matters, in this case, is the design and the types of lights that it produces. That being an important buying factor, you must consider your purpose.

Types of Solar Lanterns Available

Choosing the best solar lantern for your purpose closely relates to choosing one from a number of types. So, we’re introducing this section to give you a firm idea on three types of the solar lantern-

Garden Solar Lights

​In case you want to glorify your garden plants or walkways with a decorative feature, the garden solar lights are best for you. They can be of two types- freestanding and into the ground. In another way, they can be placed like lamp posts.

Spotlights

Spotlights are the kind of solar lanterns that can provide about 40 watts equivalent light from an incandescent bulb. The specialty of this kind of lights is, they can spot the beam of light on a particular area.

You can use it mostly in the places where you need to have a continuous light source. Also, gardens and lawns are ideal places to place them. Suc a beam of light on the tree or landscape spot, will certainly increase the beauty.

Security Solar Lights (Motion Sensing)

These are the lights that can sense whenever someone comes in. As an example, when someone will pass by the doorway or driveways, the lights will turn on automatically. You can be a smart homeowner by placing one of these at a dark place where it needs some illumination.

Summary Line

So, you’ve made it until the end, congratulation. That says that you’ve been through every picks of the list and maybe prepared your own shortlist already.

That being said, don’t forget to check out the amount of light and it’s duration before making that final purchase. Because that’s what matters most rather than design and other secondary features.