Prime Day brings cheap solar lights to Amazon – but these are the only ones I would ever trust

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 – and all are hugely discounted for Prime Day .

Amazon Prime Day Deals

If you just want to check out the deals for yourself, here's the most recent discounts for Prime Day:

• Amazon Home sale : browse every deal
• Amazon Kitchen & Dining sale : save on appliances and kitchenware
• Amazon Garden & Outdoor sale : $100s off yard furniture, tools, and outdoor decor
• Amazon Furniture sale : save on sofas, desks, beds, and more
• Amazon Bedding sale : more than 50% off sheets, shams, comforters, and more
• Amazon Floorcare sale : save on Roomba, Dyson, Shark, and more
• Amazon Appliances sale : $100s off fridges, air purifiers, and more

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.

The only solar lights to trust

2-Pack Globe Solar String Lights Outdoo

These lights are my white whale. I've seen them listed under at least 12 different trade names and this is just the latest. However, I'd recognize them anywhere. I first tested them a few years ago and they're still going strong after many seasons of snow, wind, and rain. They've switched on at the same time every evening for years. Offering ambiance rather than practical lighting, they have eight different light patterns so you can customize your lighting.

Sunlong Solar-Powered Spotlights

I've seen these under a few names, but the underlying product is great. In a rare move for solar lights, these two spotlights are made of aluminum rather than plastic, so they're just as weather-resistant but much sturdier. They have a lengthy cable from the panel to the lights, so you can keep the panel in a sunspot but run the lights to shady corners of your yard.

Brightech Ambience Pro 48 Solar Lights

Full disclosure, I've used but haven't tested these solar lights. I used these for a couple of weeks and thought that they created bright, practical lighting over patios and pergolas, but I can't speak to their longevity. However, they're at the top of most product testers' lists of the best solar lights. You can see in the Amazon reviews that many reviewers have found that their lights have lasted for the best part of a decade.

Hmcity Solar Lights Outdoor

Fence or wall-mounted lights like this are an inexpensive way to secure your yard. They provide just as much coverage as wired-in security lights without the expense and and time of wiring in electric lights. They also have motion-detection, so they only switch on when they detect nearby activity. Even once you run the page through a spam filter, these lights have tens of thousands of five-star reviews.

Brightown Solar String Lights, 2 Pack

Brightown is another of the few solar light 'brands' I recommend. Their lights haven't changed brand name for several years and unlike other solar light brands Brightown at least have a website. The solar panel is a similar design to my favorites above, and should last as long. Best of all, this two-pack of lights is excellent value.

Brightown 58ft Solar String Lights

These lights from Brightown are packed with bonus features. Not only is it a trustworthy brand, but they have a mounting kit included to help you string them along a wall, fence, or over a patio. They also come with a remote control which is rare for solar lights at this price point and makes them much easier to use. It means you can change the pattern on your lights without even stepping into the garden.

Brightech Ambience Short String Lights

Brightech are one of the most expensive solar brands around, so if you want the quality at a lower price it's smart to buy this, their cheapest set. Unlike the flagship lights, these sit relatively flush to the main wire and don't dangle down. This makes them a great option under gazebos and pergolas with low clearance.

T-Sun Solar Spotlights

Another set I've tested first-hand, these are the rare solar lights to be sold under the same name for the past few years. My favorite feature is that you can article the light and its panel separately, moving both around for the best affect. Unlike wired-in landscape lights, these don't have any power cables - as long as there's sun, you can place these wherever you need them.

Brightown Solar Rope Lights

Rope lights are a great way to create accent lighting in a yard. Unlike string lights, which are usually a feature in themselves, you can run rope lights under eaves or behind flowerbed edging for accent lighting, creating a glow from a hidden light source. They also tend to be sturdier than string lights, because the LED bulbs are encased in tough, thick plastic. This set is from Brightown, and uses the same solar panel as their lights above, so this two-pack should last for years.

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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 .