best solar tiki torches

A warm summer night is the perfect time to get your friends and family over and relax in the garden and nothing says garden party like the warm glow of tiki torches. 

You could spend ages laying cables or drop a load of cash on batteries, or you could let the sun do the work for you with some solar lights.

The best solar tiki torches, like our top pick the Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torch, are a great way to add a little illumination and some beachfront ambiance to your garden that’s friendly to both the planet and your wallet.

The best solar tiki torches

Because most of the tiki torches on this list are fairly similar at a glance, we’ve broken them down by their standout feature, to make it as easy as possible to find the right set for you.

1. Our top pick – Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torch

The  Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torch set gets our top pick because of its utility, quality, and waterproofing, all things you’ll want in outdoor lighting. 

The Aityvert torches use flickering LEDs powered by a 2200mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The LEDs have a life span of around 50000 hours and give off 35 lumens of light. 

The battery provides approximately 12 hours of light in summer and 5 hours in winter on a full charge. Charging takes around 8 hours on a sunny day. 

Battery power is preserved by auto on/off from dusk to dawn drive by a daylight sensor. The aluminum poles are able to be extended from 30.7 inches to 42.9 inches, and the light basket is IP65 waterproofed.

What we like:

  • The durability – The solid aluminum poles and IP65 waterproofing make the Aityvert torches very durable.
  • Extendible – The torches have two possible hights, either 30.7 inches or 42.9 inches.
  • Simple to install – With no need for batteries or wiring, installing the torches is remarkably simple.

What we don’t like:

  • Smaller pack sizes – The Aityvert torches only come in packs and two and four.

Durable and simple to install, the Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torches are an excellent choice for garden illumination. 

2. The runner up – Ollivage Solar Flickering Flames Torch

Hot on the tail of the Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torches, the Ollivage Torches have many of the same benefits. While the poles are plastic, the light baskets are also IP65 waterproofed. The poles can be extended from 32.6 inches to 43 inches in height.

Able to resist temperatures of between -4 to 140℉, the LED’s have a similar lifespan of 50000 hours, powered by a 3.7-volt battery. The lights give off 35 lumens of light on a full charge and can last for 12 hours in summer and 5 hours in winter.

The Ollivage Solar torches come with a 12-month warranty to cover all quality-related issues with a replacement or full refund. 

What we like:

  • The warranty – Having a full replacement warranty that lasts for a year is ideal for any outdoor lighting.
  • Waterproofing – IP65 waterproofing is great for any kind of electrical garden equipment. 
  • Flexible – The adjustable poles can be changed from 32.6 inches to 43 inches in height.

What we don’t like:

  • The plastic poles – While strong plastic is certainly durable, aluminum poles are always preferable.  

An excellent alternative to the Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torch, the Ollivage tiki torches are durable and waterproof.

3. Best bamboo – Newhouse Lighting Bamboo Flickering Solar Tiki Torch

Bamboo is increasingly being used as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic or metal because of its durability and rapid growth rate. Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world and commercial bamboo plants can grow as fast as one inch every 40 minutes.

The Newhouse Lighting bamboo solar tiki torches make use of bamboo for both the aesthetic value and the green properties. 

The lights themselves are easy to install. You don’t have to fuss around with any wiring, simply attach the included poles to the torch head and place them in soft ground using the end spike.

Light is provided by flame effect LEDs coupled with rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries attached to a solar panel on top of the torch head. A light-sensitive controller senses when it is dusk or dawn and turns the lights on or off to conserve energy.

The Newhouse Lighting bamboo solar tiki torches are covered by a one-year limited warranty against manufacturer defects.

What we like:

  • The bamboo – Bamboo is an excellent, durable, and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic.
  • The warranty – All the Newhouse Lighting torches are covered by a one-year limited warranty against manufacturer defects. 
  • The look – These torches have a very aesthetically pleasing island-style appearance.

What we don’t like:

  • No waterproofing – While the bamboo is water-resistant, these torches are not IP65 waterproof.  

If you’re looking for a solar tiki torch made from a more sustainable and environmentally friendly material than plastic, the Newhouse Lighting bamboo torches are a great choice.

4. Best premium – TomCare Solar Lights Metal Flickering Flame Solar Torches

If you’re looking for a set of solar tiki torches that combines great aesthetics with quality construction, then the TomCare Solar Lights are an excellent choice. 

The torches are constructed of high-quality metal and coated with a rust-resistant black finish. The torch heads, featuring flickering flame LEDs, are IP65 waterproof and are specifically designed to be heat and frost resistant. 

The lithium-ion batteries are connected to a high-efficiency solar panel that offers a 20.5% conversion rate. This means you’ll get 10 hours of light after eight hours of charging during the summer and five hours of light during the winter.

As with the other lights on this list, the TomCare Solar Lights are fully wireless and easy to assemble and place. They also come with a 45-day money-back guarantee and a 12-month warranty.

What we like:

  • The quality – The combination of durable metal torch head, waterproofing, and a rust-resistant finish make the TomCare Solar Lights.
  • The efficiency – The 20.5% conversion rate makes the TomCare lights more efficient than most of its competitors. 
  • The guarantee – The 45-day guarantee and the 12-month warranty are there to give you peace of mind about the product you are buying.

What we don’t like:

  • The plastic ground stake  – While the torch head of the TomCare lights is made from durable materials, the ground stake is plastic. 

Heavy-duty and durable, the TomCare lights are a great choice if you want a product that can survive harsher weather conditions.

5. Best budget – E-Able Power Flickering Flame Solar Tiki Torches

Simple and easy to install, the E-Able solar tiki torches are lit by 96 LEDs with a realistic flickering flame effect. The torch heads are detachable and have a stake for ground installation or a clip if you just want to hang them. 

The rechargeable 2200mAh battery has an automatic dusk/dawn system to preserve battery power and provides 12 hours of light after six hours of light after charging in strong sunlight.

The torches themselves are made of durable ABS and are water, UV, and heat resistant. E-Able provides a 90-day money-back guarantee and an 18-month limited product warranty.

What we like:

  • The flexibility – Being able to use them with a ground stake, a clip, or just sit them on a surface makes the E-Able lights very adaptable.
  • The quality – Despite their wallet-friendly price and ABS construction, the E-Able torches have many of the features you’d see on more expensive models. 

What we don’t like:

  • The hidden ‘on’ switch – The switch to turn the lights on and start them charging is hidden inside the slot for the ground stake on the torch head, which is an annoying fact to find out if you’ve already installed all of them. 

While they might not be the most durably constructed lights on this list, the E-Able torches offer you a lot for their budget price point.

6. Best wall mounted – Aityvert Waterproof Flickering Flame Solar Lights

If you don’t have the ability to use the traditional ground stake style lights because of a patio or decking, then wall mounted lights are another option. The Aityvert flickering wall lights are IP65 waterproof and made of durable and UV-resistant ABS.

Unlike a lot of other wall lights, the Aityvert solar lights have no wiring and only need to be attached to the wall. The built-in, high capacity, rechargeable 2000mAh lithium-ion battery is charged directly from the solar panel on top of the light.

The LEDs produce a pleasant, low-key flickering flame effect and are automatically turned on and off by the light’s dusk/dawn system.

What we like:

  • The ease of use – No wiring means the Aityvert solar lights are very easy to install and use.
  • The waterproofing – The IP65 waterproofing means you don’t have to worry about the weather degrading your lights.

What we don’t like:

  • Another hidden ‘on’ switch – The switch to turn the lights on and get them charging is on the back of the light. If you didn’t realize that before mounting them, you’ll need to take them down again to turn them on. 

Simple, easy to install, durable, and effective, the Aityvert wall-mounted solar lights are a great alternative to ground stakes.

7. Best lantern style – TomCare Solar Flickering Flame Outdoor Hanging Lantern

Another alternative to the traditional ground stake design is using a lantern-style solar light. The TomCare hanging lantern is made of durable ABS and has a high-capacity 2000mAh rechargeable battery. 

The monocrystalline silicon solar panel has a high conversion rate of sunlight, up to 20.5%, which is higher than other models that use polycrystalline panels, making it more energy-efficient and long-lasting. A dusk/dawn system conserves battery power.

The lantern is IP65 waterproofed and is both heat and frost-resistant. For mounting purposes, it comes with a large metal crocodile clip and a handle. 

What we like:

  • The high-efficiency panel – Using a monocrystalline silicon solar panel means the TomCare lantern charges more efficiently and faster.
  • The waterproofing – The IP65 waterproofing means you don’t have to worry about the weather degrading your lights.

What we don’t like:

  • The ABS outer – While ABS is a perfectly durable alternative to metal, a metal surround would have been more attractive.  

By far the easiest to install and use, the TomCare Solar Flickering Flame Outdoor Hanging Lantern is a great choice for patios and decking. 

8. Best decorative – VP Home Tribal Tiki Solar Powered Flickering LED Light

A bit of a wild card on this list, the VP Home Tribal Tiki Lanterns really double down on the tiki aesthetic. They aren’t as large or as bright as the other lights we’ve showcased, but they can’t be beaten when it comes to ambiance.

With dimensions of 6.25 x 4 x 4 inches, these diminutive solar lights aren’t going to light up your entire garden. However, if you have your own backyard bar and want to give a bit of Donn the Beachcomber flair, these solar lights are an excellent choice. 

What we like:

  • The look – Not the brightest or the most practical, these lights are definitely the most fun.
  • The dusk/dawn system- Despite being mostly decorative, these lights still have a dusk/dawn function.

What we don’t like:

  • The amount of light – These diminutive lanterns don’t throw out a lot of light and are more for decoration and ambiance than illumination.  

An excellent addition to any tiki party, these solar lanterns add a touch of the islands to your garden.

Best solar tiki torches – The buying guide

Now that you’ve got a better idea of some of the best solar tiki torches on the market, let’s talk about the features you should consider when buying some for your garden. 

Waterproofing – What do the different ratings mean?

Most of the lanterns we’ve listed today are IP65 waterproof, which refers to a specific rating of water resistance. 

IP stands for ingress protection and the two digits after the IP tell you what the item can be exposed to before water or dust is able to get into its inner workings.

IP65 is the most common rating for waterproofing. The first digit, six, tells you that the torch is completely dustproof. The second digit, five, lets you know that the torch can withstand powerful water jets without letting in water.

So an IP65 rated lantern is both dust and watertight unless it is fully submerged. 

Dusk to dawn settings – How do they preserve battery life?

A dusk to dawn setting has nothing to do with George Clooney or vampires. It’s a system that senses changes in light. 

The system turns the LEDs in the torch on automatically when the light dips below a certain amount and turns them off again when the light comes back up.

This means your solar light isn’t just wastefully burning its battery power during the day and you don’t have to go around turning on all your tiki torches individually during the evening.

Durability – Does the outer casing material matter?

Ideally, you want your outdoor lighting to be durable as possible. Most of the lights on our list are made of either ABS or aluminum. 

  • ABS, which stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, is the material that Lego is made from. The benefits of ABS are that it is lightweight, resistant to extreme temperatures, and hard to damage.
  • Aluminum is a lightweight metal that doesn’t have as many corrosion issues as iron or steel. When aluminum is used in outdoor applications, it is usually covered with a corrosion-resistant coating or is an alloy of aluminum and zinc.

There’s not much to choose between the two materials when it comes to your tiki torches. However, aluminum lanterns do tend to have a more premium finish.

Replaceable parts – How long will the battery and LEDs last

Most solar appliances use lithium-ion or nickel-cadmium batteries. The good news is that these batteries, which are used in a huge range of applications, have a very long working life. 

Instead of conventional bulbs, all of the tiki torches on our list use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which are similarly long-lasting.

While no part lasts forever, you’ll probably need to replace the body of the tiki torch long before the LEDs or battery need replacing. If you find the LEDs or batteries have failed within the first few years of use, they’re probably faulty. 

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FAQ

To give you all the information you need to choose the right solar tiki torch for you, we’ve looked up the most common questions about tiki torches and answered them for you.

What are solar tiki torches used for?

Solar tiki torches are used to provide ambiance and illumination for your outdoor spaces without needing to bother with wiring or constantly replacing batteries.

How do solar tiki torches work?

Most solar tiki torches work by absorbing the sun’s energy through a solar panel and then storing it in a rechargeable battery. The battery then powers a series of energy-efficient LEDs that provide the light. 

What is the best way to site my solar tiki torches?

The two most important factors when siting your tiki torches are their light radius and not obstructing their solar panels. You’ll want your tiki torches somewhere you can see them and where they provide useable illumination when it’s dark.

During the day, you’ll want them to gather as much solar energy as possible, so they need to have an unobstructed ‘view’ of the sky.

How do I secure/attach my solar tiki torches?

Most tiki torches have a ground stake, which means you secure them by driving them into soft ground. If you don’t have any soft ground, you can always put them in a large planter. 

There are also other attachment methods, such as lanterns and wall-mounted lights.

However, if you’d rather prefer the lights to be attached to a ceiling, we suggest you check out our round-up review of the best hanging solar lights.

Can solar tiki torches be left out in the rain? 

As long as you go for a tiki torch that has an IP65 rating for waterproofing, then yes, you can leave them out in the rain without any concern that they might get damaged. 

The best solar tiki torches

Solar tiki torches are an excellent choice for adding an environmentally friendly ambiance to your outdoor space without having to worry about wiring or complex fittings. Torches like our top pick, the Aityvert Solar Flickering Flame Torch, are durable, easy to install, and basically operate themselves

So, if you want to create your own little island paradise in the comfort of your own home, grab yourself some solar tiki torches and mix yourself up a Pina Colada! 

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