Best Low Voltage Landscape Lighting (2020) – Reviews & Guide

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3 Best Landscape Lighting Comparison Table

Here is a list of Top 10 Best low Voltage Landscape Lights: 

Top 8 Best Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Reviews

Here is a list of some of the best low voltage LED landscape lighting that will make your home look like a professional lighting company did all the lighting setup for you. 

1. MEIKEE 7W LED Low Voltage Landscape Spotlights 

Starting this list with a 7W low voltage LED light pack from MEIKEE. It comes in a pack of 8 spotlights that are well made, easy to install, and provide good value for the money. On top of that, these are IP66 rated waterproof lights. This means they can easily withstand heavy weather without any problem.

There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on landscape lighting when you can do it by yourself with some research and a pack of spotlights like this one. Each of the lights has a brightness output of 800 lumens, which is more than enough for your garden and patio lighting.

Since it will be on your landscape 24/7, durability matters, and to make it as durable as possible, the head of the lights is made of aluminum to prevent rusting. As for the stakes, they are made using harden polycarbonate material that is also anti-corrosion. Trust me; this stuff is super hard.

The stakes won’t corrode in the soil, and they are physically impossible to bend. Overall, it’s a product that is made for outdoors and designed to be used for a long time. These are ideal lights for pathway, backyard, swimming pool, and they can even withstand heavy snowfall.

These are 5W low-voltage LEDs from ZUCKEO that come in a pack of 8 lights. Each of them has a maximum brightness of 500 lumens, which is bright enough to be used as landscape lights, pathway lights, and even as outdoor tree lights. The head is adjustable up to 270 degrees and has a beam angle of 90 degrees.

Since these are outdoor lights, they are designed to be very durable. The lights offer triple water-resistant features. First of all, they are housed in a thick aluminum body and covered with a glass lens. Thanks to this design, these lights can easily withstand snow and rainy weather.

On top of that, they are also IP65 rated, which ensures longevity and improves the stability of the lights. These landscape lights are also designed to be heat resistant and frost resistant. As for the lights themselves, the LEDs glow bright and warm, which is good for decoration as well as security lighting at night.

Along with its wide variety of usage, they are also very safe. These are 5W landscape lights designed for low-voltage outdoor use. The working voltage is 12V-24V and compatible with most extra low-voltage transformer and lighting kits—solid lights, great value, and easy to install.

4. Landscape Lights Sunriver LED Pathway Lights

5. ALEDECO Outdoor Led Landscape Lights 12V 5W Low Voltage

6. Sunriver 6W LED Landscape Lights 12V 24V Low Voltage

It’s the same light, just like the previous one. These lights have the same design and construction with one exception, and that is wattage. It’s a 6W light set, meaning you are getting 6 individual COB LEDs instead of 5. As for the constructed, the lights have a painted aluminum case.

The housing is actually made using cast aluminum, which will ensure long-lasting usage. The aluminum is painted to prevent rust. These low-voltage lights are true to their claim regarding wattage and have a brightness that is pretty darn impressive. They are bright enough to up-light 25-foot tall trees with ease.

On top of the LED chip, there is a clear, flat glass that is strong, won’t crack or yellow with age, and also allows for maximum light output. Since these lights are IP65 rated, you can expect decent waterproof features like rubber seal around wire exit, pressure rubber gasket, and watertight seals.

The lights have a beam angle of 60-degree, a tilt angle of 270-degree and a pan angle of 360-degree. When buying any landscape lights, the four things that you need to consider are brightness, ease of installation, value for money & durability. And these lights tick all the boxes.

7. Moonrays 95557 1-Watt Low Voltage LED Landscape Spot Light Fixture

8. SUNVIE 12W Low Voltage LED Landscape Lights

Finishing up our list with a pack of 10 low voltage spotlights from SUNVIE. As you have already noticed, yes, these are 12W lights. This means the lights are very bright and guess what? Each light has a brightness of 900 lumens. This is the highest brightness rating on this list.

With this much brightness, you can easily illuminate your fences, garden path, backyard, and patio with ease. The high-quality LED COB chips will last longer than normal LED chips and will also have slower decrepitation time, meaning; these lights will keep glowing at full brightness for a long time.

The lights are also made tough. These are IP65 waterproof lights with a body that is made using durable, diecast aluminum. To protect the internals, there is a waterproof rubber ring on the back, and on the top, there is a thick glass cover on each light. This improves the lifespan and stability of these landscape lights.

These are also highly adjustable. They have flexible and rotatable angle adjustment. The head is adjustable up to 270-degree, and the beam angle is adjustable up to 90-degree. This allows for a wide range of uses. For installation, the lights come fast-lock connectors for a secure connection.

Installation of Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

Choosing The Best Low Voltage Landscape Lighting | A Definitive Buyer’s Guide

Landscape lighting choices will vary from person to person. First of all, you have to consider which lights you are going to use, how energy efficient those lights are, bulb/LED quality, color tone, ease of installation, the durability of the product, and many more.

For this guide, we are only going to focus on the lights because it’s not possible to cover the entire landscape lighting process in one short guide. So, I'll just stick with the need to know stuff. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

What’s In A Low Voltage Outdoor/Landscape Lighting System?

A standard low voltage lighting system will consist of a bulb, a fixture or a housing, stake, cables, and a transformer. Unless the light you are getting is battery-powered or solar-powered, all landscape lights will rely on a stepped-down power from your house.

That’s why you need to low voltage transformer that will reduce normal 120V household current to 12V safe current to power your landscape lights. The bulb will determine the brightness, color tone, how many watts your fixture will draw, and the width of the beam.

The fixture protects the bulb from elemental damage. This also helps to design the cone to shape the light beam. The stake is where you put the light fixture on the ground. The stake obviously goes into the ground first.

Finally, you have the cables. Some high-end garden lights will come will all the necessary connectors and cables and simply hook them up with your main cable that goes into the transformer. 

Types Of Landscape Lights

The first step in installing landscape lights is determining what kind of lights you are going to use. The most popular choice is up and accent lighting, aka spotlights. That’s also the main reason why this list contains a lot of them.

These lights are commonly used to highlight trees, walls, and other structures around your property. You can also use wash lights to light the exterior of homes, casting and featuring artwork, shadows, and shapes on beautiful architectural stonework around your property.

You can also ground lights to light up pathways, walkways, and decks. In-ground lights are a good option in grassed areas to avoid mower damage. They also work really well with accent lights.

Tips: One quick way you can determine ideal light placement on your property is simply by taking a flashlight at night and start shining and highlighting different structures around the landscape.

You can also use battery-powered lights temporarily to get a glimpse of the final outcome. If you already have landscape lights, you can hook them up to a 9V battery, and you should be able to light those to see how your landscape will look at night.

Waterproof Feature

Well, this is a no brainer. Outdoor lights need to have good waterproof features. A good way to determine just how good a light fixture is and how long it will last is by looking at their IP rating.

Some fixtures will have an IP65 rating, while some will have an IP66 rating. If you live in a place where bad weather is really common, try to get a good quality light that can withstand heavy rain and snow.

Things To Avoid When Choosing Landscape Lighting 

Now that you know how to select good lighting, it’s time to look at the things you should avoid. The things I’m going to show below are just some of the most common mistakes most people make with landscape lighting.

1. Avoid solar-powered lights, especially the cheap one. On cheap models, the fixtures aren’t made very well, and the bulbs aren’t very strong. However, larger solar fixtures nowadays can do a great job, but they are too expensive.

2. Avoid low-quality bulbs. If you want to get LED bulbs, go with COB LEDs. If you want to avoid dim bulbs, always buy products from reliable and reputed manufacturers.

3. Don’t place your fixtures too close or too far away from the feature that you want to highlight. A good rule of thumb is to place the lights about a foot or a foot and a half away from whatever feature you are shining.

4. Avoid buying bulbs of different colors. You want to have even lighting, not the other way around. Try sticking with one color. For example, a 3000K color tone will look good on just about any property. This is the standard color for all landscape lighting companies.

5. The final thing is buying too few lights. This is something that you will see a lot of people do just to save some money. It’s either that or most of them don’t know how many lights they actually need.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When installing landscape lights, should I go DIY or hire a pro?

Hiring a pro to do all the work means you are guaranteed to get professional results. However, the cost of hiring a professional landscaping company means you should be prepared to spend a couple of thousands of dollars.

On the other hand, if you spend some time researching, you will find a lot of good resources available for free that will help you go full DIY with your landscape lights.

2. Do I need to maintain the lights after installation?

The only maintenance you have to perform is to keep the lights free from falling leaves and branches. Also, make sure that dust and debris don’t build up on the fixtures. Follow these two tips to prevent the LED chips from overheating.

Final Thoughts

Low-voltage landscape lights are a great way to illuminate your property. It’s a great energy-efficient option that involves a bit of DIY installation.

With the best low voltage landscape lighting, you get both functionality and style as well as security for your home and your property. A well-lit home is less likely to get robbed.