JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review

At less than $40 for a pack of eight lights, the JACKLED solar step lights are a bargain compared to most alternatives. While these step lights lack fancier features, such as motion sensors or app connectivity, we found them easy to install and durable in wet weather too. 

However, if your home is in a frigid area, you’ll want to look elsewhere, as online reviews and our own freezer test found battery capacity starts to diminish in the cold. But, as you will see in our JACKLED Solar Step Lights review, if you are in a warmer region, these are some of the best solar lights for steps that you’ll find for less than $40.

• Ever asked yourself which solar lights should I buy?
• Here’s how to best place solar lights

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Availability

The JACKLED Solar Step Lights are available to buy in packs of two, four, eight and 16 from Amazon, from $13.99. They are available in alternative light colors including white, green, orange, blue and warm light. 

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Design

Made from a combination of stainless steel and ABS plastic, these step lights are designed to be weather resistant, withstanding frost, heat and rain. Although this wasn’t always the case if you read on. They have a discreet profile that will work with a variety of yard aesthetics. 

We tested the white light color which wasn’t as harsh as we anticipated — elegantly illuminating with a soft white light for a warm glow. The brightness was just enough on a step to be useful, while not being so overpowering as to annoy the neighbors. The angled solar panel can be found attached to this step light, which helps to absorb as much sunlight as possible. These are low profile at only 2 x 1 x 3 inches, meaning they’re almost unnoticeable when not switched on.

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Setup

The JACKYLED Solar Step Lights were simple, although a little time-consuming to set up. They come with mounting screws and you’ll need a drill to install them. Once installed, they held in place despite heavy rain and high winds. You will need to remove them from the step to access the battery component or the on/off auto sensor, but this is easily done.

Several online reviewers recommended installing these solar lights with outdoor double sticky tape if you can’t use a drill. However, while the online reviewers seemed to have some success with this method, I found that these solar lights didn’t hold on for more than 24 hours, and that was on a dry day. So, realistically you need to be prepared to drill to mount these. 

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Lighting performance

Each of the solar step lights comes with three premium quality LED bulbs that worked well under various conditions.

The company recommends placing each step light where it will get full sun exposure for at least six hours to fully charge. But, after placing these lights in numerous spots around my yard, I found that they seemed to charge fully in both direct and indirect sunlight. The glow lasted for nearly 12 hours each day, coming on around dusk and turning off at dawn, even after a rainy, cloudy day and during a windy, tropical storm. The one time the auto sensor seemed slow to kick in was after I placed the lights in my freezer for four hours before dusk — but after a few minutes, they did come on and stayed on throughout the night.

While the JACKYLED Solar Step Lights are perfectly bright enough to light up the steps at night, they produce more of a dim lighting rather than bright illumination. In other words, if you’re looking for step lights, these will work, but several online reviewers mentioned that they were disappointed about the amount of light they gave off when placed on pool sides, walls, or fences.

The lights come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty from the date of purchase. They’re expected to last 2-3 years, although some online reviewers found that a bit inconsistent. 

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Durability

While lightweight, the JACKYLED Solar Step Lights feel of high quality. I didn’t have issues with cracking light screens when I installed them, unlike some other solar lights. And once installed with mounting screws, not only did the JACKYLED Solar Step Lights light up under a variety of conditions, including rain and wind, but they stayed on without so much as shifting.

The only test these lights struggled in was being subjected to below freezing temperatures. After four hours in the freezer, we noticed that the sensor was slower to react at dusk, but it kicked into life after a few minutes. 

JACKYLED Solar Step Lights review: Verdict 

If you have an entryway with multiple steps, the JACKLED Solar Step Lights costs less than $40 to illuminate between 4 and 8 steps. Yes, they lack fancier features like a motion sensor or smartphone control, but not everyone needs that.

By comparison, the Ring Solar Step Light is four times more expensive, plus you need a Ring Bridge. The JACKYLED Solar Step Lights may not look as fancy, but they will still get the job done. However, if your home is in a cold climate area, you may notice some diminished battery capacity, so be aware of that.