Tiki Torches

When the sun is beginning to go down the first solar tiki torches begin to shine with a with a reddish light. Minutes later they are all lit for the night, creating a nice and cosy tropical atmosphere until dawn. Solar tiki torches for the garden has begun to show up in garden sections of supermarket shelves everywhere. There are models available from around $20 to up to hundreds of dollars. We decided to try four different solar tiki torches to see if they actually work as promised.

After a week, we can say that, solar tiki torches work, but they give a completely different light. The two cheaper models gives a reddish light, while the slightly more expensive gives a whitish light. The reddish lights are so weak that it you may sometimes have to go near to see if they really shine. On the other hand, you might forgive the cheaper models, as they promise only a decorative shine. The advantage of flameless solar tiki torches is that once you have assembled them, you only have to bury them in the ground, since they take care of themselves. And when you want to redecorate the garden, you just move the torch to a different location.

As dusk falls turns the solar tiki torches are lit, when the dawn comes they are turned off. This without the need to flip any switches or bury any cables. On the other hand, the lights we tested are dim. But for anyone who is content with a few weak points of light in the garden, solar powered tiki torches may be an option. The text on the packages promise that the solar tiki torches should be lit between five and ten hours. During the time we measured they actually shined for longer than promised, although the power faded drastically, the final hours the solar tiki torches lights almost flickered out. There is a difference between the different brands when the lamp think it is dark and also how long the light shines. But the big difference lies in the color of the light.

According to the instructions the flameless solar tiki torches should also be able to handle cold temperatures, so that they can stand out in a garden all year. Some brands instruction says that the solar tiki torches should be brought inside during the winter and stored in a dry place. On another torch, recommendations for the winter: ensure that photocells are free of snow. But in the winter it is estimated that there are only a few hours of illumination, since the sun does not give them more power. And cloudy, rainy days, you can expect to be without garden lighting.