SALES & ADVICE 0113 213 6340
The Best LED GU10 Spotlights for the Garden
Selecting the best LED GU10 spotlights for the garden isn’t as easy as buying spotlights for the kitchen or bathroom. In this brief article, we’ll highlight the factors that you need to consider.
In this guide we cover
- The main use cases for Garden GU10 lighting
- IP 65 rated bulbs & why they are a must for the garden
- Power options – Solar, Mains or Battery
- Suggested bulb temperature colours
- Our garden top picks from our product database
- Why you should shop with Lampshoponline
- Further reading & advice
Main Uses for Garden Lighting
Depending on the size of your garden, the number of possibilities may vary as far as where you can position your garden lights. Garden lights can be used for a wide range of purposes, mainly decoration, security, and just practical outdoor lighting, depending on where you position it.
Garden lights can be wall-mounted on your home for security or decorative purposes. They can also be recessed into the lawn, steps, or decking for decorative and practical purposes. You can even use spike lights in grass or boarders. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
 |
Expert Tip“We’re seeing more lighting work it’s way in as an aesthetic aid, where clients would like to showcase art, built-in joinery and key features.” |
There are four types of outdoor lighting options that you need to be mindful of, namely:
- entrance (security)
- patio
- walkway/steps/driveway
- focal point lighting.
Each type is quite different, so it’s highly unlikely that you’ll confuse them for one another.
Let’s take a closer look at each type.
| Uses | Description |
|---|---|
| Entrance & Security lighting |
Garden lighting is often used as a security measure because it allows you to identify anyone at the doorstep. Entrance lighting should be bright, but not too bright that it’s dazzling which can annoy neighbours and visitors alike. Security lights should also be carefully planned as the temptation to flood your garden or driveway with high lumen/wattage light can be tempting but also lead to complaints from neighboring properties as well as impact on local wildlife. Downlights are a great way to light entrance areas for guests and visitors to your home. |
| Patio lighting |
An area where you’re supposed to spend time and relax, so the light needs to be fairly warm and relaxing. This type of lighting can be achieved by mounting lights on walls or overhead on covered patios. |
| Walkway, steps, and driveway lightings |
Not just about aesthetics, it’s also about safety. It’s a type of lighting that helps ensure clear sight so that people can see where they’re going. We’d suggest using GU10 downlighters or spikes in order to achieve this type of lighting without it being too dazzling. |
| Focal point lighting |
As the name implies, this is all about showcasing focal points in your garden, from trees and statues to water features. For this type of lighting, you’ll want to stick to warmer hues for statues and manmade focal points and to cooler hues with natural focal points Spike GU10 LED’s are a great option here as they will project more light on to features. Specifically a great choice for pub gardens |
IP Ratings – Use IP65 Bulbs
The IP rating of a lighting solution indicates the extent of sealing protection that its casing offers. Lightings with low IP ratings aren’t appropriate for outdoor use. You’ll need to go for either medium or high IP-rated lighting solutions, as they’re both dust and water-resistant. In general use IP65 rated bulbs.
Bulb Colour Temperatures
In terms of colour temperature, the lower the number of Kelvins, the warmer the light is going to be. And by warmer, we simply mean yellower. If a lamp has a high number of Kelvins, it’s going to produce a cooler white light that almost resembles natural daylight.
| Uses | Suggested Kelvins |
|---|---|
| Entrance & Security lighting |
Daylight – 5000 to 6500K |
| Patio lighting |
Extra Warm White – 2700K |
| Walkway, steps, and driveway lightings |
Warm White – 3000K |
| Focal point lighting |
Cool White – 4000K |
Types of Garden Light Power
There are three main ways you can power a garden light:
- mains electricity
- battery power
- solar power.
There are pros and cons with each of these three types, so you need to weigh your options before making a decision.
Mains-operated lighting
- Boasts excellent reliability and durability.
- Better for security, entrances and patio areas.
- Requires professional fitting and is more expensive.
Battery-operated lighting
- Arguably the cheapest option to buy and install.
- The most versatile of all three powering options as it can be installed almost anywhere.
- You’ll have to replace the battery on a regular basis, which can be quite inconvenient.
Solar-operated lighting
- Inexpensive option to purchase and replace.
- Available in a wide range of designs and applications,
- Easy to integrate it with your garden’s aesthetics and the type of look desire.
- Easy to reposition around the garden with ease.
- Unreliable for security measures and has a short lifespan.
- Needs positioning in areas of sunlight for most benefit.
- Can be unreliable in performance and provide only a basic dim light.
Our Top Garden Picks
Energizer LED Garden Spike IP65 Spotlight
Customer reviews "high quality spotlight" “A great way to provide good lighting in the garden without breaking the bank.” “Brilliant easy to fit good lighting at night and only 4 watts.” |
|
Saxby 3w LED Silver Spotlight With Spike
|
|
Bright Source 8w All In One LED Dimmable Downlight - GST18 Plug
Customer reviews “Excellent product easy to wire 3 brightness levels looks fab.” "Five stars." |
|
SOLO All In One 10w LED Dimmable Downlight
Customer reviews “Very happy with the product.” “Very pleased, couldn't find them anywhere else and cheaper” "Lights are really easy to install and operate with the added bunes of being dimmable. Thumbs up all round.” |
|
Why shop with Lampshoponline?
| USP | LampShopOnline |
|---|---|
| TOP BRANDS ONLY | We only stock the best brands on the market and bring these to you at great prices with bulk discounts available for trade and larger home orders. |
| QUANTITY | Purchase as many or as few as you wish with savings when you buy in bulk. Amazon for example may require you to buy in bulk which may not be practical given the wide range of colour temperature, IP rating and beam angle differences around the home. |
| STOCK AVAILABILITY | We carry large stocks at all times. |
| DELIVERY & RETURNS |
£2.96 delivery. Free delivery over £40. 30 day returns policy. |
| REVIEWS | We have over 10,000 customer reviews and are rated Excellent. 90% of our customers recommend us. |
| GREAT LOCATION | Our warehouse and entire customer service team is located in Yorkshire. |
| PACKAGING | We are renowned for our excellence in product packing meaning your bulbs arrive in perfect condition. |
| GREATSHOPPING EXPERIENCE | We invest heavily in our shopping experience. We constantly ask for feedback from our customers to help us improve our store experience. |
| CHOOSE HOW TO PAY | We accept Credit & Debit Cards, Paypal, American Express and Amazon Pay. |
| TRADE ACCOUNT TERMS | We offer specific trade accounts for larger clients. |
| INDUSTRY EXPERTS | Our team are highly trained specialists and can answer most lighting questions. |
Delivery & Returns
Delivery
- Orders above £40 free delivery.
- Bulk purchasing options apply to many products listed in our GU10 ranges.
- Royal Mail Tracked 2nd Class Delivery Under 3ft - £2.96
- Royal Mail Tracked 1st Class Delivery Under 3ft - £4.80
Returns
If you're not happy with your purchase you can return items to us within 30 days of receiving your order providing the goods are unused. To return your items, please e-mail sales@lampshoponline.com with your order number and we will send a returns number and return instructions to you.
Customer Service
LampShopOnline take pride in looking after our customers and endeavor to reply to every query. It can take up to 48 hours for a reply, however we typically respond within a couple of hours Monday to Fridays.
CONTACT US DIRECTLY AT
Tel: 0113 8876270