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It’s time to deck the halls, and these will be on the top of your Christmas list
Here at IndyBest, we’re huge fans of artificial Christmas trees. Benefits include no needle drop, minimum maintenance and longevity – trust us, nothing’s more depressing than waking on Christmas day to discover your tree’s shed most of its needles and the branches appear to have lost the will to stay upright.
In recent years, manufacturers have upped their game, and it’s now possible to purchase artificial trees modelled on dozens of genuine species, whether it’s Canadian pines, American firs or Serbian spruces.
Factors to consider include needle count, tip variations (more expensive trees will have a range of different tips at the ends of the branches, for added realism) and, if your tree is pre-lit, the number of lights.
As a guideline, we recommend looking for a minimum of 150 bulbs on trees measuring 5ft, and at least 300 lights on trees measuring 6ft or more. Make sure you take note of cable lengths, if your tree isn’t necessarily going to be near a socket, and don’t forget to think about the base – if it’s not going to be the number one tree (as in, surrounded by presents) it’s worth opting for one that has a nice trunk-covering, such as a burlap sack or planter.
Now, let’s get one thing straight – our tester loves Christmas, and has a slight obsession with Christmas trees, but an allergy to tree sap means artificial ones will always be their trees of choice. This also means they’ve become accidental experts on the subject. They know precisely what makes a good artificial Christmas tree, and what to look for – going well beyond simply considering how easy they are to put together.
Realism is key, and our tester considered aspects such as the density of the needles and whether they’re two-tone or matte. Close attention was paid to the lighting, too – with pre-lit trees, cabling is either exterior or (on more expensive models) concealed in a central shaft, although both approaches can work just as well. Long story short? Our tester spent hours putting together more trees than they care to remember, and only the best ones made it into the list below.
They tested the lights, the ease with which the branches could be arranged and the stability of the stands the trees came with. The trees were put to the test against each other, too – what really sets a £500 tree apart from a cheaper one? Often, this comes down to realism, although our final selection only includes top-quality trees that tick all the boxes – though certain trees are designed to be less realistic than others. Pastel-pink trees, for example, are never going to score highly in the realism stakes (nor are they intended to), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a time and a place for a fluffy pink pine (there absolutely is, to be clear).
No detail has been overlooked with this pre-lit Christmas tree – it even comes with a manual, alongside various added extras, including a durable bag, spare bulbs and gloves (as testers who have speared themselves with artificial tree needles more times than we care to remember, we were incredibly grateful for the latter).
The two sections were easy to slot together, and we loved how the cables for the remote-controlled lighting go down the middle, which not only means they’re less visible, but that the separate layers of lighting don’t need to be manually connected. The hinged branches fall easily into place, and the foliage – dark green needles with silver undersides – looks incredibly realistic.
This beautiful five-footer has lustrous, forest-green needles and, despite its slim profile, more than enough width to carry our collection of ornaments.
We also loved the light placement – all too often, lights on pre-lit trees are placed towards the branches’ tips but these ones had obviously been carefully positioned, and the overall effect aided the perception of depth.
One of our bugbears is trees that come with too many accessories. Although some are incredibly useful (we’ve already mentioned that gloves can be a godsend, for example), generally, less is more. However, one other accessory we were happy to see was the tree bag that came with Hayes Garden World’s tree. Stashing it away was infinitely easier, and it provides a certain amount of protection when in storage, too.
Tree bag aside, other highlights of this tree include the natural profile, the fabulous bushiness and the ultra-sturdy stand – a hat-trick of Santa’s reindeer could clatter into this tree and we reckon it would still remain upright. The branches are easy to fan out, and there’s a gorgeous realism to the foliage, both in terms of colour and design.
This three-part tree (the different sections simply slot into place) has a fabulously elegant look. It’s certainly one of the slimmest slim Christmas trees we’ve come across, but perhaps less so than the box suggested – we were initially concerned it would look spindly, but our worries proved totally unfounded. The branches are luxuriously thick and dark, and the 180 clear lights effortlessly ramp up the cosiness. The stand was one of the sturdiest we’ve come across – despite the tree’s height, it ensured it stayed put.
This ultra-wide tree is effortlessly easy to assemble (the way the three different sections smoothly rotate made it fabulously easy to attach the three sections of lighting). The pre-lit mountain pine is one of the widest trees we tested, and it also scores highly in the realism stakes, with tightly clustered needles that don’t just look fantastic, but keep the lights firmly in place, too.
The stand was one of the easiest to fold out, and sturdy rubber protectors ensure it’s suitable for delicate flooring surfaces, too.
Balsam Hill is the gold standard of Christmas trees, which is why there are two of the brand’s festive pines in our round-up. If the aforementioned Fraser fir, with all its brilliant bushiness, isn’t quite your style, we highly recommend investing in the Nordmann fir instead. A superb option for anyone looking to emulate the real deal, it’s incredibly realistic with an organic shape, curved needles and a visible faux trunk. It’s also super easy to put up, coming in just two sections, which you slot together before plumping out the branches – that’s one less yuletide argument to worry about. While we tested the 6ft version, it comes in a variety of heights, spanning four to eight feet, and can even be purchased pre-lit should you want to remove further stress from the joy of Christmas decorating. As a former real tree advocate, we’re happy to report that this is one investment we won’t regret.
This is an extremely realistic tree that looks equally spectacular unadorned – the precision-engineered placement of artificial snow scores this tree bonus points in the realism stakes, and it’s refreshingly easy to arrange, with hinged branches on the two lower sections and an upper section featuring branches that fold out manually.
This is one of the few trees we’d be quite happy to leave unadorned, not only because of the realism but because of the generous width. We also loved the stand, which features four sturdy prongs that fold out and provide a reassuringly reliable base.
Full disclosure – this minimalist tree requires a certain amount of TLC. It doesn’t take much to knock the individual strands of LED lights out of place, which is why we think this is the perfect tree for kid-free households. Post-Christmas, you’ll need to store it very carefully (ours simply came wrapped in some thin plastic, which meant we had to spend a considerable amount of time teasing the strands back into place), and this probably isn’t the best option for households with large dogs, either.
That said, if you’re a fan of minimalism, this might just be your ideal tree. It’s undeniably elegant, and, despite the lack of greenery, there’s something wonderfully wintery about its softly illuminated, silvery silhouette, topped with a silver star. Our top tip? This tree works best on hard floors such as faux wood or polished pine – there’s something lovely about the reflections of the tree’s lights.
Habitat has nailed the natural look with this large festive fir for less than £100. It comes in a natural dark green hue, and combines 3D and flat, bushy needles, with more intricately formed, realistic branches poking outwards to create a convincing silhouette. Individual branches can be opened up and repositioned to make the tree look fuller and more irregular which, again, is a realistic touch. We do think this tree could have been done with more branches towards the centre, however. When it comes to setting up, there are just three sections to slot into each other which is a doddle to do, so you can get to the fun bit and start decorating in no time.
Balsam Hill’s BH Fraser fir is an outstanding tree, with a stunning profile, a brilliantly designed lighting system and a low-maintenance design, despite its premium build. Finally, if you’re short on space, you can’t beat Robert Dyas’s duchess pre-lit slim Christmas tree, not only because of its beautiful lighting but it’s strong, sturdy branches, which were more than capable of holding the inordinate amount of decorations we piled on to them.
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