The 10 Best Artificial Christmas Trees

For a tree that passes for a real blue spruce from across the room, the Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce is the one to beat. In a side-by-side review, Taste of Home found Balsam Hill's branch tips the most lifelike it compared. This pre-lit version has a thousand clear bulbs on a single plug with a foot switch, plus gloves, a storage bag and spare bulbs. The bulbs are incandescent, not LED, and the boxed tree is heavy to carry.

Families who can't agree on white or colored lights can have both with the National Tree Company Dunhill Fir. A switch flips its LEDs between warm white and multicolor, and the sections plug together through the trunk, so there are no cords to match up. National Tree backs the tree for five years. The needles are classic flat plastic, so it looks fuller from across the room than up close, and shaping the branches can take close to an hour.

The Puleo Aspen Fir has the open, layered shape of a tree cut on a farm, with gaps between the branches where big ornaments can hang. Molded tips that copy real needles sit on the outside, with plainer filler inside. Its clear lights are made to stay on when one bulb fails, and Puleo covers the tree for five years and the lights for two. Anyone who wants a dense, full cone will find it sparse.

Lifelike molded tips usually add a lot to a tree's price, which makes the Hykolity PE Prelit worth a look. Its outer branches copy the shape of real fir needles, layered over denser plastic filler, and its warm-white LEDs keep glowing when one bulb fails. It goes together in three hinged sections. Hykolity hasn't been around long, and the seller states no warranty, so keep the box and receipt through the first season.

A white-dusted tree gives the look of fresh snow without a trip outside, and the Best Choice Products SKY5090 pulls it off at a modest price. The flocking is heavy, and warm-white bulbs come strung on the branches with steady, twinkle and slow-glow settings. Some of the white coating falls off during setup and storage, so lay a sheet down the first time. The bulbs are incandescent, and the tips under the snow are plain plastic.

Narrow living rooms and tight corners suit the Puleo Fraser Fir Pencil, which keeps full height on a footprint about half as wide as a standard tree. One person can carry it up from the basement, and its clear lights are wired so a dead bulb won't darken the rest. Puleo covers the tree for five years. The light count is modest, so it glows softly, and the slim shape leaves less room for big ornaments.

Some people would rather pick their own lights, and the Best Choice Products SKY2887 leaves that choice to you at a low price. With no built-in wiring, there are no dead sections to chase, and the boxed tree is a light lift. Hinged branches drop into place, and a folding metal stand comes with it. The trade-off is time: stringing lights by hand adds work every year, and the plain plastic tips need careful fluffing to hide the pole.

The Yaheetech 550-Light Pre-Lit puts a full-size tree with the lights already on it within reach of a small budget. Warm-white LEDs come strung across the branches, and the metal stand folds flat for storage. It makes sense for a first apartment, a dorm lounge or a kids' playroom. Plan on a long session of shaping, since the seller's own guide allows one to two hours, and the plain plastic tips won't fool anyone up close.

Long, loose needles and pine cones built into the branches give the National Tree Company Carolina Pine a rustic, cabin-style look before a single ornament goes on. Clear lights come pre-strung and keep working when a bulb burns out, and National Tree backs it with a five-year warranty. It's broad, so it needs a roomy corner, and the boxed sections are heavy to haul out of storage. The lights come in clear white only.

A desk, a side table or a dorm shelf has room for the National Tree Majestic Fir Mini, a tabletop tree about two feet tall that sits in a red burlap-wrapped base. A few dozen white lights come pre-strung, so it's ready to glow as soon as it's out of the box. It makes a cheerful second tree for a kitchen or a home office. There's no warranty, and the branches hold only small, light ornaments.