Christmas Tree help

[Sarahr22]

Hello - I know there have been lots of threads on here but would appreciate any thoughts. Torn between Balsalm Hill Nordmann Fir or the Christmas tree World Ultra Mountain Pine. Looking at 7ft and unlit. Have always had a real christmas tree but cost has gone up this year and also changed car and would no longer be able to collect. Any views from anyone who has seen either tree in real life or experience of either shop would be appreciated.

We have two Balsam Hill Nordmann Firs in different sizes - they’re gorgeous but I think the quality has gone down as the prices have gone up. We just bought an Everlands 8ft unlit and it is gorgeous - cost about £200 so a fraction of the Balsam Hills and I’d say there’s very little between them. Also looked at the Christmas Tree World ones this year but went with Everlands based on cost and number of tips.

Thank you - which Everlands did you buy?

We've had a slimline 7ft-er from Christmastree World since 2019 and we're very happy with it. Compared to Balsam Hill, which we've seen in commercial settings, it's a much better balance between quality and price and whilst it's made in China, CTW itself is a UK company based in a part of the UK which is not blessed with great employment opportunities, and we were happier for our money to end up sloshing around there.

The Ultra Mountain Pine has a mix of polyethylene (PE) and PVC tips - it's the PE ones which make it much more realistic.

What ultimately put us off BH, apart from the price, was that their taller ones start to get quite wide at the base and, while we wanted height the base was just too wide for the space.

Our CTW one feels like it will last decades.

Personally I’d go for a prelim - game changer

Prelit*

We bought and everlands Geneva Fir a couple of years ago and I highly rate it. I thought the quality for the price was outstanding. Not sure if they still do the same tree, but as a brand they are worthy of consideration. I did note that it was worth having a look online as we got ours far cheaper than I could buy at a local garden centre.

Christmas Tree world are a very good company to deal with, happy to talk on the phone to discuss features of individual trees; they do not have sites on FB filed with complaints as do Balsam Hiil. We have a CTW Woodland Pine which we love, but the Ultra Mountain Pine looks delightful.
I would certainly go for the CTW tree over Balsam Hill.

I prefer unlit trees because apparently unravelling built in lights when they fail is very time consuming and frustrating.

I prefer unlit trees because apparently unravelling built in lights when they fail is very time consuming and frustrating.

I read an article recently which was ostensibly about the environmental impact of artificial vs real trees. Apparently the tipping point where it becomes more sustainable to use an artificial tree is at about ten years old. However, the article made two points: one, the lights on pre-lit trees often fail when the tree still has years left in it and are chucked out, and two, pre-lit ones are much, much more difficult to recycle because of all the embedded wiring. There's a much higher likelihood of metal contamination in soil from pre-lit trees sent to landfill.

Ours is an Everlands Grandis Fir - not prelit. Love it

Thanks - now torn between yours and Christmas tree world ultra mountain pine - did you see both in real life before your went for Everlands? Did you think Everlands looked more real? Price point is similar for both at the moment. Thanks v much x

I dont have one but recently saw the everlands one in our local christmas shop. Had taken a photo to show my brother as hes after a new one. Looked great for the price

I didn’t see either, just based it on price and tip numbers and belief in the people on Reddit!

Bought my first balsam hill tree about 10 years ago when two successive real trees shed their needles almost entirely on the car journey home. It looks as lovely today as it did the year we bought it and it’s rare that anyone even clocks it as being fake. We have two now…

We have a BH pre-lit tree that we bought 9 years ago when prices were a fraction of what they are now. I wish I bought two as it’s sooo lovely and always gets compliments but they’re ridiculously pricey now. I’d say if you can get a pre-lit tree do so because it is honestly a game changer and saves the yearly tangled Christmas tree light drama and arguments!

We’re the same, it looks as good today as it did the first year, lights have never failed either and it was well worth what we paid. We get asked if it’s real too.

We’ve always bought a real tree but after moving into a new house that is so well insulated and hot, we found the needles were falling off far too quickly and it didn’t last as long as we wanted. So last year we bought a balsam hill pre-lit frosted pine tree and what a game changer! I’m so excited to get it out again this year and am even considering investing in a smaller one for our smaller living room.

I'm about to pick up one I bought from habitat, surprisingly enough. Can't say I was overly impressed by what I saw on the balsam hill website....

Thank you all - appreciate all of the comments :)

We have an Everlands Grandis fir and lots of people think it's real.