Is a Balsam Hill Christmas tree worth it? What to look for vs a budget tree

Is a Balsam Hill Christmas tree worth it? What to look for vs a budget tree

• 11.08.2026

I am a late-in-life fake Christmas tree convert, and now connoisseur! I love the freedom they give (you can decorate two months before Christmas if you want, they won't dry out), there's no mess to clean up, they come PRE-LIT!!!, and they save you a ton of money over time. 

But... here is a huge range of options out there. Balsam Hill is kind of the gold standard, but pricey.

If you're asking whether a Balsam Hill tree is worth it, here's how I'd think about it. I compared a 7.5 ft Balsam Hill Sugarlands Spruce (Wide) with a 7 ft Costway pre-lit tree that costs a fraction of the price. The specific trees matter less than what separates them, so I'm going to focus on what to look for when you shop, whatever brand you end up with. I have also had a King of Christmas tree and they have lots of options too!

The two trees

The Balsam Hill tree I have is the Sugarlands Spruce in the 7.5 ft Wide shape with clear LED lights, marked down to $1,249 right now, from $1,699. This year I also got a budget-friendly one in my dining room, the Costway 7 ft pre-lit tree with warm white LEDs, around $190 as I write this. (See all my holiday decor and favorites here.)

This is the Balsam Hill and it is THE MOST REALISTIC fake tree I (or, based on my IG messages, many people) have seen. 

This is the Costway. It's a little fuller in the middle (I'll explain why in a sec), with a different trunk, and some similarities in the branches. Both are pre-lit but I'll compare the differences below.

Here are my main tips for shopping for a realistic fake Christmas tree, no matter your budget!

Look for branches that are all molded, not the fabric-looking kind

Cheaper trees often mix in PVC tips. Those are flat sheets cut and twisted into shape, and up close they look a bit like fabric. Molded tips are shaped from real branches, so they have depth and texture. The Sugarlands uses Balsam Hill's True Needle foliage, which is molded. The Costway mixes PE and PVC.

One thing worth checking even at the higher price: Balsam Hill's line includes trees with PVC Classic Needle foliage too. Read the foliage listed on the specific tree you're looking at instead of assuming the nicer brand covers it.

Here are some pics of the Sugarland Spruce from last year. It sold out pretty quickly last year so I didn't share much! So that is a risk too!

My first fake tree a few years ago had the fabric-ey PVC branches too and they kind of drive me crazy now. On the Costway they're tucked in on the inside so they're not super noticeable, but they make it look fuller which is realistic for some types of evergreens but not spruces like I like the look of. Here's that one.

Look for (lots of) single plug-in lights

A nicer tree wires the lights through the trunk. Each section lights up as you stack it, and you plug the whole tree in once at the base. Balsam Hill calls this Easy Plug. 

The Costway has plugs on each of the three sections, and you have to dig around for the plug before connecting them. I had the hardest time finding the plug for the middle section when I set this one up so I had to take the top two pieces apart and try again. Now I know to look for the plugs and put them on the back so the cord can line up easily and not show too much!

Pre-lit trees are AMAZING... and both of these have nice warm, 2700 Kelvin-ey, lights. The more expensive ones have a lot more lights, though. I was a lots-of-lights person before, using sooo many strands... the Sugarlands Spruce has so many lights it's perfect as-is, saves so much time setting up. 

Compare tip count, width and weight

Here's a side-by-side of the two trees I have... I would say the foliage type and number of lights are most important!!

	Balsam Hill Sugarlands Spruce (Wide)	Costway Pre-Lit Tree
Height	7.5 ft	7 ft
Width	6 ft	4.4 ft
Branch tips	11,964	1,130
Foliage	True Needle (PET and recycled polyethylene)	PE and PVC mix
Lights	900 clear LEDs	380 warm white LEDs, 8 modes
Sections	4, stand included	3
Weight	56.3 lb (shipping weight)	29 lb (net weight)
Warranty	3-year limited, covers tree and factory-installed lights	1-3 year warranty available for purchase
Price (November 2026)	$1,249 (was $1,699)	about $190

The Balsam Hill has roughly ten times the branch tips and about two and a half times the lights, and it's a foot and a half wider. Balsam Hill rates the Sugarlands' density as medium, which makes sense for a wide shape, since the tips are spread across a lot more tree. It also costs about 6.5 times as much.

You can check out King of Christmas too for a mid-range option.

So, is Balsam Hill worth it?

Honestly, I can tell the difference more than I was expecting. I love the height, color, and lights of the Sugarlands Spruce, and that you can see the trunk (a sort of scratchy brown fake wood). The Costway is darn good for under $200, but I'm spoiled now that I have the Balsam Hill. 

For something you're going to keep for 10 years and if you have the option... I absolutely would shop around Balsam Hill and choose a favorite. They're on sale around the holidays and have good customer service if anything goes wrong, etc. As they say... "Buy right, you only cry once." It's a lot of money but you'll use it and LOVE it for years. 

But I know a $700-1,200 tree is not an option for everyone. If you're shopping on a budget and looking around elsewhere, I'd put these in order: molded branches (no fabric-ey PVC), light density (only look at the warm/2700 K or versatile color lights), single plug-in, then tip count and width for your room. A cheaper tree can get you most of the way there if it checks the first two!

Shop my trees: Sugarlands Spruce in 7.5 ft Wide, Costway 7 ft pre-lit tree with warm white LEDs.