Published on Nov. 11, 2024
Looking for a premium artificial Christmas tree? We tested both brands to settle the King of Christmas vs. Balsam Hill debate once and for all.
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Clark Griswold got it right: A tree is the most important of Christmas symbols. Luckily, you no longer need to head out into the country on your old front-wheel drive sleigh and embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape to get one.
The best artificial Christmas trees have come a long way. Today’s options are incredibly lifelike with easy-connect lights, meaning you can skip the tedious setup and get straight to the fun part—decorating! The only hard part is choosing from a behemoth of options, many of which look much different in their online listing photo than they do in real life.
If you’re stuck, we evaluated two of the top artificial Christmas tree brands on the market. We tested seven trees to judge quality, realism and value. Here’s everything you need to know about the King of Christmas vs. Balsam Hill debate.
King of Christmas and Balsam Hill are two of the biggest names in the artificial Christmas tree game. You can shop their offerings year-round on their respective websites. Each brand carries trees of various shapes, sizes and light types, so whether you’re looking for a fat Blue Spruce or a skinny Alpine-style fir, you’re likely to find it on either brand’s site.
Both brand’s trees are on the premium end of the spectrum, especially compared to big-box retailer selections. You definitely pay for the quality, realism and easy setup. Prices run the gamut, but Balsam Hill trees range from $349 to $4,199, while King of Christmas trees start at $229 and go up to $3,299. Both brands do run frequent sales, so you can often find a tree for less.
In addition to trees, King of Christmas and Balsam Hill sell other holiday items like garlands, wreaths and ornaments.
To make sure King of Christmas trees live up to the hype, we called in four assorted options for firsthand testing. I, along with editor Emily Way, evaluated each option in our respective homes. Our testing criteria judged the unboxing experience, setup, lights, fluffing process, realism, ornament-friendliness, takedown and price of each tree.
While we ran into a few set-up snags, each King of Christmas tree was incredibly easy to light, thanks to a built-in power pole. Goodbye, fumbling for plugs between scratchy branches! Our trees all came with remote controls, which was a convenient touch. And we absolutely loved the dimmable light feature (among other twinkling settings).
Some of the trees looked more real than others, but the branches were generally sturdy and held ornaments of all sizes with ease. The real darling was the Queen Flock, which was less messy than other flocked trees we tried and looked perfectly snow-kissed.
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Even the most expensive trees can take forever to fluff. If you want a tree that looks good without too much finagling, give the Tribeca Spruce a try.
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We found setup to be a cinch, thanks to this tree’s light, 22-pound weight. It’s one of the most manageable trees we’ve come across in our testing.
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The flocking on this tree is some of the best we’ve seen; snowy and very lifelike. The thick coating on the branches makes fluffing easy, and ornaments hang securely, too.
Do Balsam Hill Christmas trees look as good in real life as they do in Hallmark movies? We went on a mission to find out, testing three assorted options in both our editors’ homes and our Product Testing Lab. We followed the same criteria we applied to King of Christmas trees.
Right out of the box, we knew these trees were the real deal. The mix of branch tips looked incredibly lifelike. The only downside is that Balsam Hill trees require a lot of fluffing. We spent at least 20 minutes on each tree, bending and plying branches into place. Our work was ultimately rewarded by trees that looked just like their online listing photos.
The lights go on through a similar power pole technology as King of Christmas, and we loved the array of lights you can choose. Whether you’re a white light purist or twinkly colored light devotee, there’s an option for everyone.
And, if you’re looking for smart features, the Balsam Hill flip tree is one of the most impressive firs we’ve ever seen. Its unique setup style allows you to roll and then flip the tree into place. The minimal lifting makes this an excellent option for older adults or anyone with mobility issues.
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If you looked up “Christmas tree” in the dictionary, there’s a chance you’d find an image of this Blue Spruce. It’s the quintessential tree, with its full shape and real-looking needles.
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To date, we have yet to find a tree that outperforms the flip tree in the “easy setup” class. You get a fully assembled Christmas tree in less than two minutes.
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Our testers had tons of fun toying around with the handful of presets and could’ve kept exploring this smart tree’s capabilities for hours if time allowed.
Both King of Christmas and Balsam Hill make beautiful, lifelike, high-end Christmas trees. From our extensive firsthand experience, we are confident that these trees will hold up for many seasons. The construction is solid. And we appreciate the smart inclusions found in most tree boxes, like light repair kits and custom storage bags. You really can’t go wrong with either brand.
That said, depending on what you’re specifically looking for, there are scenarios where one brand is preferable to the other. If realism is your top concern, look no further than Balsam Hill. These truly are some of the most realistic trees you can find on the market. We also strongly recommend the patented Balsam Hill flip tree for anyone who struggles to set up a traditional tree. These features come at a price, though. Balsam Hill trees are typically more expensive than comparable King of Christmas options.
If a flocked tree is on your wish list, we adore the King of Christmas Queen Flock. We also really appreciate the built-in dimming feature, which is ideal for anyone who’s ever felt their Christmas tree was a little too bright at times.
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