Although tree manufacturers introduce new models every year, we haven’t seen any in 2023 that are so striking, or have such innovative features, that they would our change our recommendations. The best way to think about who should get an artificial Christmas tree costway lounge chair is to compare the benefits and drawbacks of fake versus live trees. Artificial trees offer a lot of versatility, as this space-saving version of our pick proves. If you don’t want a tiny tree in a small room, consider a slim model with a minimal footprint.
In 2020 and 2021, with office access restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we tested a more limited number of trees on our own, primarily aiming to diversify our range of recommendations. We did the same in 2022, adding a couple of on-trend “Euro-style” trees (meaning sparser and shaggier), which leave more room for ornaments and make it easier to hang them. Again, however, our goal in this guide is at least as much to identify high-quality manufacturers as it is to choose the “best” trees.
Its telescoping shaft and quick handle adjustment allow it to accommodate people of all heights. Its variable-speed trigger is smooth and makes delicate work just as easy as brute-force clear-cutting. We’ve been recommending Ego trimmers for years, and we remain impressed with their marathon run times (often outlasting the competition by nearly 40%) and their overwhelming power. We’ve routinely used the ST1511T to knock down 1-inch-thick stalks of invasive Japanese knotweed, something that almost no other trimmer can do. Home Accents Holiday, a Home Depot house brand, is generally oriented toward inexpensive, less-realistic trees. Its 7.5-foot Dunhill Fir Unlit model was our former budget pick, and it looked nice once it was strung with lights and decorations, despite having no realistic needles.
This change required us to set our sights only on the most convincing, lifelike artificial trees, which usually carry a correspondingly high price tag. When we began this research several years ago, we were surprised to find how much a good fake tree cost. I use a scythe to take down a weedy area that once housed pigs so the ground is too lumpy and bumpy for any kind of wheeled mower.
He also said to mow early in the morning when the grass has dew, which helps the blade gain purchase. This video shows someone mowing their costway lounge chair lawn with proper technique and a sharp blade. Worx’s 20-volt battery system isn’t as widely available as some others, most notably Ryobi’s.
Artificial trees have a significant environmental impact and can’t be recycled. So we decided to recommend only those models that you can reasonably expect to last for a decade or more because they’ll spread their impact out over time. For anyone to stick with a fake tree that long, it has to be impressive to start and then remain that way through annual wear and tear. The National Tree Company 7.5-foot Feel Real Downswept Douglas Fir Pencil Slim (PEDD4-392D-75) with Dual Color LED Lights is a great option for small spaces, such as a foyer or a compact apartment. It’s similar in construction to our top pick, the Downswept Douglas Fir, with a rich mix of realistic polyethylene branch tips and fake PVC filler branches. And it uses the same dual-color LED lights—only this tree has 350 bulbs, not 750, because there’s a lot less tree to cover.
When it comes to scythes, you don’t have a whole lot of other options. They’re typically sold piecemeal; all-in-one kits like the Lee Valley set are rare. Wooden models such as those from Scythe Supply look excellent but are considerably more expensive, as are the pieces and kits available at Lehman’s and the sets at One Scythe Revolution. If scything is completely new to you and you’re not sure whether it will “take” or not, we like the idea of starting with the less expensive Lee Valley set.
If you really get into it, you can then start looking into a more polished wooden model. With an Austrian scythe such as the one we recommend, sharpening is a two-part process, consisting of honing and peening. To keep the blade sharp during use, you must continually hone the edge with a whetstone, which users often hold in a watertight hip holster (included in the Lee Valley kit).
You can set this metal bar that sticks out of the front of the trimmer to indicate the leading edge of the whirling string, which allows you to trim right up to—but not harm—your prized geraniums. It’s a nice feature, particularly for anyone who might not be used to handling a string trimmer. We can’t say it’s a pleasant sound, and during testing we always wore ear protection. But the other light-duty models were all especially loud, and their motors had an almost grindy quality to their sound. You can remove and replace the trimmer head of the RY40290 with a number of other tools (each sold separately), such as a brush cutter, a pole saw, or even a cultivator. We tested many of these attachments and were impressed with the results, especially the cultivator, which helped us till a small garden.
With the ST1511T’s excellent system, you can load line into the trimmer head with the push of a button. The process takes seconds, and it’s hard to overstate what an improvement this is over the way loading has traditionally worked, which includes disassembling the entire trimmer head and manually winding the line onto the spool. For comparative run time and power, we hauled many of the trimmers out to an overgrown field and drained their batteries by clearing giant swaths of thick grass and dense weeds. We prefer the bump-feed style; even though the automatic systems are newer, we have yet to find one that leaves us with a reliable amount of string extended.