Lastly, artificial trees cannot be recycled because it’s too difficult to separate the various materials. So they wind up in landfills when they reach the end of their working lives. Setting up the King Noble Flock Fir was easy, thanks to the Power Pole connections and somewhat low—but still ample—number of branch tips; it took only about 30 minutes to put the tree together and fluff it. Predictably, a small amount of the flocking shed during the process, but a quick vacuum took care of this. That small task finished, we were left with a convincing illusion of a snow-covered live tree. Lakein told us that flocking is “kind of a specialty of ours,” and having seen an example firsthand, we wouldn’t argue.
At just 32 inches wide, this tree is barely half the width of the Downswept Douglas Fir on which it’s based. It has the same type of realistic branches (just fewer of them), and its 300 LED bulbs can shine in white, multicolor, or a mix of the two. Due to the pencil shape, this tree looks like no living pine that we know of, but when it’s lit and decorated, it’s pretty in its own right. Like the vast majority of contemporary pre-lit trees, the Downswept Douglas Fir features LED bulbs rather than traditional incandescents. They last longer and run cooler, and (in the Downswept Douglas Fir’s case) they can toggle between multicolor, all-white, a mix of the two, and blinking and sparkling variations thereof. We think the ability to switch between color and all-white modes is a genuine strength of this tree.
After years of testing trees in every price bracket, in 2021 we decided to stop recommending trees at the lowest pricing tiers. The problem isn’t their lack of realism—we found that even the fakest-looking trees were attractive once they were lit and decorated. The cheaper construction shows when you’re setting up trees and packing them into storage, since needles shed, branches break, and the overall look goes from passable to ragged over several years.
The inevitable burnt-out bulbs won’t ruin the look of the tree because, unlike with older incandescents, they won’t make the rest of a string of lights crap out. And Puleo supplies a generous number of replacement bulbs and fuses (though these are, annoyingly, tightly taped in small packets to the strings; you have to find them and snip them off carefully, so as not to nick the wires). On costway patio furniture the plus side, this tree has 800 lights, exceeding our 100-per-foot-of-height rule of thumb for a well-lit tree. If that sounds like what you want, you’ll be pleased with the Royal Majestic tree. National Tree Company offers a warranty for its realistic pre-lit trees taller than 6½ feet (including our pick), and it covers manufacturer defects for five years from the date of purchase.
It involves a twisting motion back and forth, with the arms acting as stabilizers. If you’re doing it really well, it’s not super physically demanding,” Miller told us. All of the cordless trimmers we looked at could cut regular lawn grass, but we wanted one that also handled tall weeds or densely overgrown grass. Weaker trimmers strained in tougher conditions, either getting bound up in the grass or pushing it over instead of cutting it.
As you stack the sections, the branches fold out under their own weight. You do, however, have to fluff them, a tedious task that can take an hour for one person working alone. This ancient tool is wildly effective at cutting grass and offers a tranquil mental and physical experience, accompanied only by the whooshing swish of the blade. There’s no question that you’ll look out of place, and people may whisper behind your back, but that’s okay because your eye-rolling neighbors probably won’t understand what an enjoyable, peaceful time you’re having. But those same neighbors should also appreciate the fact that you’re using a silent tool rather than a squealing string trimmer. Due to the continued success of the cordless string trimmers we’ve tested, we no longer recommend gas-powered string trimmers.
Another Ego model, the ST1502SA Power+ 15″ String Trimmer with Rapid Reload has a manual line-load system that is tedious compared with the push-button load system of our top pick. The Echo DSRM2600 eForce 56V X Series String Trimmer is a very nice three-speed model with a durable feel. The downsides are a notably small debris guard and an extremely high price. If you’d rather have costway lounge chair the assurance of a second battery (though we don’t think one is necessary), additional batteries are available for about $150 to $600, depending on the capacity. Lightweight, with a full assortment of ergonomic adjustments, this trimmer is not as powerful as the others, but it’s a great fit for small lawns. Quality is a top priority, and these are built to withstand the weather.
This touching up of the blade, usually required every 10 minutes or so, maintains the edge while you’re using it. Eventually, though, the edge will wear to a point that honing stops being effective, which is where peening—the light hammering of the blade’s edge, which tapers and hardens it—comes in. “The peening aspect is probably the thing that makes it the least accessible for regular people,” said Miller.