Fibre optic trees
Thirteen trees where the light travels through the branches themselves. Most are 3ft or 4ft, which makes them a second tree for a bedroom, a landing or a child's room rather than the main tree. Prices run from £24.99 to £99.99.
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Premier
5ft Frosted Fibre Optic Half Christmas Tree
5ft tall
Original price was: £69.99.£42.99Current price is: £42.99.
How a fibre optic tree works
A single lamp in the base shines into a bundle of optical fibres that climb the trunk and finish at each branch tip. A rotating colour wheel in front of the lamp sends a slow cycle of colours through the fibres, so the whole tree shifts from red to blue to green without any bulbs on the branches. There is nothing to wrap and nothing to replace on the branches; the lamp unit in the base is the only working part.
Who buys them
These are the trees that go in a child's bedroom, on a landing window sill or in a care home lounge: small, self-contained, and lit with one plug. The 3ft Colour Changing Twinkle Fibre Optic Tree at £59.99 is the most ordered. The 4ft Dewdrop Star tree adds warm white micro LEDs on top of the fibres for a brighter result, and the 5ft Frosted Fibre Optic Half Tree at £42.99 has a flat back so it stands flush with a wall.
Light colour
Most cycle through colours; two are fixed warm white, and one offers white and warm white. Pick the fixed colours if the tree is going in a room where someone will try to sleep, because the colour cycle is the point of the others and cannot be switched off while the tree is lit.
Power and safety
Eleven are mains powered through a low-voltage adaptor and one runs on batteries. The base unit stays cool because the lamp is an LED. These are indoor trees; keep the fibres away from pets that chew.
Common questions
Can the colour changing be stopped?
On most of these trees the colours keep cycling for as long as the tree is switched on. The warm white models are the choice if you want a fixed colour.
Do fibre optic trees need extra lights?
No. The fibres light every tip. Some people add a short battery string for extra sparkle on a 4ft tree, but it is not needed.
How tall are they?
Mostly 3ft (90cm) and 4ft (120cm), with one 5ft half tree and one 1.5ft tabletop. None are full-room trees.
Can I replace the lamp?
On these models the LED lamp is sealed into the base unit and should outlast the tree. The base unit itself is replaced under warranty if it fails.