Pre-lit trees

Why buy a tree with the lights built in

Wrapping 600 lights round a 6ft tree takes an hour and never looks quite even. On a pre-lit tree the LEDs are clipped to the branches at the factory, spaced from the trunk outward so the inside of the tree glows as well as the tips. Assembly is the three hinged sections plus a plug between each one, and the lights are on. Taking it down is the reverse, with no lights to untangle in January.

LED counts by height

The count is what separates a pre-lit tree that glows from one that sparkles. As a rule of thumb from this range: a 5ft tree carries 200 to 400 LEDs, a 6ft tree 300 to 600, a 7ft tree 380 to 700, and the 7.5ft and 8ft luxury firs 600 to 800. The 7ft Ben Nevis Pine has 380 warm white LEDs; the 7.5ft Lawrence Fir has 800. Both are listed, and the number is on the card, so the comparison is easy to make before you open a product page.

Light colour and settings

Twenty-six of the 38 are warm white, which reads as candlelight and suits red, gold and natural decorations. Three can switch between warm white and multi coloured from a button on the lead, which is the practical answer when one person in the house wants classic and another wants colour. Most sets have a static mode and several twinkle or fade modes; some have an eight-hour timer that repeats daily.

Power

Twenty-nine trees plug into the mains via a low-voltage transformer, so the branches themselves carry 24V or 31V rather than mains current. One runs on batteries for a spot with no socket. Check the lead length on the product page: it is the distance from the plug to the base of the tree and decides whether you need an extension.

Finishes

Sixteen are plain green, and six have a snowy or frosted finish for a winter look without a separate flocked tree. Prices run from £22.99 for a small pre-lit tabletop tree to £630 for the fullest 8ft fir, with the bulk of the 6ft and 7ft trees between £129 and £309.