Imagine a Christmas tree wreathed in lights, smelling of fresh pine, and ladened with presents underneath. Whether your holiday season is more religious or more…
Imagine a Christmas tree wreathed in lights, smelling of fresh pine, and ladened with presents underneath. Whether your holiday season is more religious or more secular in tone, nothing invokes yuletide cheer like a grand Christmas tree. But to keep the holiday spirit alive, and to protect your family, home, and the tree itself from accidents, a sturdy tree stand is a must.
We spent weeks researching and testings some of the best-selling Christmas tree stands on the market to find one that can handle both powerful Father Time and lush Aunt Zelda. We evaluated each stand that came into our labs to see if they were easy to assemble, use, and could withstand a solid blow.
After lifting, watering, and striking a seven-and-a-half-foot Christmas tree a few dozen times, we think the Krinner Tree Genie Deluxe ( available at Amazon) is the best for most households.
Here are the best Christmas Tree Stands we tested ranked, in order.
Updated November 28,2018
We breathed a sigh of relief when we opened the box for the Krinner Tree Genie Deluxe–no assembly required. Its design allows it to handle any tree up to 8 feet tall. However, what sets the Krinner stands apart—we also tested the Krinner Tree Genie XXL, which is made for trees up to 12 feet tall—are that they require only one person to set the trees up.
This German-designed tree stand has the right combination of materials. We found that plastic made up the interior and the point of contact with the tree but most of the gears appear to be made of steel. Since you have to water your tree, too much steel isn’t good for longevity and too much plastic can make a tree stand flimsy.
After placing the tree into the stand, a foot pedal tightens a steel cable and five ratcheting arms around the base of the tree. We found that this system allows for a more even distribution of pressure. During testing, we struck the Deluxe with considerable force and found the extendable legs more than enough to keep our 7.5-foot-tall tree from tipping over.
If your Christmas tree is taller than 8 feet, we’d suggest getting the Krinner Tree Genie XXL ( available at Amazon), which can handle a pine up to 12 feet tall. When we tested the XXL, it performed almost identical to the Deluxe.
If you’re looking for an American-made Christmas tree stand that just gets the job done, then you should check out the Cinco Express C-152E. We liked the fact the bolts had handles that saved our fingers from endless twisting. After setting up the tree, our testing showed that this stand excels at stability. When it struck, it barely moved an inch. The bottom has a lattice texture to help the stand grip the floor.
We also liked the fact that this tree stand is low maintenance. It can hold up to 1.3 gallons of water. If you have an eight-foot-tall tree, we’d reckon that you’ll have to water it every one to three days. The majority of the construction is plastic, save for the galvanized steel spikes on the bottom and the bolts.
We found the difficulty of the assembly to be on par with others on this list. However, the value was above average. You can find the C-152E for under $25. As far as utility goes, the Cinco is number one.
If you get a bad tree stand, this could happen to you.
Hello, I’m Jon Chan, the Senior Lab Technician at Reviewed. Over the years I’ve worked here, I’ve tested everything from pocket knives to pressure washers. I worked with my colleague Kyle Hamilton because lifting Christmas trees and setting up tree stands is not a one-man job.
Testing came in three phases looking at assembly, usage, and stability.
