Customer Reviews

Emerald Innovations XTS3 Swivel Straight Tree Stand For 10' Tree

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It was a nice idea.... screw the sleeve on the tree while it's laying on the ground. If you screw it on crooked, no worries. Then pick it up carry it over the base and drop it in. Press the pedal to swivel the base until the tree is straight, and release the pedal.

It does make it possible for a person to set up a tree by themselves, but it didn't seem to work out quite this nice. First of all, the screw tips are pointed, and thus dug into the trunk when tightened. They didn't seem to be able to get the kind of purchase that larger flat tips would. Also, there are only 3 screws to hold the tree (other stands have 4 or 5). Also, there are no spikes in the bottom of the sleeve to secure the base of the trunk, like with other designs. All of these combined to make the tree rather insecure. This insecure hold combined with a little bit of play between the sleeve and the swivel base, and a little bit of play between the swivel base on the bottom base resulted in a significant amount of play that made a tedious trial-and-error process of trying to straighten the tree.

My biggest grievance is that it broke on it's 3rd season of use. When tightening one of the screws the plastic that houses it cracked and broke off (definately can't hold the tree up with the 2 remaining screws). It surely wasn't a case of overtightening, since the small screw knobs don't let you generate enough torque in the first place. This was only a 6' tree.

I replaced it with a Cinco, and am thrilled with it. It addresses all of the above issues. Super stable, super rugged, half the price. Simple design, but setting up the tree took a fraction of the time.

Problem #1: Heartbreakingly tiny water reservoir. If you're not filling this at least once a day (maybe more) your tree is dead. Be sure your homeowners insurance is up-to-date. My tree (fairly normal, 7-8 foot tree) took up at least a half a gallon a day for a good 3 weeks. I invested in auto-watering siphon setups that helped, but if I wanted to go away for a weekend for a holiday visit to friends or family I was pretty much out of luck. When I came back, the tree had always used up all available water and dried out, and wouldn't take up any more water.

#2: You have to cut off any branches that are within 8-9 inches of the bottom of your trunk to get the "sleeve" on. If you don't pick your tree wisely, you can end up needing to remove some pretty good chunks of your tree. (If you already have one of these monsters, be sure to take the sleeve to the tree place to make sure it goes on.)

#3: If the trunk of your tree isn't exactly the diameter the designers have anticipated, it won't go all the way down in the sleeve and rest on the bottom. This means either your tree place has to carve some of the trunk off with a chainsaw as it suggests in the instructions (just try asking the tree guy to do this on a busy Saturday afternoon...) or your tree won't really be stable. If you decide not to do chainsaw carving and just live with it, it means that your tree will have access to even less water than the reservoir holds because it will not reach as far down into the stand.

#4: Even when the trunk DOES go all the way down into the sleeve, and the sleeve has clicked into place (getting it to do this isn't as easy as it should be, for a "quick setup stand", btw) the tree still isn't really that stable. There's always been a little bit of a wobble. Nothing as spectacular as the earlier reviewer whose tree fell down, but I'm not surprised at that outcome, either.

I finally replaced this model with the FAR superior Cinco Plastics Large Tree Stand and Christmas is better already. (Get it from Terradisiac... their turnaround time is practically supersonic.)

Bought this stand and thought this would be the perfect solution. Every year, my husband grumbles through his task of putting up the tree. It is always a problem getting the tree straight. The problem with this stand is that it is not very sturdy. It is a wonderful idea it just needs to be made out of something stronger than plastic. Our tree is currently in this stand and it has not fallen over yet but I don't think I'll use it again next year.

This is a great product. I have been using it for years. Our tree is always up and straight in minutes. This year I had a huge tree and it didn't tip. I would highly recommend the Swivel Straight tree stand.

I have this stand, same model number but different manufacturer (They must have taken the other company over). A week after I put up my tree, while no one was near it, it fell down. The problem-the plastic in the tree recepticle by the screws that hold the tree cracked!. Down went the tree, ornaments and all.

Emerald Innovations XTS3 Swivel Straight Tree Stand For 10' Tree We put up our 7 ft balsam pine Christmas Tree using the swivel stand and found the operation very easy and fast compared to the last 44 years using a variety of stands. We were about to give up the live tree routine, but this stand as made straightening tree in the stand so easy we have changed our minds. The XTS3 is constructed of plastic but seems to be very well designed and reinforced in critical stress areas, plus it will not rust. The water reservior is very adequate and easy enough to fill. The true test will be when the 12 grand children arrive, barring any one of them trying to climb the tree, we should be ok.

Have had this stand for about 10 years, bought when I was single which allowed me to put up my tree myself. Now married with family and still love this stand.

TIP - TAKE THE SCREW-IN INSERT WITH YOU WHEN YOU PURCHASE YOUR TREE!

You can "try on" the tree to make sure the circumference FITS in the INSERT and have the salesperson trim stump to size, as well as trim off any branches which get in the way of inserting into stand.

No need to complain - just do this like we do every year and you never have a problem.

Going to purchase one for my mother after the holidays when these go back in stock.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!

I love this stand. I have had it for two years now, and I haven't had a single problem. It holds a large 8 foot tree just fine. I screw the tree in really tight, put it in the base, and swivel to straighten. I put it up all by myself, and it took all of ten minutes. I won't go back to the other kind after having this stand.

I bought this stand years ago after years of wrestling to get the tree straight, short tempers, frustration, etc.

I love it. Best "gadget" I've ever bought. I can have the tree up and straight all by myself in 5 minutes or less. With help from my fiance, even quicker. The tree is straight and sturdy and high enough off the ground that you can fit presents underneath.

I contemplate buying another because my fear is that some day it might give out (even though mine is about six or seven years old and good as new) and I hate the idea of being stuck without one.

I highly recommend this stand. Couldn't say enough about it.

I can't speak for the longevity of the one I just bought; it's a present for some friends and they have only used it once so far. But I've got another one of these that I've had since the late 90's, and it's held up great.

The water reservoir holds plenty of water...the tree will likely need more water at least once a day for the first few days as it recovers from sitting around, drying out before you got it. But once it's been satisfied, you can top it off every two or three days without worry.

The best part, of course, is that you simply mount the tree in the removable cup first, and then lift the tree, placing it into the base. Get the cup on the tree trunk as straight at you can for best results, but even if you've got a really bad eye, you can just step on the release lever and push the tree to the correct upright position. The main drawback to having the base tilted too much is that it reduces the effective volume of the water reservoir.

I would prefer screws on the base that have flat clamping-style ends to hold the tree in place; this stand uses large, pointed skewers. However, I've never had any trouble with them coming loose or failing to hold the tree in the base in any way. They don't _seem_ as good to me, but I can't say they've given me any trouble either.