Customer Reviews

GKI Bethlehem Lighting 9-Foot PE/PVC Pre-Lit Christmas Tree with 1,250 Clear Mini , Hunter Fir

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is our first artificial tree and I must say that overall, I am very happy regarding our purchase. The numerous lights with breakouts minimize current in any given light set extending the life of each branch of lights. Moreover, the tiny pinecones give it a pleasant appearance. However, my only complaints are that (1) the color of the tree branches look like all of the other artificial Christmas trees out there which is contrary to the Amazon photo and (2) the tree is not as full as the picture presents. I'm guessing that the lighting in which the Amazon photo was taken gives this tree a slightly lighter (and more natural) tree branch color than it actually has. Moreover, when you look at the Amazon photo, the tree looks as if the tree is full. However, you will be able to see perhaps 10-15% of the background wall against which the tree is set. The photo makes it appear as if the tree is so full that you can't see through the tree and all and I find this fact misleading. Particularly when you look at the middle to top of the tree in the photo. There is a window in the background which would ordinarily present a high contrast (i.e. a strong natural light in the background, tree branches in the foreground) and I see no light through the tree branches from the Amazon photos. This is not the case in the actual product.

There are three sections to the tree and the base which all set up really easily. You'll probably have the tree up w/in 10 min.

Finally, the product claims that the base is 65" and it is probably pretty close to this.

We did a lot of research looking for a Christmas tree that appeared to best represent the look we were going for and chose this tree because of the appearance of the downswept branches. The price at Amazon was also very good compared to other retailers. This is a very nice tree for the price but it looks like every other pre-lit tree I've seen. Disappointingly, the branches are not downswept like the picture at all.

This tree is the most beautiful Christmas Tree I've ever seen. People who come into my home are stunned by it's beauty. It can easily stand alone. After decorating the tree, I actually took some of the decorations off to compliment the tree with it's precious little burr cones. It was worth every penny. Amazon has great prices. It was listed at almost half the price that the manufacturer wanted.I recommend it to everyone who appreciates the true beauty of a tree that is so realistic that the branches are downswept, as if heavy snow had just melted off of them.

This is our second artificial Christmas tree. Our first was a Puleo that we bought many years ago. Lately when shopping for trees, the trees that we found did not look as natural as the one we had. Unfortunately after many years of packing and unpacking, parts of the Puleo tree broke and we could not find replacements or a vendor selling another tree.

So we turned to Amazon in our search. We soon learned that one of the important criteria was "tip count" - how many tips the tree had. More tips would equate to a denser and more natural appearance. The GKI Bethlehem tree came out tops at over 4,000 tips.

My initial reaction when we received the tree and started unpacking it was of disappointment. Whereas our previous tree had a bark-like appearance for the central stem, this one was simply green-painted metal. Also, when we erected it, it initially appeared as if it was not very dense.

However, I soon realized that the twigs were tightly compressed from the packaging. One has to spend a considerable amount of time to separate the various tios from one another and to spread them out in a natural-looking manner. Once this is done, this tree looks lovely, dense and very natural. There are two types of tips, some are plastic and some are wire. The ones at the end of the branches are plastic and give an appearance of newer growth, whereas the wire tips bulk up very nicely and can be bent easily to fill any holes op openings.

Look out for secondary and tertiary branches on the lower limbs and pry them away from the main branches. This really bulks out the tree and if you position some higher and some lower than the main branches, they serve to break the artificial-looking appearance of cheaper trees that appear to have all branches on concentric rings.

THe video that comes with the product does not go much into arranging the branches, but I have found that this is the most time-consuming, but eventually rewarding effort if you want a tree that has a very natural-looking appearance. You cannot order a tree with more than 4,000 tips and expect them to spring into position all by themselves!

Now the only thing I'm missing is our colored lights flashing in merry patterns!

After looking at many different trees in person, we purchased the 9-foot GKI Bethlehem Hunter tree (multi-color) as our first artificial tree after many years of real Frasier Firs.

We couldn't be happier. With enough patience setting it up and properly arranging the branches, you can't get a more natural-looking tree. On the 9-foot tree, there are 6935 tips of two styles, with the very end tips on each branch being molded plastic forms from real trees. The remaining (bulk) of the tips are the more traditional artificial tree style.

GKI-Bethlehem includes a tutorial DVD, along with a wireless bulb tester that helps locate broken circuits if a bulb burns out improperly (generally, if a bulb burns out, the rest remain lit). And there are plenty of spare replacement bulbs.

The 9-foot tree comes in 3 pre-wired sections that fit together creating two separate power plugs for the tree. With each section, the branches are hinged at the center, and fan out. You'll need to adjust tips on each branch, and this takes quite a bit of time to get best results. I'll admit I'm a perfectionist, and this was also our first artificial tree. But it took me about 8 hours to properly arrange the tips in a 3-dimensional form, and bend the branches to create an evenly-spaced tree that appears to gradually flair up toward the light at the very top of the tree. Arranging properly definitely is more of an art - what I found with some experimentation is that you're best arranging the rear tips in a 3-dimensional form instead of just one direction. Start at the bottom, and move your way up. And, with each added section, you'll need to go back and arrange/bend branches to even the spacing and overall look. In the end, we are extremely pleased with the finished tree. I've uploaded a picture of it.

Is this tree perfect? Not entirely. There were a handful of the molded tips that were not properly attached. I ended up using spare decorator's wire to attach them properly. But considering the number of tips, this was only 2 or 3 branches. Not bad.

For the value, especially the outstanding Amazon price, I don't think you'll find a better artificial tree.

I purchased this tree last year after Christmas, so it was about 11 months before I actually opened the box and looked at it. Before purchasing, I researched trees for weeks, and liked the look of the downturned branches (shown in one of the pictures). As someone above stated, they are not downturned. However, if you play with the branches you can achieve that look. That's what I did. It took a little longer to do, but I was quite pleased with the results and it shows that this is a versatile tree - maybe I want an upturned look next year. We'll see! I didn't realize when I purchased the tree that it was GKI/Bethlehem, what a treat when I saw the tag, as they are a reputable company for quality Christmas lighting.
Overall, I am very pleased with my tree and received numerous compliments, this year. It makes me wish the season lasted a little longer.

I just received and put up the 7 1/2 foot tree. I ordered it on December tenth and wasn't expecting shipment before the twenty-first. I was very happily surprised when it was delivered on the seventeenth. It comes in three sections with a stand. Included is a DVD which really isn't needed to set up the tree. Caution-the sections are heavy, especially the middle one. I had to ask someone help me to lift it onto the stand. It is very pretty and doesn't need many decorations. It has lovely pinecones on it. It is quite dense. If you play around with the branches you can make it look fuller. Mine is in front of the window and you can barely see through it. If you want a shorter tree you can leave off the bottom section and just use the middle and top. I am very pleased with this tree.

This tree is great. We'd seen it in a Christmas Decorations store and loved it, but the store sold out of them and stopped carrying it. Found it in more than one place online and ordered it through Amazon. Arrived in about 5-days in 2 huge boxes. Tree is in 4-sections. The very top section arrived with a piece broken off the shaft that is inserted into the central core as you are assembling it. We are following up with the seller on this, but it did not prevent us from being able to assemble the tree. LOts of "fluffing" is required on this tree when you set it up in order for it to look realistic and fill in gaps. Once done, it is beautiful and it is wonderful not having to mess with those darn lights! All in all, I'd say 4-stars.

I was a happy purchaser last year - the tree was gorgeous - and yes, it does take time to set up so that it looks like the picture. Branches don't just fall into place, you do have to arrange them. But I was impressed. That is, until I took it out this year - only the second year, mind you. One whole section doesn't light. I called customer service and had to leave a message. No reply. I finally, after days, got a living person, who told me that if one light is missing the whole string goes out. Makes sense, that's a fire hazard. So I re-traced the convoluted wiring and found no bulbs out. An electrical test shows the string is getting juice - it just won't light. Again, I called back and no reply. No reply to online forms, no reply to messages, no one answering, nothing. At this point, I'm going to go buy lights and replace the strings that won't light myself. Which really fries my cheese, because I paid this much to avoid doing just that! This tree is supposed to have a 3-year warranty on the lighting and 10 on the tree. Good luck getting that honored.

In short, if you need a one-year tree, this is great! If, however, you want a tree that you don't have to replace or fix, this may not be your best option. You certainly won't get any help from amazon.com or GKI Lighting when it goes out.

GKI Bethlehem has great customer service. I had to call on a wrong middle section in my box too. I called the toll free number (800)248-1434 for GKI cutomer service. They sent me out a new middle (the correct size one) right away and I didn't have to pay for any shipping. It came right to my door. Now all I have to do is dispose of the wrong middle section (A bit of a bummer as it's perfectly fine). I thought GKI's customer service was great. All you have to do is tell them that you bought in on Amazon.com and it's taken care of. I was really impressed with the service I got. BTW I am giving this 5 stars as the tree is gorgeous!!!!