Fraser Fir artificial Christmas tree
Angela Slater
20 December 2016
Daughter of a farmer and market gardener so have always had a connection with the outdoors, whether it was keeping animals or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Along with my work at Hayes Garden World I also have a smallholding, mainly breeding rare breed pigs. I gained an HND and BSc in Conservation and Environmental Land Management, as a result I am an ardent environmentalist and have a keen interest in environmentally friendly gardening. In my time at Hayes I worked for several years in the Outdoor Plant and Houseplant areas

Fraser Fir Pre-Lit Artificial Tree

Enjoy all the benefits of a real Christmas tree without any of the mess

The Fraser Fir from The National Tree Company is one of the Next Generation artificial Christmas trees. These trees are designed to look like real forest trees and take as little time as possible to put up and dress out. All our artificial trees have a lifetime guarantee, which The National Tree Co estimate to be about 15 years. Click here to read the full terms of the warranty. The tree is available from 135cm (4.5’) to 210cm (7’) in height and also comes in a slim version, which is ideal for any home that is a little short of space.

The tree is really easy to construct; just take out the stand and form into a cross. Insert the bottom section, this is usually the largest and heaviest. Tighten up the screws to keep the tree secure. Gently ease off the sleeve from the bottom section, you may have to place your foot on the stand. Let the branches drop into place, then you can gently pull them into shape to cover any gaps. The tree features the new ‘Memory Shape’ wire branches which remember where they are positioned, they will take a little time to get into shape the first year, but thereafter will just fall into shape and just need maybe 15 minutes tweaking. Insert the middle piece into the bottom then dress out as you did for the base section. Dress out the top section before placing it into position, as this can be quite difficult to do when it’s on the tree, especially if the tree is one of the taller ones.

 

 

The tree branches are a mixture of about 40% PE (polyethylene) and 60% PVC. The PE branches are modelled on real tree branches and have a soft feel. Apart from buying a real tree these ‘Feel Real’ trees are the nearest thing, without having to hoover up needles for the following 6 months. The PVC element is inside the tree so once you have it decorated it won’t be visible. We often get asked for 100% PE trees, but to be honest there is no need for them as the PVC is barely visible and the PE branches are a fairly expensive component, and would make an all PE tree outside the budget of most people. One thing to look out for when buying a tree is the number of tips, as quite often different retailers offer a tree with the same name but from different manufacturers and of varying quality. The more tips the better quality the tree.   

The lights are warm white LEDs which, unusually for LEDs, have replaceable bulbs, which we will replace free of charge for the life of the tree. These bulbs should last for approximately 50,000 hours, but occasionally they can become broken. The lights are wired in sections so if one bulb goes out it just puts out a small portion of the tree, so no more hunting through the entire tree looking for that broken bulb. This particular tree also features ‘Power Connect’ which means that you don’t need to search through the tree for those elusive connections. When you place the bottom section into the stand plug in the lights and turn them on; when you insert the middle piece the lights should come on automatically, if they don’t just try twisting the tree a little to ensure a solid connection.

There is a connection at the top of the tree which appears to be superfluous to requirements; it is in fact a connection for the pre-lit tree toppers, either a star or angel. Our pre-lit tree toppers are only compatible with pre-lit trees from The National Tree Company.  

Fraser Fir artificial Christmas tree

One comment we have is that the plastic component arrives smashed. This is the cap which covers the pole end and has no relevance to the tree whatsoever, it is there to stop the metal pole piercing the side of the box when it is in transit and injuring anyone handling the box. You can throw this away; if it arrives broken then that means it has done its job of protection. The tree will arrive in a sturdy box which can be used to store the tree safely from year to year.

If you have any queries about any of our trees or need some advice as to which tree would be most suitable for you don’t hesitate to call our team on 015394 82333 or click the ‘callback’ tab on the website; we will endeavour to call back within a few minutes between office hours or if you contact us outside office hours we will contact you as soon as the office opens the following morning. Office hours are 09:00 – 17:30 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 – 17:30 on Sunday.