Updated Aug. 31, 2024
Skip the stress and get straight to decorating with the easy-setup Balsam Hill flip tree. Our holiday expert raves about this tree's form and function.
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Anyone who’s met me can confirm: I love the holidays. No matter the season, I happily listen to carols, scour estate sales for vintage decor and daydream about my mom’s Christmas cookies. Here at Taste of Home, as Senior Shopping Editor, I focus my energies on uncovering the best gift ideas and testing the latest holiday gear.
At the top of my list? The Balsam Hill flip tree. I’ve been eyeing this impressive holiday beacon ever since I saw an ad for it during a Hallmark Christmas movie marathon. But I had to know: Is it really worth the hefty price tag? I tested it to find out.
First things first—why is this tree so special? Well, as anyone who has ever owned an artificial Christmas tree can attest, setup is a pain. My typical routine involves lugging a very heavy box out of the basement, lifting each segment of the tree into place and fumbling around the branches to connect the lights. The whole ordeal takes over an hour and leaves me covered in plastic pine needle scratches.
The Balsam Hill Balsam Fir flip tree literally flips this holiday hullabaloo on its head. The tree smartly sits on caster wheels and effortlessly rolls into place. Then, to set it up, all you need to do is press the foot pedal, pull the tree stem toward you and voila! Gravity does the rest. A smart plug connection lets you drop the upper half of the tree into place, so all that’s left to do is plug it in and start decorating.
VIA MERCHANT
The design has rich color, lifelike needles and easy setup in a variety of styles.
I was sent the 7.5-foot Balsam Hill Balsam Fir flip tree with clear lights in April 2023. Since then, I have set up, decorated and taken down the tree multiple times. It was also up for two months during the 2023 holiday season.
The Balsam Hill flip tree was delivered to my porch, standing upright. It was a two-person effort to carry the 79-pound box up the set of stairs into my apartment. But once we got it inside, unboxing was easy. The flip tree comes in a special box that’s designed so you can simply roll out the base—again, no lifting required.
Both the flippable base and the top portion of the tree were also wrapped in their own custom storage bags. I’ve bought my fair share of Christmas trees, and typically this is an item you have to buy after the fact—and hope it fits. Balsam Hill includes them with your flip tree purchase. Right away I was impressed with this attention to detail. Taking down the Christmas tree is one of my most dreaded tasks, but knowing I have quality storage ready to go makes it a little more bearable.
After unboxing and removing the storage bags, it was finally time to test out the flip tree feature! I started by locking down the wheels to keep the tree steady. This was as simple as pressing the hinge on each of the four caster wheels.
Then, I simply pressed on the flip pedal and pulled the top of the tree trunk toward me. It immediately started to flip! I guided the trunk down slowly until I heard it click into place. Easy-peasy.
Next, I grabbed the top portion of the tree. For this step, all I needed to do was align the arrow on the base’s trunk with the arrow on the top’s trunk. Again, this was a breeze. And now I had a fully assembled tree. The whole process took maybe three minutes, and I could tackle it by myself.
Before I could grab the ornaments, I needed to perform arguably the most important task when setting up an artificial Christmas tree: fluffing the branches. While it’s time-consuming, it guarantees that your tree will look its very best. Plus, Balsam Hill kindly includes two sets of gloves to protect your (and a helper’s!) hands from any poky needles.
Full instructions are available on Balsam Hill’s website, but the premise of fanning the branches is pretty simple. I also found that, because the flip tree uses the brand’s premier True Needle foliage, it required a little less shaping than traditional PVC branches.
Drumroll, please! Once the flip tree was fluffed, I plugged it in. And, I know this sounds cheesy, but I audibly gasped. This was the most beautiful artificial tree I’ve ever seen. It was full, bright and covered in lights. (The 7.5-foot option I tested has over 6,375 branch tips and 1,150 lights, to be exact.) I also love that the lights are controlled through an easy-to-use remote.
To decorate the tree, I started by first hanging larger baubles. An expert holiday decorator taught me years ago that you should hang your biggest ornaments first, and ideally tuck them into the tree for a layered look. Bonus points if they’re reflective and will help mirror the glow of the lights. Since the Balsam Fir style of the flip tree is a little fuller than my previous tree, I wasn’t sure how many large ornaments I’d be able to hang. But I found plenty of space, even amongst the dense branches. Then, I moved on to medium and small ornaments to fill in the gaps.
Throughout the decorating process, I was continually impressed with each branch’s sturdiness. They supported the weight of even my bulkiest pieces. I also loved that there was a clear tip of the tree for securing my topper.
As with everything in life, all good things must come to an end. After enjoying my tree for a few days, it was time to take it down.
After removing the ornaments and unplugging the power adaptor from the wall, I simply lifted off the top and gently placed it in its bag. I then pressed on the base’s foot pedal and flipped it back toward me. Finally, I placed the base’s storage bag around the branches. After fluffing, the tree pieces are a little more difficult to wrangle into their respective bags. I was able to complete the process by myself, but it is easier with another set of hands.
Once everything was tucked away, I unlocked the caster wheels and rolled the tree into a spare closet. If you’re someone who relies on a basement or attic for holiday storage, keep this in mind as you’ll likely want to find a first-floor storage home for your tree.
When I unboxed the Balsam Hill flip tree, I noticed a small bag attached to the base’s storage bag. It was a troubleshooting kit! In addition to the aforementioned fluffing gloves and remote, it included written instructions, extra bulbs and fuses, a replacement caster wheel and other upkeep tools. While it will hopefully be several years before I need to worry about updating burnt-out bulbs, I was impressed that Balsam Hill provided everything I needed to keep my tree in tip-top shape.
As someone who frequently questions the sustainability of real vs. artificial Christmas trees, it puts my mind at ease knowing I have the power to fix an issue rather than replace the entire tree.
For full transparency, the first flip tree I was sent had a defective flip mechanism. All it took, though, was a quick phone call to customer service. After a few minutes of troubleshooting, they decided to send me a new tree. The replacement arrived before I’d even had a chance to send back the defective one.
While of course, no one wants to have to reach out to customer service, defects do happen. And how a company responds to an issue is more important to me than a mistake. In my experience, Balsam Hill lives up to its reputation as having some of the best customer service support in the industry.
After my initial testing in the spring, I moved the Balsam Hill flip tree into storage. A few months later, I needed to move the tree again as we were relocating to a different apartment. I had saved its shipping box, so I wheeled it inside and stuffed the storage bag with the top in as well. Since I had fluffed and assembled the tree, it was a tight fit, but I made it work. I taped everything shut and was pleased that it comfortably fit into the back of a minivan.
Once the tree was at its final destination, I unboxed it and cleared some space in a spare closet. It stayed there until November 2023, when we set it up for the holiday season. I was a tiny bit nervous to plug it in. After all, this tree had been jostled and jiggled throughout the moving process. Luckily, no lights had been damaged, and none of the boughs were crushed or bent. Thanks to the handy flip function, it came together in mere minutes.
Once lit, the tree did require some fluffing. It takes time, but it’s a worthwhile investment in the tree’s overall appearance. Because of the flip mechanism, there are some pretty noticeable gaps that you need to take the time to fill in and fluff. Next year, I plan to spend even more time on this task. But we loaded the tree with so many garlands, florals and ornaments that any gaps were hard to notice. I also suggest placing adornments deep within the tree to help hide some of the visible pole and branch sections. But that’s a must for any of the best Balsam Hill Christmas trees!
For a classic holiday look, I tested the Balsam Fir flip tree—but that’s far from the only option! Balsam Hill offers its convenient flip function in nine other styles:
Each tree is available in a variety of height and light options. And, if you’re not sure which tree style best suits your space, order a Balsam Hill branch sample kit. This handy box contains 10 or 25 tiny tree branches so you can get a firsthand feel for each choice. Then, once you’ve made a decision, the cost of the box applies to your tree purchase!
As a seasoned holiday decorator, I vote yes. The tree’s quality and craftsmanship, plus Balsam Hill’s keen attention to detail, reassure me that my flip tree will last for years.
In my experience, no. I have uneven hardwood floors, and I found the Balsam Hill flip tree’s caster wheels to be sturdier than my traditional tree stand. The entire tree feels very secure.
A flip tree is, quite simply, an artificial Christmas tree that you set up by flipping the base into place. You add the top, and voila! A beautiful holiday decoration assembled in mere minutes—without any heavy lifting or fumbling with the branches.
With over 4,000 reviews and a 4.6 average star rating, I’m not the only one who thinks the Balsam Hill flip tree is full of holiday magic.
Verified buyer, Gma, is impressed with the tree’s easy setup. They write: “Got rid of my previous Balsam Hill tree after 12 years. It was still in really good shape, but I wanted a different tree going forward. I love the convenience of being able to set up my new tree in record time because of the flip feature.”
“Our old 9-foot tree took about an hour, three people and about a half box of Band-Aids,” shares five-star reviewer, E. Pate. “I put this beauty up in 10 minutes by myself and no Band-Aids. I love that there are plugs and wires everywhere and that I can change from multicolored to clear lights.”
“Beautiful,” exclaims verified buyer, Linda Christmas fanatic. “Tree is extremely simple to unpack and set up. We are in our late 70s and had no issues unpacking and setting up. Tree looks beautiful and can’t wait for next Christmas to decorate.”
I’ve been working on holiday content at Taste of Home for over seven years. An avid holiday enthusiast, I cover everything from gift ideas to Christmas decor. In the fall of 2023, I also led our initiative to test artificial Christmas trees. We reviewed over a dozen options in our Milwaukee office so readers can easily find the tree that makes them merry.
If you’re in the market for a new Christmas tree, I can’t speak more highly of the Balsam Hill flip tree. Yes, it’s an investment. But it’s one that you will enjoy for many holiday seasons. Plus, the setup does not get any easier. This tree simplifies one of the most stressful parts of holiday decorating. (I’m already planning to buy one for my aging parents who struggle with their bulky traditional tree.)
VIA MERCHANT
The design has rich color, lifelike needles and easy setup in a variety of styles.
Pick up the Balsam Hill Balsam Fir flip tree on the brand’s website. My 7.5-foot tree with clear lights retails for $1,699. Other style, size and light options range from $1,399 to $4,399. While these prices are certainly on the high end, keep in mind that Balsam Hill does offer frequent sales. Not to mention, can you really put a price on holiday magic?
Originally Published: June 29, 2023
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