Pre-lit or unlit: how to choose a Christmas tree
A pre-lit tree arrives with the LEDs fixed along its branches and wired to one lead. An unlit tree arrives bare and you add a light set. Both make a good tree; they differ in cost, effort, choice and what happens when something fails.
| Pre-lit | Unlit | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up | Assemble, connect the sections, switch on | Assemble, then wind on a light set (about an hour for a 7ft tree) |
| Light spacing | Even, set at the factory | As good as your winding |
| Bulb colour | Fixed, unless the tree is colour switching | Your choice, and changeable each year |
| Price | Higher for the same foliage | Lower, plus the cost of a light set |
| If a light fails | Rest of the string usually stays lit; a dead section means checking the plugs between sections | Replace the set |
| Storage | One box, transformer included | Tree plus a separate bag of lights |
How many LEDs a pre-lit tree carries
In our range, 6ft pre-lit trees carry 180 to 480 LEDs and 7ft trees 230 to 680. Across the market, a 6ft pre-lit tree typically has 250 to 600 LEDs and a 7ft tree 300 to 700; premium trees go to 900 or more. The count is in the product title. Compare it against the tree width and the tip count, because 400 LEDs on a slim tree is dense and on a wide tree is modest.
Lighting an unlit tree properly
Use about 100 LEDs per foot of tree height for medium coverage: 500 for a 5ft tree, 600 for a 6ft, 700 for a 7ft. Halve that for a sparse look or add half again for a dense one. Check the lit length of the set, which is the part of the cable that carries bulbs, and not just the bulb count; a 600 LED set with a 30m lit length wraps a 6ft tree properly, while one with a 10m lit length will bunch. Start at the trunk and work outwards along each branch rather than circling the outside, so the tree glows from inside. The lights guide has a table by tree height.
Which to buy
Buy pre-lit if you want the tree up in twenty minutes, you are happy with warm white, and you will keep the tree for years; the saved time adds up. Buy unlit if you already own lights, want multi coloured or a particular effect, like changing the look each year, or want the fullest foliage your budget allows, since the money not spent on built-in lights buys more tips.
Colour-switching trees
A few pre-lit trees have two modes, warm white and multi coloured, selected on the controller. They cost a little more than a single-colour tree and are the way to have both looks from one tree. The pre-lit range marks them in the title.
Common questions
Do pre-lit trees cost more to run?
No more than a separate light set of the same LED count. A 500 LED set draws around 15W, which is about 0.4p an hour at the current price cap.
Can I add more lights to a pre-lit tree?
Yes. Many people add a second set in a different colour or a twinkling set for depth. Keep the extra set's transformer separate from the tree's.
Which lasts longer, pre-lit or unlit?
The foliage lasts the same, 10 years or more with careful storage. Built-in lights are a wear item; a separate set is simply replaced when it fails, which is the one practical advantage of unlit.