After 30+ years of real trees, we finally bought an artificial. This is very realistic. When you take the time to touch each branch and position them, it looks terrific. Just enough lights to be pretty. Don't be in a hurry to remove from the box and 'fluff' the branches. I took about an hour and a half to get it set up and branches 'fluffed'. We bought the 9.5 foot tree and the only thing missing is the scent of fresh pine.