I bought this tree for my aging parents. Similiar style trees retail for 350 and up. I read the reviews left by others. Yes the tree only has the realistic pine branch effect on the branch ends and top section. The rest is your standard artificial bristle. Once the tree is fluffed and trimmed the only sections you really notice are the realistic ones...so no problem. This tree allows the ornaments to hang as opposed to laying on the tree, which is a must for us because of all the special ornaments we have. We were able to position the tree close to the wall and allow the back bottom branches to kind of lay on the wall so that the tree didnt take up too much floor space. My mother exclaimed as I was decorating it ... It is the prettiest tree I ever had in this house. Mission accomplished. It is... in my opinion ...the best Bang for your Buck.