This is the first tree I have had in years and it worked out well for my apartment. It was a bit tedious prepping all of the branches, I hope it is not so much trouble next year, but I figure most artificial trees are like that anyway. The multiple options for the light settings is a great feature. I didn't find too much space between branches as others have mentioned, I think it's a mater of playing with them enough to get to where you like the look. My only issue is for how skinny the tree is, it was very difficult finding a small enough topper that wasn't so heavy it would bend the top of the tree. I ended up just making a large bow instead which turned out lovely. The star just looked too big and clunky and kept leaning over. Definitely happy with the purchase and will use this for years to come.