I'm pleasantly surprised by this tree. I chose the PE (NOT PVC) to reduce the environmental and health impacts associated with PVC. It did not smell or off gas, and did not shed little plastic pieces everywhere. It was very easy to install and it looks lovely. The only downside is that I got the 6.5' tree and it is a bit small for my space. But, I don't think the larger tree was available in PE, and that was a priority. The tree arrived just a couple of days after I ordered it. NOTE: No cotton gloves were included to wear while separating the branches, so I wore garden gloves. But otherwise, I'm quite happy with this purchase.