my third time purchasing and it is sturdy and ASSEMBLED which was a determining factor in my purchase of 2 trees (again). The first purchase a few years back were the best as they were bigger and lasted so much longer due to the quality of the materials use (especially the carpet). That is my reason for 4 stars not 5. This last set did not make it half as long. Since I started buying them the price has gone done from the first purchase but so did the quality.