Since 1954

A photo taken at the first "factory" (a 3 car garage in Elziabeth, NJ)

Puleo in the Press

The editors who test artificial trees for a living keep arriving at the same handful of ours. Here is what they wrote, and the trees they picked.

As featured in

  • Wirecutter
  • The Spruce
  • Real Simple
  • Bob Vila
  • Business Insider
  • New York Magazine
  • Yahoo Shopping
  • Better Homes & Gardens
  • TODAY
  • Drew & Jonathan
  • Katie Couric Media
  • Tidbits & Twine
  • Real Homes

Is Puleo a good artificial Christmas tree brand?

Independent testers say yes. The Spruce named a Puleo tree Best Overall after hands-on testing, Real Simple named Puleo the best place to buy an artificial Christmas tree, and Wirecutter, Bob Vila, Business Insider and Yahoo Shopping have all given Puleo trees a category win. Thirteen publications have featured the brand. Puleo is a fourth-generation family manufacturer, founded in 1954 and based in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

A pre-lit Puleo Aspen Fir beside a lit fireplace, with a decorated wreath, stockings and candles on the mantel
The Aspen Fir. The tree the tests keep landing on.

Editors' picks and awards

Every quote is taken from the published review. Follow the headline to read it in full.

Wirecutter

The New York Times, 2025
  • Best realistic look with traditional lights
  • Budget pick

The Best Artificial Christmas Tree

"Right out of the box, without any of the branch fluffing that all artificial trees require, Puleo International's 7.5-foot Royal Majestic Douglas Fir Downswept Tree appeared so lifelike that a staff writer walking by commented, 'It looks like a real tree.'"

Wirecutter also made the Aspen Fir its budget pick, and found our memory-wire branches "notably easier to fluff" than the others on test.

The Puleo Teton Pine, pre-lit, set up in a white paneled living room beside a fireplace A 7.5 foot pre-lit Puleo Aspen Fir standing in an entryway beside a curved staircase
The Teton Pine and the Aspen Fir. The two trees editors keep choosing.

Business Insider

2026
  • Best budget

The 8 Best Artificial Christmas Trees

"The Puleo International 6.5-Foot Pre-Lit Aspen Fir Artificial Christmas Tree has some nice touches, like its multi-colored needles, that make it look more realistic."

Business Insider named Puleo among the brands it returns to for value.

Close view of warm white lights among the dark green branch tips of a pre-lit Puleo tree
Pre-lit. Warm white lights, strung and pole connected before it ships.

New York Magazine

The Strategist, 2025

19 Best Artificial Christmas Trees

"This potted and pre-lit tree comes from Puleo International, a fourth-generation family-owned business that calls itself 'the oldest family name for Christmas trees in America.'"

The Strategist picked the potted, pre-lit flocked Arctic Fir.

Puleo, asked as the expert

Editors also come to us for the answer rather than the product. Lewis Puleo, vice president, on decorating and on when the tree should come down.

Champagne flocked pre-lit Puleo garland draped across a mantel above a lit fire
Garland and wreaths. The pieces editors ask Lewis Puleo about.

Better Homes & Gardens

2024

Moody Christmas Color Palettes Are Trending: Get the Look

"A moody color palette is particularly well-suited for Christmas decor because it creates warmth and coziness, adds a bejeweled elegance to a room, and sets a welcoming tone for holiday gatherings."

Lewis Puleo is quoted nine times across the piece, on ornaments, ribbon, garland and dark foliage.

TODAY

2022

Here's When You Should Take Down Your Christmas Tree, According to Experts

"Many people will take down their artificial Christmas tree, wreath or holiday decor during the week following New Year's Day so as to start the year anew or wait until January 6 as the final day to remove all holiday decor."

TODAY introduced Puleo as the oldest artificial tree company in the country. The piece ran again across seven NBC stations.

Why the same trees keep winning

Seven of the thirteen features landed on one tree, the Aspen Fir. These are the things the testers wrote down.

  • Branches that hold their shape Memory wire tips, which we call Insta-Shape. Wirecutter found the tree "notably easier to fluff" than the others on test, and timed it at around ten minutes against more than twice that for a competitor with two people working.
  • Lights that connect through the pole Sure-Lit pole connectors join the sections as the tree goes together, so there is no light string to thread. Reviewers name setup speed more often than any other single thing.
  • Two tip materials, on purpose Molded polyethylene tips carry the realism where the eye lands, PVC fills the depth behind them. Wirecutter singled out the lighter-green ends that mimic new growth.
  • Four generations, one family Founded in 1954 and still run by the Puleo family from South Plainfield, New Jersey. The Strategist and TODAY both lead with it, because in this category it is unusual.
Two Puleo branch tips side by side, the molded polyethylene tip next to the PVC tip A pre-lit Puleo Aspen Fir against a blue-gray wall beside a white marble fireplace
The tips, up close. Molded polyethylene at the outside, PVC behind it for depth.

Shop what the editors picked

Every category below has a tree in it that a publication chose.

The buying guides behind the picks

What the editors weighed before they chose, explained by the family that builds the trees.

FAQs: Puleo in the Press

What shoppers ask before they trust a brand they have just met.

Which Puleo tree do reviewers recommend most?

The Aspen Fir. Seven of the thirteen publications picked it in one finish or another, including Wirecutter's budget pick, Business Insider's best budget, Bob Vila's best bang for the buck and Yahoo Shopping's best flocked. See the Aspen Fir.

Has a Puleo tree ever been named best overall?

Twice. The Spruce named the Pre-Lit Teton Pine the best artificial Christmas tree after hands-on testing, and Real Simple named Puleo International the best place to buy an artificial Christmas tree. See the Teton Pine.

Who owns Puleo International?

The Puleo family. The company was founded in 1954 and is run from South Plainfield, New Jersey, now by the fourth generation. Lewis Puleo, vice president, is the family member editors most often quote.

Press desk

Writing about artificial trees this season? We answer editorial questions, supply product for testing, and can put you on a call with a fourth-generation manufacturer.

Spokesperson
Lewis Puleo, Vice President
Founded
1954, South Plainfield, New Jersey
Ownership
Family owned, fourth generation
Contact
Send us a note