Let's address the elephant in the room: 600 lights on a 7.5-foot tree is light. For context, the Eastcastle—a similar tree from the same manufacturer—has 1,200 lights. You're getting half the illumination here, and it shows. The upside? If you found the Eastcastle's lights blindingly bright (a common complaint), the Breckenridge's sparser coverage might actually be more tolerable.

The RGB color wheel is legitimately cool—you get full-spectrum control to dial in any single color or dual-color combination you want, going well beyond the standard warm/cool/multicolor presets. But having fancy color control doesn't help much if there aren't enough lights to make an impact. If light count matters to you, save up for the Eastcastle or look elsewhere.

On paper, this tree should be impressively full: 5,010 branch tips is more than double the Eastcastle's 2,391. But multiple sources note that in person, the Eastcastle actually looks fuller. What gives?

Likely explanation: tip count alone doesn't determine fullness. The distribution, length, and density of branches matter more than the raw number. The Breckenridge's downswept Fraser Fir style has longer, more spread-out branches that create more individual tips but less overall density. The Eastcastle's pear-shaped profile with interior PVC filler branches creates visual fullness even with fewer tips.

The good news is that with proper fluffing (and reviews emphasize this requires real effort), the tree does achieve a respectably full appearance. The bad news is that you'll earn it—this isn't a quick setup.

One distinctive feature reviewers note is the sparser top section. Unlike artificially uniform trees, the Breckenridge tapers more naturally, mimicking how real trees grow wider at the bottom and thinner toward the top. Some will love this realistic silhouette; others might see it as a flaw compared to ultra-dense artificial trees.

If you're decorating traditionally with ornaments concentrated toward the middle and bottom, this works fine. If you want a fully-packed, ornament-everywhere tree, the sparser top might disappoint.

At $349 versus the Eastcastle's $399, you're saving $50. The question is whether that $50 is worth accepting:

• Half the light count (600 vs 1,200)
• More fluffing work required
• Less impressive fullness despite higher tip count

The RGB color wheel is a nice upgrade over standard dual-color systems, but it's not $50 worth of value on its own. This pricing makes sense if you genuinely don't care about light count—maybe you're adding your own string lights, or you prefer subtly-lit trees. For anyone else, the Eastcastle's extra $50 buys you a notably better-lit, fuller-looking tree with less setup hassle.

Buy this tree if: You want realistic-looking PE needles and RGB color customization at a lower price point, and you're okay with modest light coverage. If you're adding your own decorative lights anyway, or if you found trees like the Eastcastle too bright, this could work.

Skip this tree if: Light coverage matters to you, or you want a tree that looks impressive right out of the box. The Eastcastle is fuller, better-lit, and requires less work for $50 more. If you can't stretch the budget, consider looking at well-lit trees from brands like National Tree Company that prioritize light count at this price range.