The Best Christmas Tree Stand

We think the Krinner Tree Genie XXL is still the best Christmas tree stand available. With a unique, easy-to-use, and quick tree-clamping mechanism that operates by a foot pedal, this was the only stand we tested that we could set up without an assistant. It can handle a wide variety of tree sizes, has a large 2.5-gallon water reservoir, and it’s sturdy—attempting to tip it over almost broke our test equipment. It’s also the most aesthetically pleasing stand we could find.

The Krinner has a unique fastening mechanism that’s far simpler and easier to use than that of any other tree stand we found. You simply set the tree in the stand, press several times on a foot pedal, and the five very sturdy plastic claws, looped together with a heavy-gauge metal wire, tighten down against the tree trunk to set it in position. The final pushes on the pedal snug up the claws and hold the tree securely. A sliding red button on the pedal locks it in place, but if you need to make further adjustments, it’s really no big deal to unlock the claws and reset the tree. (A slightly more expensive Deluxe version even rings a bell when the tree is secured.)

We tested the Krinner on two trees: a 6-foot-8 tree, which we put up unassisted, and a bigger 8-foot-4 tree, which was easier with a second person. As long as you can heave the tree into the Krinner’s open jaws, you may be able to manage it on your own. This is a huge distinction between the Krinner and almost all other stands, which force you to get down on your belly to tighten individual bolts. Even for a smaller tree, that’s nearly impossible to do without help.

The Krinner can handle a wide range of trunk sizes. With the claws cranked all the way down, this stand will hold a tree with a trunk as small as 1 inch in diameter. The maximum trunk diameter it will accept is 7 inches. That gives you a lot of flexibility on tree sizes. When testing on our smaller tree, with its 3.5-inch diameter trunk, some other stands’ screws could barely extend far enough to meet the trunk (and they wouldn’t work with a tree any smaller than that).

Once the tree is installed, it’s hard to overemphasize how stable this stand is. In our stability testing, the Krinner Tree Genie XXL was able to max out our force gauge at 50 Newtons when testing with both small and tall trees. The tree stand even outlasted the test materials: We bent the hook on the force gauge trying to get it to tip over, and at one point we snapped the twine we had tied to the tree. The stand itself weighs 18 pounds, but has a smaller footprint than most of the other stands. That’s another advantage: It’s easier to store during the non-Christmas months.

The Krinner has a 2.5-gallon water reservoir. Of the tested stands, only the runner-up Cinco is larger, with a 3-gallon capacity. But 2.5 gallons is plenty large: A tree of roughly 6 to 8 feet in height has a trunk diameter of about 4 to 6 inches, and will usually take in 1.5 gallons or less per day. In fact, you should even be able to relax a little about watering, as you may not need to each day. A gauge on the tank will tell you what the water level is between fillings.

To us, this was the most attractive tree stand of everything we’ve looked at. If you want to set up a tree on your porch or some other area where a tree skirt isn’t practical, it will still look nice.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

As with most tree stands, watering the tree’s reservoir is still a chore, and you have to be careful when filling it. The majority of the Krinner’s reservoir is enclosed, and there is only a small space near the trunk for watering. You could make the case that this narrow opening has advantages—pets will not be able to easily drink from it and gifts are less likely to fall into it. The gauge that tells you how much water is in the stand also has a very clear “Stop” indicator that shows when you’ve filled it enough. However, there is no overflow tray, a feature some other stands have that we’d like to have seen here.

Many negative reviews mention the same problem—water leaking from the base. This is obviously a huge flaw, but it’s rare. Most of these problems seem to be happening between seasons, so if you’re taking a used stand out of storage, fill it once on your driveway or sidewalk and watch for a leak before you set it up indoors. Also, if you store it where temperatures go below freezing, be sure to completely empty the Krinner before putting it away for the season.

The other major complaint is a loss of tension in the ratchet and claw mechanism, which can allow a tree to topple over. Other Amazon users have experienced failure of the locking mechanism. According to the manufacturer, this problem can be eliminated by using a small padlock to secure the lock toggle in place (you could also use a little bolt). If you have these or any other major problems, the Krinner is backed by a five-year warranty.

Another reason to add a padlock is to prevent a child from accidentally releasing the tree from the stand. To a toddler, the curiosity factor of the lever and the bright red lock toggle is off the charts, and it doesn’t take much to shift the toggle and press the lever up, causing the tree to topple over.

A final drawback: The Krinner is expensive. But it’s significantly better than all the other stands we tested. We think its multiple advantages make it worth the price—and a lot of the positive Amazon reviews are written by customers who hesitated to spend so much but ultimately felt it was worth it.

Long-term test notes

Wirecutter senior editor Erica Ogg’s parents, Steve and Debi Ogg, tested the Krinner for a year, and they reported that it was “probably the best Christmas tree stand we’ve owned.” Steve was especially impressed with the easy setup, saying, “I’ve never been able to set up a Christmas tree by myself. I’ve always had to have someone else hold it up, while I’m down there [trying to screw in bolts].” With the Krinner, “I could hold it in and use the foot ratchet thing, didn’t need anyone else.”

Debi liked that the Krinner was “very solid” but said that the 18-pound weight made it, “a bit cumbersome” moving it up and down the stairs when taking it out and putting it away for the season. She also noted that filling the Krinner with water “was easier than previous stands we have owned, but not necessarily easy, since you have to practically lay on the floor to find the fill zone. But definitely not difficult, and it held a lot more water [than other stands], as I remember, which is nice.”

Erica tested the similar Krinner Tree Genie XXL Deluxe (which has the same water reservoir) and said that, “the well is so huge that you just don’t have to water as much in general as you would with most tree stands.”

Wirecutter’s former president and general manager, David Perpich, who calls himself a “Christmas tree obsessive,” has used both of our picks. He says the Krinner is a dream if you want to set up a tree by yourself.