Two years ago I went back to having a live tree. My local nursery sells pre-drilled trees, and I get one that's about 7 feet. It's been very easy for me to put the tree up and take it down on my own, and no screws are needed. The stand I have is Stand Strait RS-108 made by Sheerlund Products. They also make a four-legged version for bigger trees. (Sorry I don't know how to make this picture smaller!).

Gosh, I"ve had the same stand as you now for many years and it's alway worked very well - best stand I've EVER had. But I don't try to do this alone as I'm a 73 yr old woman with breathing problems and I buy a VERY bushy 8 ft tree! It takes two men to maneuver the tree with cup attached, into the house and then get it in the stand. I pay $45 for them to do so and they even move the table that must go to the basement to make way for the tree! Best money ever spent!.

I have been using the Krinner for about 5 years and I think it's foolproof.

This is what I wrote in the post you linked.

"We've used the Krinner for several
years. It's made in Germany, it's heavy and easy to use. The link is
from Orvis but you can get it on Amazon - we bought ours at our local
hardware store . You can read the reviews online too. One of the best
features is that you don't have to crawl under your tree to tighten the
screws. They have different sizes - we have the largest."

http://www.orvis.com/p/the-worlds-easiest-tree-stand/06t9

http://www.krinnerusa.com

I forgot to mention in my original post that you can put the tree up by yourself. After you place the tree in the stand you merely press the pedal with your foot and it ratchets the arms up against the tree. Then you can lock the pedal in place until it's time to take the tree down.

Thanks Maire_cat. I did read your previous post, but couldn't tell if it was something I could used on my own or if you had to adjust down below after it was placed in the stand. Looks like Orvis doesn't sell it anymore so the video doesn't work and the krinner has several models and a new one, too. If you have an opinion on which looks best, I'd appreciate your opinion. Thanks

Anglophilia, yes it takes two men to do this, but I do it on my own :-) I was thinking today that I think I replaced the stand once because the little foot pedal fell out and couldn't be located. I wonder if I have the cup from the old stand mixed up with the new stand. I'm going to take a look around and see if I see another cup out there. Maybe I saved it because it was still good, but isn't an exact match or something. It was a perfect, foolproof stand for a few years.

Kellysar I love how that stand looks, esp that you can actually see how much water is there. It seems it would be perfect if only I didn't need a drilled tree! I've never heard of that. I cut my own tree (with help from my son) at a tree farm, so no drilling available. I can just imagine the disaster I could create trying to drill it myself :-)

Anyone else have a stand they love?

Well, like I said in that post, I adore our now 1 year old Bowlings Last Stand....but it totally wouldn't work for your purpose. The stand itself adds significant weight to the tree (we stick our tree in the stand outside, then carry it through the double front doors) and you definitely need someone to hold the tree up while the other screws it in. I will say, dh was skeptical I would be an adequate helper as 17 yo ds has been his "go to" guy ever since he hit puberty (probably before if I'm being honest.) But with hiscACL surgery on the 30th, ds could only call out helpful words from the couch this year. I'm 5'3" and burly would NOT describe me, lol. But by George, I held up my end pretty well getting that 14' monster into the house!! So impressed you can do it yourself...that's a great skill to have!

Loving these stand suggestions. We also struggle with tree stands and while the one we have works fine, it really takes up way too much floor space. Oly, you might check with your tree farm. I've never been to a tree farm that DOESN'T have drilling available, along with shaking and tying up the tree so it is transported more easily. One time we cut a tree out of our woods and it was a pain to drill at home as we are not terribly handy and couldn't get a straight hole on our slightly crooked trunk to save our lives.

From the website below it looks like there are 4 models, ranging in size from medium, large, XXlarge (which is what I have) and XXL Deluxe. I think the only difference is that now the Tree Genie medium and the XXL Deluxe make an audible sound, a bell rings when the 5 claws are securely holding the tree in place. Mine doesn't ring a bell and I just depress the pedal until it stops.

The stand weighs 18 pounds and the cable system that goes through the claws is very strong. The only other trick is to make sure you have removed enough of a bare trunk at the bottom so that the claws don't retract and hit a branch, you want them right on the trunk. There's also a locking button on the pedal so that someone doesn't accidentally release it.

When it's time to remove the tree I make it easy on myself and use my pruners to cut the tree in half. Handing 2 pieces makes it much easier to haul out to the curb.

http://www.krinnerusa.com/christmas-tree-stands

Thanks, MandM. My tree is probably only 7.5' so no twelve footers for me. I was wondering about the audible function...whether it's the one to get, necessary or would I just turn into a maniac if I couldn't get it to "ding"?

Seriously, I've been cutting trees at tree farms for years and have never heard of a drilled tree! But I'm going to call the place I got my last tree and see if they do it. We used to go cut in the mountains (with a permit) but those days are over for me.

I can see Bowlings last stand would be great, but not solo, I'm afraid.

I was ready to order a new stand so i'd have it for next year, but decided I'll wait, but plan ahead, just in case I don't like it and it will be within the window for returning it.

Thanks, everyone!

That's a good idea to wait until year to see if you like it.

I'm in a suburban area with many tree sellers and most of them sell the trees predrilled. We used a tree stand like the one posted above until the plastic base cracked and the water seeped onto the carpet. The following year we switched to the Krinner. I happened to be in my local Mom and Pop hardware store and walked by them. The owner told me that he really liked it - I was amazed at the price - then it was about $70.00.

It's obviously easier if you have a helper - that way one can stand back and check to see if the tree is straight or if you have the best side facing the room. We usually buy a tree that's about 7'. DH usually puts the tree in the stand while I offer my suggestions. The base of the stand also has a little pop-up button to show when you need to add water. That's a great suggestion about cutting the tree in half to remove it. I'll have to try that this year.