Down Comforter
Shopping Tips
Buying a quality down comforter can be an important (and expensive) decision. These are charts I put together when doing research on the subject.
FILL POWER |
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Standard |
Good |
Better |
Best |
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550+ |
600+ |
700+ |
800+ |
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Fill Power is the space one ounce of down occupies in cubic inches – the more fill, the fluffier and longer it will last |
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CLEANLINESS (TURBIDITY) |
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Industry Standard |
Best |
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60 (unwashed feathers) |
550 |
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Measures suspended solids (dust, dirt etc) suspended in the material |
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CLEANLINESS (OXYGEN) |
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Industry Standard |
Better |
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10 |
Lower |
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Amount of organic matter left in the material |
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DOWNPROOFNESS |
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Industry Standard |
Better |
|
10 |
Lower |
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Measures how much air can pass through the fabric (potentially letting fill leak to outside air) |
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CONSTRUCTION |
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Industry Standard |
Better |
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Sewn through (better for lightweight only) |
Baffle design (internal fabric wall allows more "loft") |
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Better sewing is more durable, less likely to break |
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TYPE OF DOWN |
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Worst |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
Best |
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Duck feather |
Duck feather and down |
Goose feather and down |
Goose down (550 fill) |
Hungarian down (650 fill) |
Siberian down (800 fill) |
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Duck feathers are smellier than goose Feathers are pricklier than down The colder place where the goose lives, the warmer the down |
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