Posts Tagged ‘down comforter’
The weight of down can add up significantly
Fill power can be a hard term to understand, so I will try to explain the amount of weight difference that would be associated with two products with the same loft. The down used in a goose down comforter with a 550 fill power would weigh up to 50% more than the down used in one with 800 fill power.
Warmth is provided by layers of air that separate a cold side from a warm side, whether it is down or some other form of insulation. When a thicker layer of air is trapped it will insulate more, which is called loft. The greater the loft the more it will insulate with less weight.
How do you think about down in terms of fill power?
Fill power can be thought of in terms of cubic inches per ounce, so the bigger the volume of each ounce the higher the fill power number. A fill power of 400-450 is medium quality; 500-550 is good quality; 550-750 is very good quality; and over 750+ fill power is excellent quality.
All of the 750+ fill is from geese that are kept for breeding, while the 400 fills would come from four month old geese that are raised for consumption, with the down being the secondary product of these young birds. A good quality queen size Pacific Coast down comforter with a fill power of 650 and a good cotton cover with a 330 thread count could easily cost over $350.
Down clusters must be large to be good
When it comes to purchasing a low quality down product, some things to consider beforehand are that small down clusters are fragile and do not last as long. Low quality and imported comforters that are sold for cheap prices are not a good investment in the long term because the small clusters do not breathe and are inferior at insulating.
Since a down comforter is a long term investment, care should be taken to find a brand that uses down with at least 500 fill power. For the long term, the better quality down will continue performing by breathing and insulating.
Why is down so lightweight?
To get a better understanding of what down is and what its properties are we need to better understand how ducks, geese, and other migratory birds were designed by God. Down is a light fluffy coating that protects waterfowl from warm and cold elements of nature such as air and water. Most of the light fluffy coating is found clustered under the feathers on the underside of the bird to keep it warm in cold water.
Down are three dimensional clusters containing many tiny fibers but with no quill; it is warm yet lightweight and lofty. By making a comparison, one down comforter could keep you as warm as fourteen times the weight in woolen blankets.
Lightweight goose down is warmer
To get a better understanding of what down is and what its properties are we need to better understand how ducks, geese, and other migratory birds were designed by God. Down is a light fluffy coating that protects waterfowl from warm and cold elements of nature such as air and water. Most of the light fluffy coating is found clustered under the feathers on the underside of the bird keep it warm in cold water.
Down are three dimensional clusters containing many tiny fibers but with no quill; it is warm yet lightweight and lofty. By making a comparison, one down comforter could keep you as warm as fourteen times the weight in woolen blankets.