Posts Tagged ‘fill power’
Learn about standardized temperature rating for bedding
In our discussion about fill power and loft over the past several days we would be remiss if we did not say that calculations are only approximate. A more accurate way to compare goose down comforters is to use European Norm temperature ratings, which are based on realistic independent lab tests.
These tests are the lowest comfortable temperature, and go above a safe but not comfortable temperature. In the United States, sleeping bags have temperature ratings, but manufacturers do not use standardized methods in establishing temperature comfort ratings.
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.
Why can goose down be so expensive?
The higher the fill power means that the down is the rarest and accordingly the most expensive. The geese kept for breeding will molt naturally each spring and the down is collected by hand when it is loose.
This type of down from breeding geese is rare and expensive, but it has greater loft and gets its scarcity from the careful selection by hand. Pacific Coast down comforters are constructed using the better downs of up to 650 fill power.
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.
Why is down soft and lofty?
Ducks and geese have soft insulating down clusters on their breasts. Down is a plume, which means that it has no hard elements such as a quill like feathers have. Down clusters contain many thousands of soft filaments that radiate out like a dandelion and form the spherical plume.
Down has a structure that is three-dimensional that gives it superior lofting and fill power. A goose down pillow is incredibly soft and luxurious because of the loft of down.
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.
Goose down that lofts is key to the best
In order to find high quality down, it is necessary to go to cold climates and to find ducks and geese that are more mature. To be selective in finding the best quality will reflect in the price. The higher fill powers will have the largest and strongest clusters of down and have the best loft, ability to trap air, and insulating ability.
Down pillows that are constructed under the Pacific Coast label use down with 550 to 600 fill power. These pillows come in a variety of designs to accommodate the individual taste of the consumer. Some may prefer an extremely soft pillow versus another that may prefer more firmness in a natural pillow.
A cold weather goose makes me warm
As a rule, larger birds that live in colder climates have the largest down clusters with a corresponding higher fill power. Ducks and geese can both have high quality down because the age of the bird and the climate in different parts of the earth has an affect on quality.
The quality of the down that is used in bedding products such as down feather comforter is measured by its fill power. Fill power is the determined by how many cubic inches that is filled by one ounce of down.
A bird of a different feather
Every bird was created with some feathers and down, but the down and feathers of geese and ducks are the only birds whose down we harvest. One reason that down is harvested from a goose is that it will have bigger down clusters, generally.
White goose down with 525 to 650 fill power is used to construct Pacific Coast down comforters. Fill power can range from about 175 to around 900, but fill powers of over 700 are rare. Large percentages of down clusters and large average down cluster sizes are associated with the higher fill powers.