| I am a warm sleeper and my wife is always cold. I want us both to be happy, I am considering a down comforter, but know little about them. I have looked at several sites and the prices and advise is all over the place- I don't trust them. I thought about an electric blanket, but actually know of 2 different families that have had fires strarted with them-one fatal. I would appreciate any advise that is forthcoming-thank you. |
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Now I remember why I never bought one. I remember I started to one time and ran into the most bewildering variety that I gave up in frustration. Sounds like another research project. :-) One of my most fond memories from my childhood was a high school choir trip to Europe. One stop was high up in the mountains in Germany. Even though it was summer, it got really cold at night. I remember sleeping with the windows open, snug under a feather tick. Just thinking about it makes me feel all warm and cozy. |
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Down comforters: Besides memory foam it's my other favorite ingredient for a cozy bed. I don't know what part of the country you live in or how warm you keep your bedroom at night. I live in Southern California and most of the winter it's only in the 40s or upper 30s here. My down comforter is a medium weight and that's perfect for me. I sleep warm and like a cold bedroom. Besides the way the down settles around you one of its unique properties is that although you warm up very fast, you never really seem too warm under down. I can't really explain this but it's very different from polyfill. It's like it's self adjusting. If you live in a colder climate you might want a heavy weight comforter. My friend who lives in Florida says her light weight comforter is more than enough for her. I would look for a baffle box construction that allows the down to loft. There are two main kinds of baffle boxes, open and closed. The closed locks the down into the little squares and prevents the comforter from developing a lumpy, uneven appearance you can get with the open baffle box construction. On the other hand the advantage of open construction is that you can shift the down around by shaking the comforter. I have an open baffle box comforter and on cold nights I shift more down over my body. On warmer nights I just move it aside so I stay cooler. Another thing I would look for is washable down. I don't know about you, but I really don't like the idea of getting into bed with toxic dry cleaning chemicals. On the other hand I don't like getting into bed with a comforter full of dust mites either, so machine washable down is a must for me. And on a final note, don't forget to keep it inside a duvet cover. It will stay clean longer. Even though it's washable, you don't want to wash it too often, but you can launder a duvet cover as often as you like. |
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Good info Cloud9. Thanks. Any thoughts on the price ranges for good down comforters? Is there a minimum one should expect to spend, and is there a point at which paying more is just throwing money away? Are there different "weights" of down or is it just a matter of how much down is in the comforter? |
| tracman, you really need a nice white goose down comforter to go with your Hastens bed! I agree with everything Cloud9 said regarding down comforters, but I think I prefer the baffle box construction which contains the down better then one which doesn't.. I've had both types, and the first kind doesn't need as much fluffing and fussing. My first down comforter was purchased in Germany, where I went to a store and actually got to pick out the down I wanted them to put into the shell. There were so many types to choose from! They also have a process there where you can take your comforter back in to them, and they take the feathers out and clean them, and then blow them back into a new shell. You can keep your original down indefinitely, adding a little more as needed. I have not found that process here in the US. Since down is a natural product, the idea of dry cleaning it doesn't appeal to me, so finding one which can be laundered in a big washing machine would be important to me. We are in So. California on the coast, so nights are cool, and the down comforter keeps everything very cozy! The idea of an electric blanket, to me, is completely unappealing. |
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Hi, I just recently was on the hunt for a down comforter myself . ScandiaDown (www.scandiadown.com) makes really nice, if expensive, ones, and they can do things like add or remove down for you, and clean/refresh them. They offer a limited warranty for the life of the product. You should check out their website - they use only European white goose down (Polish, Hungarian and Siberian). I bought the Marquessa, but they don't make that one anymore. Because of that, I was able to get it on sale from jreneeonline.com at 35% off - plus no shipping - plus no sales tax because I don't live in Arizona where J Renee Fine Linens is located. They only have a couple left - in King size (light weight and Medium weight). If you're interested , you should check them out quickly. (The close-out Marquessa are Polish Goose down, with a cotton/silk ticking, very nice and I thought a great deal with all the discounts). Good luck !! Linda
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This answers my question about price. Scandia Down comforters start at $375 for a king and run up into rarified if-you-have-ask-you-can't-afford-it territory. It also answers another question about how down is rated - "Fill Power." How standard is this measure from one brand to another? |
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To go with my new Carpe Diem bed I also just researched down comforters and pillows. Some of the newer lines are hypoallergenic and the cleaning really works. My husband is severely allergic and he is fine with the Pacific Coast down pillows; thought I'd mention that for those with asthma/allergies. As for comforters- Ralphlauren.com has a really nice one which I think is being discontinued- Macy's advertises it regularly around $600 on sale for $300. Ralphlauren.com is charging $300 but there is currently a 30% off coupon -FALL2007- making it $210 for either the Queen or King. It is their Avenue comforter and it is REALLY nice. It is a hypoallergenic, oversized (King is 110 x 96), 55 oz. in King, 675-725 loft and I think a 600 thread count exterior, baffle box construction. It is all Siberian goose down, which is the best quality down and the high loft is important. I am just mentioning it because I actually bought one a day before the sale and got a credit, of course, but felt that it was a good value before the 30% off. I had bought an Eddie Bauer one, which I returned, because the loft power in this and the fact that it is Siberian down makes it MUCH nicer. BTW- the sale is good until Oct. 11th and shipping is free. I never shop at Ralph Lauren, but I have to say I am very impressed with this comforter. |
This is why I love this website - so much useful information !!! I have to buy comforters for my kids, but I didn't want to shell out the Scandia Down bucks for them (does that make me a bad parent  ??) These sound great, though. But I like to see things in person before I buy - does Macy's or Bloomingdale's carry them, do you know? 'Cause then I can feel them at the store, but order them online. Thanks.Oh - a couple of other things - Siberian goose down is touted as the best there is (although I believe eiderdown - which is ASTRONOMICALLY priced - is really the best), but Siberian down is a "trade" name and does not necessarily mean the down comes from Siberian geese. Search the internet and you can verify this - you can read this link for more info http://www.plumeriabay.com/Main/Info/Siberian-Goose-Down.aspx And here's another interesting down comforted fact - there are no government regulations that control the marketing of things labelled as 100% down. So comforters can be marketed as containing 100% down, but there are other fill ingredients that qualify to be labelled "down". Here's another link where you can read about that: http://www.plumeriabay.com/Main/Info/Law-Label.aspx (Pulmeria Bay has lots of information on their website) So you should contact the manufacturer to find out how much of their 100% down is actually Siberian (or Polish or Hungarian or whatever) white goose down. |
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My local Macy's had the lighter weight but not the Avenue in stock, although I would assume others might since it is on their website. You're right about the labelling of Siberian down- I had discovered that and was surprised. I did contact the manufacturer and they checked and said it was 100% Siberian white goose down, if that helps. This message was modified Sep 27, 2007 by m61376
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| I'm giving one of these a go. Thanks for the heads up. |