Difference between down and feathers

You are looking for the best comforter or pillow for your bedroom. You’ve heard from an acquaintance or family member that a down comforter or pillow is very comfortable. Everyone you’ve talked to is actually enthusiastic about down, but after some searching you find that comforters and pillows are often also partly filled with feathers.

In this article you will discover the difference between down and feathers. Furthermore you will learn how to judge the quality of a down product.

Down

Down is found under the layer of feathers on the belly and breast of a goose or duck. Down is spherical, and has a very fine, soft and irregular structure with a spike that cannot be observed. Down constantly recovers its natural shape, so the bird can benefit from it for a long time.

Because of its softness and perfect temperature regulation, down is the ideal filling material for a comforter. It is also extremely suitable for pillows, however, this depends on the personal preference of the sleeper: pillows with a down filling are in fact quite soft.

Benefits of down

• Excellent temperature regulation
• Extremely durable
• Consists of thousands of layers so it cannot clump
• Very light

Disadvantages down

• High price
• Not home washable

Popular down products

Experience the benefits of down with one of the following products.

Feathers

Everyone knows what a feather looks like, a long stem with a kind of soft hair on the left and right side. These feathers form the protective layer for a bird, they are also water repellent. In addition, a feather is very functional, they allow ducks and geese to fly.

These properties make feathers very suitable as filling for pillows. Feathers namely provide firmness in a pillow, but also have a durable character.

Because the insulation value of feathers is a lot lower than that of down, it is less suitable for comforters. Furthermore, feathers can sting a little. Therefore we only sell comforters with 10% feather filling, so you don’t have to bother with those pointy ends.

Feathers are also great for inside cushions of decorative covers due to their firmness. Relatively speaking, feathers are cheaper than down, simply because a duck or goose has more feathers than down, and so feathers are easier to come by.

Events of feathers

• Relatively low priced compared to down
• Sturdy
• Supportive

Disadvantages feathers

• Pointy spines
• Does not insulate well and is therefore less suitable as filling for comforters.

Popular feather pillows

The properties of feathers are especially useful for pillows and inner pillows. They provide support and resilience.

In addition to the difference between down and feathers, there is also a difference between duck and goose down. Read all about it in our article “The difference between goose and duck down“

Why is down pricey?

The prices of down pillows and comforters vary widely; some suppliers sell down comforters from as little as €40, while a high-quality 100% goose down comforter can cost up to €1000! How about that?

Down is a scarce product, while the demand for down is high because of its almost perfect properties. Because of this, the demand is much higher than the supply, and down products are offered at a higher price. In addition, it is a natural product, and therefore more expensive to obtain than, for example, microfibers, which are simply produced in the factory.

The price of a down product depends on the following factors:

1. The quality of the down (expressed in fill power)
2. The quality of the ticking (expressed in NM)
3. Type of down (duck down is often cheaper than goose down)
4. The fill weight (expressed in grams)
5. The animal friendliness (picked alive or not)

When you buy a down product, therefore, always ask about the fill power, the type of down and check whether the characteristics stated on the label have also been checked by independent institutions. Quilt producers, for example, often have their products checked by TUV (an independent body). If the TUV label is attached to the comforter, it is guaranteed that the comforter meets the properties stated on the label.

Measure the quality of down with fill power (for down-filled comforters)

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Down is available on the market in different qualities, however, the origin of the down is difficult to determine. The best way to determine the quality of down is to use the fill power method.

This method works as follows: after drying, the down is put into a cylinder, on which a weight is then placed. If the down rises after the weight is removed, the fill power can be determined. The higher the down rises in the cylinder, the higher the fill power.

Others also read

• Warmth Class (TOG) of down duvet
• Quality of the ticking: discover the 3 types