The majority of people realize that to get a hold of a real quality down comforter, one might have to spend hundreds of dollars. Down is not an easily harvested material. It requires raising geese until maturity which can take months or years. If farmed geese are not available, then a lot of labor must go into finding a source of wild geese to supply the down.
Unlike what many people think, feathers that are visible on the outside of a goose are not the same material as down. Rather, the goose has a soft "plumule" material beneath the feathers which provides insulating warmth. The plumules are the main components of down. Some top feather is added for stiffening certain products such as cushions, hard pillows or feather-beds.
For a small family of four, three or more such comforters may be needed. Add in the fact that children outgrow or wear out their possessions quickly, the costs can really add up and get out of control. A family thinking economically should consider down alternatives to substitute for traditional down.
A good down alternative should be able to mimic at least two properties of down. It should be soft, and it should provide high "loft". Loft is an indicator of volume to weight. For down, just an ounce can fill 1000 cubic inches. The high volume and low weight is a good indicator of how much air is in the spaces, which in turn is a good indicator of insulating power.
However, one should remember just because a material is a down alternative doesn't automatically mean its cheaper than goose down. For example, silk from the caterpillar is used as a hypoallergenic down alternative, but it's very expensive because its harvesting is as difficult and labor intensive as down. There are even synthetic down alternatives that are very expensive, such as the patented Primaloft which is considered the king of fills.
Therefore, to save money one should choose a synthetic alternative that has high quality yet at a lower price point than the most premium synthetic brands. Virtually all synthetics are made of polyester. The differences between them depend on the ingenuity of the manufacturer, and whether they have developed a novel method for making a high loft and soft synthetic. A customer should try out the down alternative comforter by considering not only how soft and lofty it is, but also whether it doesn't weigh down heavily on a sleeper.
Interested consumers are fortunate to have many choices when it comes to high quality alternative bedding. The Company Store and JC Penney are some fine examples of down alternative manufacturers.
This and related topics on down alternatives are available to all. Readers wanting to know more can browse over to learn about down alternative fiberbed.
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