Whether you are first time buyer or just looking to replace your existing down comforter, down pillow or featherbed it is a exciting time. At Down & Feather Company we realize you have many choices and appreciate you considering our down comforters, pillows, featherbeds and linens. Below you will find a Top 10 list and alphabetical listing of common terms used to describe many down products or terms used on our site to describe our down products and linens. Please don't hesitate to bookmark this page or reference it while you are making such a important decision about ours or our competitors down products. Obviously we would love to have your business but we have found that a well educated customer is the best kind of customer. Thank you for visiting Down & Feather Company™

Q: What is Hungarian Goose Down?

A:Hungarian Goose Down is widely regarded as the finest goose down in the world. The Hungarian Goose Down used to make your SnuggleSoft™, QualityRest™ or NaturalNights™ down pillow, down comforter or feather bed is hand harvested during the molting season of the bird in a effort to not harm the beautiful bird's or there habitat. After harvesting the down is hand sorted into different levels of quality based on the size of the harvested clusters. The larger the cluster the better the quality. Harvesting and sorting goose down by hand is very tedious and time consuming but it ensures consistent fill quality across our brands from year to year.

Q: What is Fill Power?

A: Fill power is difficult to explain given that regardless of the fill power it all seems to be stuffed into the same space like a down comforter, pillow or featherbed. but the difference is actually very dramatic. Technically speaking fill power is a measurement of the amount of space one (1) ounce of down will occupy in cubic inches when allowed to reach its maximum loft. The higher the fill power the more cubic inches need to allow the down to reach it's maximum loft. But the warmth of a down comforter is determined by both the fill power and the amount of down used to make the comforter.

As a consumer you should be looking for both the highest quality down, determined by using fill power, but also be looking for a down comforter designed to allow the down fill to reach it maximum loft. The design that allows down to reach its maximum loft is a baffle box design like all of our premium down comforters featured above (save the classic). A baffle box design allows the down, not the feathers (we don't use feathers in our any of our down comforters) to reach there maximum loft thus providing you with the maximum amount of insulation to keep you cozy warm at night.

Q: What else are they made of ? Egyptian Cotton

All of our down comforters are made from Egyptian cotton. Egyptian cotton is used because it can be spun into a smoother, stronger and much finer yarn so that it's possible to weave more threads per square inch into the fabric. The high thread count makes the fabric denser and more substantial. Constructed almost exclusively as a sateen weave the result is a smooth silky finish of impeccable quality and refinement. Thread count is important but it's only one part of three other components that determine the quality of the fabric used to make your down comforter. So what are the other components?...Quality, Construction and Finish.

Quality of the yarn, or cotton fiber, is one of the most important components when manufacturing the ticking or shell used to contain the down fill of a down comforter. The quality of the yarn is basically a function of the length of the cotton fiber. So the longer the fiber the higher the quality of the finished goods. The finest quality yarn, or cotton fiber, use a long-staple cotton fiber found primarily in northern Africa or Egypt. The longer the cotton fiber the smoother, stronger and finer the yarn can be woven. Finer woven fabric means better quality and higher thread count.

Construction, or the weave, of that long-staple cotton fiber impacts how soft your down comforter will feel to the touch. Some weaves lend themselves to looking and feeling softer which is why we use a solid sateen weave which produces a smooth and lustrous surface.

Q: Enemies of Down - Compression, Moisture and Oil

What destroys down? Compression is a pretty big one but you can't really avoid it. Moisture from incorrectly washing the down piece or moisture and perspiration from our bodies while we sleep is the biggest challenge. Oils from your skin while you sleep slowly reach the down contained within your down pillow, comforter and feather bed. That is why highly recommend you use the appropriate protector and a pillow case, duvet cover or feather bed protector.