Your Ultimate Guide to Goose Down Duvets and Pillows

Shopping for a new pillow or a duvet?

Confused about the thousands of options available in the market?

Don’t worry, you are not alone. There is no dearth of variety when it comes to pillows and duvets in the market today. However, if you are in the mood to indulge yourself and go for the very best, then there is absolutely no substitute for a goose down pillow and duvet. Goose down fill is simply the best when it comes to insulation and comfort.

While it is true that goose down is the most luxurious fill available in the market, you should know a few things about it, so that you don’t end up with low quality down even after paying an exorbitant price.

It All Comes Down to Fill Power

Fill power is the most important factor that you should consider when purchasing a goose down pillow or duvet. For those who don’t know, fill power is the volume occupied by one ounce of fill. When calculating fill power the volume is usually measured in cubic inches. Fill power indicates the volume filled up by the goose down. The more voluminous the material, the higher is its fill power.

As one can imagine, high fill power means less material is required to fill up a duvet or a pillow. So, less goose down is required to provide the same level of insulation. Moreover, high fill power material is puffier and lofts much better than low fill power materials. It also lasts longer.

High Fill Power or Low Fill Power?

When it comes to pure comfort and luxury, there is no need for a discussion – high fill power goose down is the clear winner. However, low fill power material can also have its own advantages. So, before you make a choice, think on these lines:

• High fill power goose down is puffier, warmer, and more durable than low fill power goose down. Therefore, high fill power goose down makes the best filling material for pillows and duvets. It is ultra-lightweight and feels heavenly on the body. For instance, Hungarian goose down duvets are so light that you don’t feel any weight on your body.

• On the other hand, if you are more used to heavier duvets, then you might prefer low fill power goose down. It is heavier as more of it is required to fill up same volume of the duvet or the pillow.

So, your choice of goose down depends on your individual preferences as well as your need for luxury.

Is It Important Where It Comes From?

Well, the answer is both Yes and No.

Most of the retailers, both offline and online, try to convince you that goose down sourced from geese living in colder regions is of the highest quality. This is far from the truth. They are simply trying to mislead you into buying what they have. If you want authentic products, then check out the different products at Diamond Bedding. You will be impressed by the available collection.

Where the Geese Comes From Does Not Matter

The truth is that the type of geese or where it lives has absolutely no bearing on the quality of its down. If the geese lives in colder regions, it doesn’t have to produce better quality down feathers. It just needs to produce more of the same quality feathers, and that’s exactly what happens in nature.

Some sellers go the extra mile and advertise that their pillows have Siberian goose down fill. Sounds awesome, isn’t it? If something can survive harsh temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius in Siberia with the help of its down feathers, then those feathers can surely offer you splendid protection from cold. Right?

Well, here’s a fun fact. There are no geese in Siberia during winters. They all migrate to warmer regions like Romania during that season.

However, you tend to hear different varieties of goose down and they all seem to indicate that cold is good for down. For instance, some of the down varieties include, Polish down, Canadian down, Greenland down, Iceland down, and so on. Clearly, they are all countries that are known to have harsh winters. The popularity of the goose down from these countries is because of the abundance of down produced by the geese from these regions. Like we discussed before, the colder the climate, the more down is produced by the geese. That makes it viable for businesses in these countries to produce and ship lots and lots of down.

Where the Down is Processed Matters

While it is true that the location of geese has no effect on its down, the source of the down producer has a major role to play in its quality. Some countries have been in the business of down processing for hundreds of years. Over this long time, they have perfected the techniques of down sourcing, its treatment, and enhancement for use. The best example for this is Hungary. Hungarian goose down is widely known to be the most premium quality down across the world. Hungarian goose down duvets are light, super-warm, and feel heavenly. Then there is the Canadian goose down, which is second only to Hungarian goose down.

So, yes. It does matter what country the goose down is sourced from, but it doesn’t matter what geese has given the down.

And, What About the Pillow Covers?

Granted, high fill power goose down offers blissfully soft and fluffy pillows. But, they are just one part of the two-part puzzle. The other part is the pillow cover. To get a truly luxurious pillow experience, you need a good quality pillow cover as well.

If all that finest quality down is stuffed inside a polyester pillow cover, you might as well have stuffed it with polystyrene. Top quality goose down  demands only the top quality pillow cover. The quality of pillow cover is measured in terms of thread count. The higher is the thread count, better is the material of the cover.

The Hungarian down pillows typically have covers that feature a thread count of at least 390. Thanks to the high thread count, the silky smooth awesomeness of these pillows sends you into the most peaceful and refreshing sleeps, every day.