Buying a down comforter help...

I have a down comforter and love it but I don't think you're going to find anything decent in your price range. Mine is goose down and of moderate fill. That just means there aren't as many feathers as there might be in a more expensive one. I live in California though, so this has been perfect for us (we roll it down in the summer), I think I got it on sale for around $150. The duvet is the cover I have on it. It's kind of like a huge pillowcase for the cover. Those alone can be really pricey, or they are for anything stylish. Do your research on both before you put out the money. A down alternative might be a better investment.

Do you have Kohl's in your neck of the woods? They might have a nice one on sale this time of year. I have one that I got for about $100 on sale (though not at Kohl's) and I love it.

zatchbell322

Goose down, alternative down? What thread count is good? I really want to stay under 60$ closer to 40 or 50$....help? I don't mind buying online or going to a store. Thanks! **ETA - I just looked up the comforter on the hotel website and it said it is a "duvet insert" whats the difference?

Duvet = comforter for the most part.  Cathy I think you'll find 'duvet cover' is the cover TO the duvet.  My British husband cringes mightily when someone says "comforter". 

You'll learn with your first one.  And you'll probably go for a more expensive one next time -- and that's not a bad idea.

The higher the thread count the tighter the weave of the covering material.  Why?  Because otherwise you get feathers poking out at you and it doesn't wear as well. 

The more "baffles" the better -- because in a duvet where the sections (think of a checkerboard where it's 'quilted' along the lines so each "check" becomes a little feather pillow??) are LARGE means that those feathers can shift eventually -- and then they're less effective.  So the smaller those little "check" squares are the better - it keeps the feathers better distributed.

Goose down is supposed to be a better down than regular feathers.  Eiderdown is sold usually only in Europe - so suddenly your $50 duvet just became about $3,000 (no joke) -- but that is, I believe, swan's down.

"Down" is the fluffy part of the feathers -- it's like the double coat in a herding dog - make sense??

As far as the duvet cover -- yeah, they can be MAJORLY pricey (but it can also be a nice thing for someone to get you guys for Christmas) -- but I don't like them b/c they are HOT.  It's like adding two more sheets on top of the duvet.  And sometimes those can be really fancy "sheets" and kinda heavy. It all depends on whether or not you want to sleep under the duvet or not. Or if it's just for "looks".

The hotel was simply making the distinction that what Americans call the "comforter" really goes INSIDE the "cover".  And we Americans honestly get it wrong (which is why trying to find it online is so frustrating) if it's a "duvet" then it's supposed to be down, and if it's polyester or polyfil it's merely a comforter.

My husband won't let me BUY anything that calls itself a "comforter" ... LOL ...

But beware -- you really can NOT wash a feather/down duvet -- it destroys the "loft" (which is the air that gets trapped in the feathers) -- and all the feathers just mush together.  It can be pricey to get a duvet cleaned -- like $40 or more (which .... is why you put them in a cover! didn't mean that to be a "duh" moment)

The other thing is to decide how thick you want it -- the 'loft' and how MUCH down is in it determines how warm it will be.  That's also part of the price difference.

I wouldn't want alternative down -- even if allergies are a problem, you can then go for a tighter weave in a hypoallergenic cover and STILL have down.  Alternative down is pretty much just polyester. 

*laughing* and I gotta say it ....

duvet -- if you say "doo-VAY" you're American.  If you say "DOOO-vay" you're British.  Me?  I just LOVE to make my husband cringe!! doo-VAY!!!!!!

I got mine at the Company Store years ago and it was $99 and a very good quality down comforter.  I would look for one that has the baffle boxes/diamonds so that the down at least stays throughout the entire comforter instead of bunching up in one end and shifting too much.  The Company Store also has good deals and the thing I REALLY like about theirs is that I think most of them are machine washable, instead of dry cleaning them only.  Also, depending on how cold it is where you live, and if you plan to use it all year etc, I wouldn't go with a really heavy one.  They get super warm, and with extra blankets in the winter, even the light weight one is very nice, although I do live in Texas!   

 Check TJ Maxx - I was in there today and seem to remember seeing some there.

 I second the recc for The Company Store - my TCS comforter was going on 15 years old until certain dogs who are no longer with us, who had lived peacefully with it for the better part of 8 years, decided one day that it needed to die. I haven't replaced it yet, but I will sometime this summer.

 One of the things I like about them is that they're thick and heavy without being unbearably hot - they seem to keep you at a COMFORTABLE temperature rather than roasting you and making your feet all sweaty and gross like fleece does. 

Overstock.com sometimes has good deals on them. 

I love my down comforter. My parents got it for me for Christmas when I was in college. Then I only had a twin bed, but they got me a full sized one. Now that I am married and have a king, it still actually works pretty well. We have sheet and a quilt on top and then the down comforter on top of that. It fits the top of the bed and doesn't hang over the side. So depending on the size of your bed, you may be able to get away with buying a smaller sized one.

Also, we just have a plain cotton duvet cover and it is not high thread count. Occasionally we'll get a feather poking through here and there. But honestly, in the over 10 years that I've had it, it has been a rare occurence. So you can probably get away with getting a cheap duvet cover for now and maybe getting a nicer one later on. And it wouldn't be a waste to have two. Its nice to have a second one on hand in case you need to wash the other one!

 BF has a fake down comforter at his parents' house and it's aaaalmost as comfortable as our real down comforter that we have at our place. Bonuses: more allergy-friendly, no stray feathers poking where you don't want them, much cheaper. Might be worth a try!

I love, love, love sleeping under down comforters. My mom got me one when I was around 10, and I've slept with one ever since. :)

Down is also Rascal's favorite choice of bedding, because he is THAT spoiled. (Well, now he has a fake-down pillow lining his crate, but on the rare occasions he's allowed to sleep on one of our down bedspreads, he's the happiest dog on the planet!)

calliecritturs

Duvet = comforter for the most part.  Cathy I think you'll find 'duvet cover' is the cover TO the duvet.  My British husband cringes mightily when someone says "comforter". 

Ha-ha, now how come I've known what a duvet cover is but never thought of the comforter as the actual duvet? Strange but thanks for correcting me Callie.

I definitely agree about looking for one with quite a few baffles in it. I also agree about looking at stores like TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls, etc. They sometimes have them in stock and for great prices.

My SIL made her own duvet cover by taking to sheets and sewing three corners together and then putting buttons on the one end. If I had a sewing machine, I'd probably give that some consideration.

 We got our heavier down duvet from BJ's and it is great but usually too warm for us - we both hate being too hot while sleeping.

So last year I was wandering through Target and they had all their down stuff on clearance and got what they called a summer weight down which has been perfect except for our coldest days (when I pulled out the big one LOL)

The covers can be found in many places - although I always seem to find the best deals at TJMaxx, Homegoods and Marshall's.  I bought an amazing one over the summer for like $30 for a king size.

Neither my Target or BJ's duvet loses much down and I haven't had any issues with stuff becoming uneven.

I was just thinking that soon we'll have to put it away and go back to sheets and blankets for the summer 

I received a down comforter as a xmas gift, and I sneezed for days before I figured out I am allergic to the feathers LOL.

Went with a down alternative one I think we got at Kohl's.

We put a duvet cover over it to keep it clean and roll ours to the foot of the bed if it's too hot or pull it up if we're chilly.  It is nice to be all snuggly under it.

If there's an IKEA near you, check them out.  I've never bought any bedding there for myself, but I've wandered through that department and it looks like they have some pretty reasonable prices.

Joyce