What makes the difference between a good, high-quality duvet and a cheap promotion?

These days a large German retailer has this "exclusive" "summer duvet" on offer.

With this example I would like to show how a good duvet differs from this cheap offer:

Share of down

A proportion of 60% down (without a specific name) is not sufficient for a reasonably attractive duvet. The weight percentage of down in a "normal" duvet should be at least 80%.

Filling weight

The retailer declares a filling weight of 400 g. An ultra-lightweight quilt, as advertised in the promotion, is usually around 200-300 g.

The reason for the relatively high weight is the poor filling quality. The more feathers, the heavier the quilt becomes.This also makes the quilt more airtight and harder.

Proportion of feathers

40% feathers is an insult even for a German "duvet" for the sleeper. Basically this quality is a pillow filling. The feathers have elastic keels, which are welcome in a pillow, because they have a supporting effect, but are of no use in a duvet, except (for the dealer) low material costs: Feathers cost 10 to 15 times less than down.

Value of the filling material

A distinction is made between " feathers " and " small feathers ". Small feathers are rather soft and downy and are - in quantities of up to 15% - a component of most down fillings, as they can never be completely separated from the down in the sorting process.

Feathers, on the other hand, are a separate species and have a completely different structure than down. The term "feathers" in the declaration allows the conclusion to be drawn that they were deliberately added in order to lower the price of the filling. Without any advantage for the consumer.

Quality of down

The quality of the down is not declared precisely. But the down quality is the key to a good and cuddly duvet.

The down is not declared as "new", nor is it declared as "pure". If the term "new" is missing from the declaration, there is a high probability that used goods (so-called couché goods) have been mixed in. This type of filling costs a fraction of what a normal duvet filling costs.

Animal species

Down is not defined by animal species. This means that one does not know whether it is goose or duck down. - This is also a significant price difference.

The reference to DIN 12934 allows at least the conclusion that the filling comes only from water birds (geese and ducks) and not from chickens.

Cover

The dealer makes no statement about the cover. What is it made of? How is it woven? With this quantity of feathers, it would have to be a heavy, dense fabric so that the feathers does not stick out. The breathability, or rather the hydrophilicity (moisture transport) of such a quilt is correspondingly poor.

Conclusion:

Cheap in price is here unfortunately also cheap in quality. Such a quilt can never meet the requirements for a good summer duvet.

Sandro Corpina