Goose Down Comforters
Bed Pillows    
Decorator and Other Pillows    
Feather Beds and Mattress Pad    
Robes and Booties    
Dog Beds    
Puff Chairs and Ottomans    
Duvet Covers    
Down Throws    

     
Feathers, the principal covering of birds, are of flat, almost two-dimensional construction.

They have a hard, tubular quill shaft from one end to the other. As a 2-D structure, feathers are unable to trap air effectively and therefore have little insulation value.

Feathers are strong as a result of a vane center, however, feathers have little softness value. Down is the light, fluffy undercoating of waterfowl, consisting of clusters of filaments growing from central quill points.

A Down cluster has a quill point but no quill shaft, so it is far more resilient than a feather.


Down is lighter than a feather, it is three-dimensional rather than two and therefore Down has more loft or filling power.

When Down is compressed, a good shake is all it needs to make it bounce right back to its original fluffy loft.

Why is Fill power so important to determining the quality of a down? Because the big trick to insulation is trapping air. The more air that is trapped, the better insulation you have, If you have a 700 fill power down, that means it will "trap" 700 cubic inches of air. If it is a 550 fill power down, it will only trap 550 cubic inches of air, and require more weight of this fill to equal the warmth of the 700 fill power quality.


A single ounce of Down contains thousands of clusters that trap warm, still air to prevent heat loss. What is Fill Power? Fill Power measures the cubic inches one ounce of a given quality of down will occupy. The more cubic inches one ounce occupies, the better the quality of that down.

Example: Which will occupy more space (i.e. cubic inches), one ounce of cotton balls or one ounce of salt? The cotton, of course.

 
 
 

 
 
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for, please call! We also carry a complete line of down accessories and clothing!
1-800-375-DOWN (3696) tel: (302) 645-5151 fax: (302) 645-5250 contact@midwestfeather.com