Down vs Feather: What is the difference?
Down and feathers, sourced from ducks and geese, are premium fillings for duvets and pillows. Down is lightweight, fluffy, and warm, offering excellent insulation and breathability. Feathers are heavier and denser, providing firm support and affordability. Understanding these qualities helps in choosing the right product for your needs. In the article below, we will introduce and explore the differences between these materials.
Lightweight and fluffy Down
Thanks to its natural clusters structure with soft filaments. The lightness and high compressibility properties of down are what give your down product the fluffy and soft texture.
Heavy and dense
Feather’s two-dimensional construction consists of a hard quill shaft with fibres extending from each side. While feather provides a lower insulating power than down pound for pound, it makes up by offering a heavier and denser product, which many customers prefer.
Warm and breathable Down
Naturally an excellent insulator with extraordinary warmth-to-weight ratio, and it is breathable at the same time. Its unique cluster structures create pockets of trapped air to maintain warmth, while allowing excessive moisture to dissipate. As a result, down products are able to regulate body temperature and wick away moisture to keep you comfortable all year round.
Supportive and affordable
Feather’s limited compression recovery property makes this natural material an excellent choice for a firmer and more hard-packed feel. Also, given the relative abundance of feathers, products filled with feathers are also more budget-friendly.
Without knowing the details of down and feather product, it would be difficult to assess the product’s overall quality and value for money. Therefore, it's crucial to choose products from a trust-worthy producer who provide complete transparency regarding product specifications to ensure that the product meets your specific needs and preferences. Click here to shop our collections.
How about Down/Feather blend products?
Down/feather-blend products tend to combine the features from both materials, and are usually more budget friendly. For instance, our DOWN TOUCH™ pillow is an all-around pillow that is fluffy on the outside and firm on the inside, thanks to the feather-filled inner chamber surrounded by the down-filled outer chambers (top and bottom layers). Our other down/feather-blend product is the 10% down/90% feather duvet (add link), which consists of premium duck down and small feathers. This soft to the touch duvet combines the insulating quality of down with the density and weight of feathers.
Other Down Guides..
What to look out for when shopping for down and feather duvets/pillows?
When shopping for down and feather duvets/pillows, it's crucial to look for detailed product information on down/feather composition, down fill power & weight, as well as fabric quality. Refer to...
Are down and feather products sustainable?
We are committed to sustainably and ethically sourcing our down and feather products. The down and feathers we carry are a natural by-product of the poultry industry. The ducks and...
What is the percentage of down in the down products?
Our down duvets and pillows, unless specifically indicated to be feather-added products, are filled with genuine down material, without the addition of other fill materials such as feathers or microfiber....