How to Find the Best Comforters [2021]

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Haron Omaita

Haron loves to give gifts and knows that a nice cozy blanket or a soft set of sheets can be perfect for the right person. He also knows a lot about home improvement and how to make a space homey and cozy. He's excellent at narrowing down all of the options and explaining what makes each one great so you can be confident in your choice!

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• How to Find the Best Winter Comforter: Top 5 Picks [2022] - October 21, 2021

Sleep is just what you need when you are tired after a hard day’s work. It calms your body and mind. For this reason, it makes perfect sense to make your bed the most comfortable place in your home.

Whether you’re fed up with your existing bedding or have difficulty staying warm or cool at night, you just might need a new comforter. Perhaps you simply want to transform the look and feel of your bedroom. Or maybe you want a comforter that helps you easily nod off each night.

Regardless of the reason why you’re looking for a new comforter, you have to consider several factors in order to find the right one. Comforters are available in a wide range of materials and sizes, as well as different fill powers. There are also other factors to consider when shopping for a comforter, such as design and ease of cleaning.

If you need assistance with choosing the best comforter, we have in-depth information below to help you make an informed decision. Check out our guide below.

What’s a Comforter?

A comforter’s a fluffy, thick blanket that rests on your bed. It’s made up of a casing filled with down/down alternative fill and pairs perfectly with bedsheets. Some comforters are available in a set that contains a comforter, a pair of shams, and sheet set (one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and a pair of pillowcases).

Comforters are available in many designs and colors. Unlike duvets, comforters require no cover and work on their own. Certain comforters can work as duvets and can fit well inside a duvet cover.

In addition, comforters are easier to care for. They can be machine-washed and may either be put in the dryer or air-dried.

What to Consider When Selecting a Comforter

To choose the best comforter, consider the comforter’s fill power, fill types, construction, shell material, size, thread count, and cost. These factors will guide you towards finding a high-quality and durable comforter.

It also pays to read verified customer reviews, which provide first-hand experiences of customers about a given comforter and can help you make the right choice.

Types of Comforters

For starters, you’ll need to select from different types of comforters. Bedspreads are usually the most popular and affordable option, while down comforters have always been a favorite luxury option for many.

Each kind of comforter comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to pick the right option in order to improve your sleep quality.

Down: Down comforters are typically the most popular luxury option. They’re made from down sourced from waterfowl such as geese and ducks, which is ultra-light, soft, and breathable.

Down comforters are, however, also the costliest options and also require regular professional cleaning. In addition, they are unethically sourced.

Down alternative: This is a more affordable, ethically sourced alternative to pure down. It’s any material that imitates the texture of down, including rayon, polyester, and cotton. Down alternative comforters tend to be easier to clean and less expensive.

They’re also great options for those who have allergies and won’t gather bacteria and dust like down comforters.

Bedspreads: Bedspreads are usually the cheapest option and lack the breathability and softness of a down alternative or down comforter. If you want a basic comforter or one with a sheet set, a bed skirt, and pillowcases, you probably should go for a bedspread.

Quilts: Quilts are usually a little thinner than bedspreads and comforters, making them ideal for warmer nights. But you can also pile on several quilts for colder nights, which makes them ideal if you want something versatile.

Comforter Materials

Picking the right material is another essential step when shopping for a comforter. For people with allergies, buying a hypoallergenic comforter is a vital part of getting quality sleep. If you’re a hot sleeper, it’s vital to find a comforter that’s lightweight and breathable.

The material you pick has a major impact on the quality of your sleep, with the most popular options being cotton, silk, wool, and bamboo.

Cotton: This is the most common material for comforters, which offers a great compromise between various fabric options. Since cotton is soft, breathable, and allergenic, it’s a popular option for many sleepers. In addition, cotton is fairly easy to take care of and durable.

Silk: As one of the most lavish bedding materials, silk is a good option for comforter materials. Despite how it feels, it does wick away moisture exceptionally well and its soft texture makes it an ideal material for sleeping in. However, silk requires a little more maintenance than other types of material and may be more expensive.

Wool: While wool bedding is considered too hot by most people, it actually regulates your body temperature fairly well no matter the season. Wool is not only natural but also one of the most durable bedding materials. However, wool requires a little more detailed care than other natural materials.

Bamboo: An excellent all-around option, bamboo comforters provide lightweight breathability at pocket-friendly prices, making them the perfect fit for hot sleepers. Also, bamboo is absorbent and breathable so that sweat won’t be a problem. And if you want hypoallergenic bedding, bamboo is an excellent choice.

Comforter Fill Power

Fill power is very important for determining the quality of a down comforter. It’s the measure of how much air is trapped by the down feathers. In other words, it’s the amount of space occupied by one ounce of down.

A higher fill power means a higher quality down. Two down comforters can be of equal weight, but the one with more fill power can be more insulating and warmer. Generally speaking, following the guidelines below will help you choose the right fill power for you.

Less than or equal to 400: Suitable for people who easily overheat while sleeping or for summer use.

400-600: Versatile fill power that’s ideal for all seasons.

600-800: Warm down comforter that’s suited to those who get cold at night or for winter use.

800 and over: Super warm comforter for really cold conditions.

Comforter Fill Weight

Fill weight is another vital consideration when buying a comforter. This is basically how many ounces of down are inside a comforter.

Bear in mind that a higher fill power tends to have a lower fill weight since fill power is the capacity of the down feather to trap air, rather than the down’s weight itself. As such, comforters with higher fill power that is ideal for colder climates can in fact be lighter than comforters with lower fill power that’s ideal for warmer climates.

A comforter’s warmth is determined by the balance between the fill weight and fill power. The comforter you choose shouldn’t be too hot or cold, otherwise you risk undermining your sleep quality.

Comforter Sizes

One thing to take into account when choosing the right size of comforter is that the comforter should be much larger than the mattress it’s designed to fit. Although most people want a comforter that suits their mattress size, getting a slighter bigger comforter can be an amazing way to get additional coverage.

Although cooling sheets are designed to precise specifications to suit the size of your mattress, you’ll have a little more room to experiment with if you opt for a bigger comforter.

Comforter Construction

A variety of sewing methods can help prevent bunching and ensure that the down is evenly distributed all over the comforter.

Baffle box: This is an additional piece of material stitched between the back and front sides, carving out a three-dimensional space for down fill. Baffle box sewing creates a higher fill power than sewn-through stitching.

Channel: This sewing technique is fairly self-explanatory and involves sewing parallel fill material channels. This lets the fill material move inside the channels. If one area of your body could benefit from the extra warmth, or one sleep partner prefers extra warmth, this movement could be beneficial.

Diamond quilt: The back and front sides are sewn together in a rhombus pattern, creating compartments and stopping fill from moving or bunching.

Gusseted: The comforter’s back and front sides are sewn together using a fabric strip around the edge, making the fill expand upward and increase fill power.

Comforter Thread Count

Thread count is the main determinant of fabric quality. Literally speaking, thread count is the number of threads contained within one square inch of material. The higher the number of threads in a square inch, the finer and better woven the fabric is.

That said, a higher thread count doesn’t always mean a better fabric. The specific manner in which the fibers are woven is equally important, as is the fiber material.

When buying a down comforter, a higher thread count is a better option because it holds more down effectively. You’ve probably experienced down feathers poking you as you try to get some rest. A fabric with a higher thread count helps prevent this from happening.

Certifications

As you choose a new comforter, you may spot different certifications. These offer information about a specific product’s sustainability and safety.

Apart from the OEKO-TEX certification, which means a product doesn’t contain harmful substances or toxic chemicals, you might notice certifications like:

•         Fair Trade
•         Responsible Wool Standard
•         Responsible Down Standard
•         Global Organic Textile Standard

Price

A comforter costs about $35 and $400 on average, but the price depends on the comforter material, comforter size, and fill power.

Budget choices typically have fill power of less than 400GSM and contain only down alternatives. Down options may contain mainly feathers, but a few options contain pure down only. The average price will fetch you down alternative and down choices with fill power of 400GSM to 600GSM.

Some luxury comforters are made of 100% down with little or no feathers. Their fill power is not less than 600GSM, and they may have cooling features, including an all-natural cotton cover.

Our Top Picks

Here’s our list of top comforter recommendations that include something for every shopper. When choosing these comforters, we considered several criteria such as comforter material, fill power, type of comforter, customer reviews, and, of course, price.

Best Overall Comforter: Utopia Bedding Comforter

Comforters are a vital part of any set of beddings because they help keep you warm while you’re sleeping at night. If you want a well-made, warm comforter at a decent price, be sure to go for Utopia Bedding Comforter.

This soft, comfortable comforter is available in California king, king, queen, full, and twin sizes, not to mention four color options. It should be covered with a duvet cover because it features loops where the cover can be tied on.

Utopia Bedding Comforter contains siliconized fiberfill that makes it a perfect all-season blanket and features box-style construction to uphold the even distribution of fill. In addition, it can be washed by machine, so there’s no need to have it dry-cleaned.

Utopia Bedding Comforter resembles a cloud and is extremely warm during the cold season, even though it’s lightweight. Moreover, its relatively low price is unbeatable!

Pros

•         Durable and affordable
•         Machine washable
•         Available in different colors apart from white

Cons:

•         Microfiber can feel too warm for summer months and hot sleepers

Best Down Comforter: Brooklinen Down Comforter

If you love down comforters, you’ll really love Brooklinen Down Comforter. You can choose from an all-season comforter, a lightweight option, or an ultra-warm option. No matter which fill power you prefer, there are various sizes available, including California king, king, queen, full, twin XL, and twin.

Brooklinen Down Comforter contains down clusters rather than feathers, while the fill comes treated with Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial treatment. The comforter also features a baffle-box stitching style to hold the fill material in place.

If you want to smarten up your blanket, the comforter comes with duvet cover loops to help you tie the cover on. Considering how soft the all-natural cotton sateen cover is, you may not even have to cover the blanket. Brooklinen Down Comforter is super high quality and feels like sleeping inside a soft, puffy cloud.

Pros:

•         Treated with antimicrobials
•         Comes in three warmth levels
•         Lightweight and soft

Cons:

•         Dry cleaned or spot cleaned only
•         Only lightweight variety is RDS-certified

Best Down Alternative Comforter: SUPERIOR Solid Comforter

Down is often considered the most luxurious bedding material, but there are people who want to avoid the steep price and animal products. For these and more reasons, down alternative comforters have become popular since they provide the same feel and look of down, but at an affordable price.

Superior Solid Comforter is one of the best options out there when it comes to down alternative comforters. It’s also fluffy and soft.

This versatile white down alternative comforter is available in king, queen, full, twin XL, and twin sizes and can be used alongside a duvet cover or on its own. The microfiber shell contains a high polyester fill, making it feel and look like down while providing warmth on cold nights.

Superior Solid Comforter feels super fluffy and holds up exceptionally well—even after repeated washings.

Pros:

•         Machine washable
•         Affordable
•         Available in various colors apart from white

Cons:

•         No corner ties
•         Polyester isn’t as breathable as natural fibers

Best Budget Comforter: Ella Jayne Home All-Season Comforter

Comforters may be quite expensive, but you needn’t break the bank to get a high-quality choice like Ella Jayne Down Alternative All-Season Comforter. This blanket is available in a range of sizes, and all options are affordable, beginning at around $25.

You can cover this comforter with a duvet cover or use it on its own. Its polyester-down alternative fill will provide you with warmth during the cold season and cool you down in the hotter months. The comforter’s exterior is made of soft and cozy triple-brushed microfiber and boasts a baffle-box stitching style to help stop the filling from shifting or clumping.

Pros:

•         Machine washable
•         Affordable
•         Available in other colors apart from white

Cons:

•         Microfiber can feel too warm for summer months or hot sleepers

Best for Comforter Hot Sleepers: Buffy Cloud Comforter

Always end up overheating and tossing away your blanket? Then you should get Buffy Cloud Comforter, which is airy and lightweight to prevent you from getting too hot. The filling is made of 100% recycled polyester that’s PET, BPA-free water bottles.

Buffy Cloud Comforter is available in California king, king, queen, full, twin XL, and twin sizes, while the soft outer shell is made of eucalyptus fabric. The comforter is filled with various fill layers to provide an extra-fluffy fill and appearance, but it’s still super breathable, making it ideal for those who sleep hot.

Buffy Cloud Comforter is a product you’d spot in any posh hotel, and Buffy even offers customers a free trial so they can decide whether to buy it or not.

Pros:

•         Made with sustainably obtained materials
•         Silky-smooth, breathable eucalyptus fabric exterior shell

Cons:

•         Could be extremely lightweight for those who sleep cold

FAQs on How to Find the Best Comforter

Summarizing How to Find the Best Comforters

A comforter is an amazing addition to any bedroom ambiance. Its soft, fluffy features provide comfort and can improve the quality of your sleep. A high-quality comforter features down or down alternative fill without uncomfortable feathers poking through and sewn to prevent fill leaks and to keep the fill uniformly distributed.

There are lots of different choices on the market to suit all tastes and preferences, including warmth level, fill power, or size.

If you want a good comforter that’s affordable and will serve you well no matter the season, then opt for Ella Jayne Home Down Alternative All-Season Comforter. If money is no object for you, then get a luxury option like Brooklinen Down Comforter.

Recommended reads:

• 7 Best Black Comforter Ideas
• 7 Best Alaskan King Bed Sheets
• 30 lb Weighted Blanket Ideas For Restful Sleep