Bedroom comforter sets come in a practically limitless combination of thread counts, fill weights, fill powers, types of down, construction and fabrics; the terminology can be rather confusing. Here is the simple explanation of all these terms: thread count refers to the fabric quality, fill weight refers to the amount of filling in the comforter itself, fill power refers to the insulating powers of the down, and the type of down will also give some indication of its quality.Thread count refers to the number of threads that are in one ounce of material. The higher the thread count, the tighter the weave, hence the softer and more luxurious the fabric will feel. The fill weight of a comforter refers to the number of ounces of down that are actually inside of the comforter. Bigger size Bedroom comforter sets will have a higher fill weight than smaller ones, even if all of the other factors are the same. The fill power of a comforter is measured by the amount of cubic inches occupied by an ounce of down. This is determined by putting an ounce of down inside of a container, stirring it around and then leaving it alone for a full 24 hour period.
The height of the down is measured and that gives the loft factor. The down is then compressed, left alone for a 24 hour period and measured again yielding the overall fill power of the down. The higher the fill power, the warmer and thicker the comforter will be. This is how fill power is rated: 525-600 (nice quality down comforter); 600-700 (very good quality down comforter); 700 or higher (superior quality down comforter).
Buying affordable comforter sets with a higher fill power is not necessary for all applications, however, and the fill power needed is most often determined by the nighttime temperature of the room where the comforter will be used, for example: <55 degrees is considered arctic weight and 700 or higher fill power is recommended; 55-70 degrees is medium weight and 600-700 fill power is suggested; 70 degrees and higher is considered light weight and no more than 525-600 fill power comforters are advised.
There are many types of down used in comforters and some may even contain actual feathers. The most common types of down are: white or grey goose down (most common, with the grey down generally being used for darker colored fabrics); duck down (except eider down, usually used in lower quality products); eider down (one of the most expensive downs on the market); Hungarian goose down (one of the best quality, affordable downs with superior fill power and also hypoallergenic properties);and hypo-down is a combined white goose down with syriaca (commonly called milkweed and used to produce a down fill that is guaranteed to be hypoallergenic).
There are different types of construction to consider for comforters as well. A comforter has to be sewn in a way so that the down does not get bunched up. The types of construction are: Sewn through (least expensive method and similar to quilting); box stitch (a sewn pattern that confines the down to a small area); and baffled (uses fabric strips sewn between the front and back of the comforter to confine the down to a small area while maintaining a maximum loft).
Down comforters are available in numerous materials with cotton, silk or sateen being the most common. A cover is of course recommended to protect the comforter and keep it as clean as possible; it will also extend the time between cleanings. Hopefully you have now acquired a better idea of what type of comforter is best for you.