there are probably a lot of things to look for, but I have to say the best one I ever purchased was from the Company Store online. I got it on sale because it was a discontinued color. I keep it in a duvet cover anyway, so it didn't matter to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: I think it is this one...

You need to know what the filling is made of, the "fill power" (which refers to how much of the filling is required to fill a cubic foot - ultimately, I think the less fill it takes to fill a cu. ft., the higher quality the down is), and the overall weight of the filling.

I sleep "warm". I have a very cozy down comforter from Macy's that is unfortunately much too warm for me on almost all nights. It has 35 oz. of fill. In a cold climate, this might be considered just a medium weight blanket, but I live in the mild Bay Area. I'm looking for one with about 24 oz. of fill in a king size blanket.

I love the down comforters from the Company Store. In the last 15 years I've probably bought 4 or 5 down comforters and when DH decided he was allergic to down I switched to their synthetic down comforters.

When each of my kids moved into their first apartment I bought alternative comforters for them too. Their sale prices are quite reasonable and I also buy their duvet covers.

Just be sure to check their sizes - you can purchase oversize comforters. I always buy their largest King because I detest comforters that aren't wide enough to cover the sides of the top mattress. I usually pick the ones that have squares completely sewn on all 4 sides - this eliminates the down from floating to the bottom of the bed.

I got a light weight comforter and it is too hot - if i let the temperature go down to 64 at night it is fine but when the thermostat kicks the furnace on to 68 - not fun. And after I started having hot flashes I couldn't use it at all.

We're keeping it in reserve for a winter power failure.

I have a silk filled comforter that I bought in Shanghai. Silk comforters are light weight, non allergic and warm.
They have come down greatly in price and are widely available in the US.
Here's the Wiki link describing the process exactly as we saw it in a factory in China.
BTW-I don't have it dry cleaned, just hang it in the sun as suggested.

Here is a link that might be useful: silk comforters

I have a silk filled comforter that I bought in Shanghai. Silk comforters are light weight, non allergic and warm.
They have come down greatly in price and are widely available in the US.
Here's the Wiki link describing the process exactly as we saw it in a factory in China.
BTW-I don't have it dry cleaned, just hang it in the sun as suggested.

Here is a link that might be useful: silk comforters

Sixtyohno, I'd never heard of silk-filled comforters before, so I've been doing some reading. Do you know whether the fill weight performs like the fill weight of down - in other words, if a 35oz fill weight down comforter is too warm for me, will a 35 oz. silk-filled comforter likewise be too warm?

We love our down comforter from the Company Store. Have had it for almost 10 years. We purchased the light weight fill - because I like to layer our bedding with multiple blanket with different weights.

I'm currently looking into new pillows from this company. They sell comforters, but I can't give any personal advice on them....

Here is a link that might be useful: Comforters

My GK's have comforters from the Company Store/Company Kids that they love, still look great after at least six years and they are washable. They have the ones with squares sewn on all sides-I think it's called a box baffle.

This post was edited by lizbeth-gardener on Sat, Oct 5, 13 at 15:27

I love mulberry silk comforters. They're the most luxurious...and expensive. I had been eyeing one for so long I finally decided to splurge on one, and I did not keep it in a duvet because the silk looked and felt sooooo beautiful.

Well, and after a month my cat decided to pee on it....all over it. :(( In any case, another vote for silk, here but keep a duvet on it if you have animals!

Here is a link that might be useful:

This post was edited by duchamp on Sun, Oct 6, 13 at 21:01

Silk comforters do come in different weights.
Below is a video I found on Youtube made by visitors to a silk comforter factory in China.
Should you decide to buy one, I would do a lot of research and find a reputable company.
Also, in China I bought a silk duvet cover and pillow cases. The cover, though beautiful, wore badly. Now my silk comforter has a cotton duvet cover.

Here is a link that might be useful: making a silk comforter

So many wonderful responses and ideas for me. I thank you all. Am checking out all of your recommendations.

I bought a new Hungarian goose down comforter last year when I "upsized" from queen to a king mattress. I THOUGHT I was getting a good quality product based on the thread count, fill count and warmth level. And I thought the $350 or so I paid for it (on sale) reflected the quality. But I was wrong. The baffles are so large that within any box, the down clumps to one side. I looked at my old queen size comforter, purchased at least 10 years ago at Bloomingdales, and noticed right away that the baffles were MUCH smaller. I never had that clumping problem with the old one (which now resides in a guest room).

The down comforters I saw on the Company Store website also look like they have large baffle boxes. There's one that looks really nice on the Cuddledown website, but it's over $600.

I'd love to hear more from anyone who's recommending The Company Store base on personal experience. Is the size of the baffles problematic?

I've purchased several from The Company Store. You can get different configurations. The idea with the baffles that trickle down is you can "customize" the amount of fill where you want it. But it's a PITA, so I like the ones that have sewn-in squares so the down stays put.

I sleep under down all the time. If I get hot I just push it off. My fave down comforter is old and stained, but so soft and just the right weight I can't get rid of it! I may have bought it from TCS but I just don't remember. I may have gotten it from Penny's or somewhere like that.

A note on The Company Store: My last purchase was a sheet set which I was very dissatisfied with. They were purchased and marked as a full set, but they were HUGE. And not that great to sleep on either.

I'm pretty sure I bought the LaCrosse model and the down has not shifted within the boxes at all. It fluffs right up when shaken out.

I don't know if you've laundered yours or not, but I found that shifting occurred in my older (what I thought were good quality) down comforters after I'd laundered them because my dryer wasn't great at being able to "fluff" the down because it wasn't big enough for proper tumbling.

dryer balls or tennis balls can help with that

I like the one I got from Ikea and it wasn't very expensive. It's just right for me...cozy but not too hot. I have another but we don't use it because it is so hot I wake up sweating but I keep it just in case.

I think the ones we bought from The Company Store have 12" squares and we don't have any problem with the alternative down shifting.

I took one of mine to the laundromat last week and I was very happy with the results. I used the triple washer and dryer and it came out great - I didn't even have to use the tennis balls. This one was a deep burgundy and I was worried about possible fading - but if it did - it isn't noticeable.

Just read about how down is most often procured for comforters and jackets. Suffice it to say I will probably not buy down anymore but some kind of down alternative.

Stupid question, but ...." How do you keep the comforter in place inside a duvet? I have been ill and sleeping in our guest room and while I love the duvet w/ comforter inside, the comforter shifts around inside it and one side of the duvet has it all and the other side of the duvet is empty and flat. I know I need a new and better comforter, but is there a trick to keeping it from shifting around within the duvet and is my comforter just too thin and cheap?

Patty, it's the comforter, not the cover. A good comforter will not shift around like that.

My silk comforter from China came with very thin cord on each corner. The duvet covet had a loop in each corner, inside the cover and I was able to join the two. When I bought a new cover I just sewed the loop in myself.

We have a down blanket and it is perfect for us. Neither one of us likes a heavy cover and the db does the job.

violet, I actually use clean athletic shoes, but the dryer drum is too small for them (or anything else to fluff it) to tumble freely with my king size comforter.

Patty - have you looked inside to see if there are loops on the corners of the comforter and ties on the corners of the cover?

All of mine had loops and ties in the 4 corners. I usually sew 2 extra loops on both the head and the foot of the comforters and extra ties on the comforter cover.

a comment on silk comforters: silk is a wondrous material, but wouldn't be my choice for bedding, as it feels "cold" next to the skin and isn't very absorbent. I think it's very luxurious as an "idea" -- and I confess I don't own one, but I much prefer my down.

Patty: One of my down comforters doesn't have loops, so I just use a large safety pin on the inside corners. Doesn't show, and it keeps the comforter in place. I wash the duvet cover several times a year, and the comforter less frequently. My comforter is from Eddie Bauer, and it washes beautifully. I also put a shoe in the dryer with it. Gets nice and fluffy. I got the duvet cover from Overstock, and love it!!

I also have a very old comforter from the Company Store. It must be 25-30 yrs old, and other than looking a bit faded, it's still good.

Thank you all so much for the helpful hints. Don't know why I thought I was the only one with this problem. I will look to see if my duvet has loops- it's from PB. I know the comforter doesn't; it's so old.

Has anyone used the duvet/comforter clips I saw on Amazon and BBB?

If a down comforter is too warm, you can look at a down blanket. I bought one simply because it was on clearance for $15 (for a king!) and I figured I couldn't pass it up just to try it. We use it much more than the comforter here.

lascatx, I'm looking for a down blanket and having a hard time finding one. Where did you get yours?

I love my down comforter. I fell in love with down when I lived in Germany 30 some odd years ago.
I inherited a tiny bit of money from my grandfather, and purchased my over-sized King comforter from Cuddledown (see link below). It was quite a bit over 10 years ago that I purchased it and it still in fantastic shape (I don't overly baby it either). I purchased it in its highest fill power with the baffle style, I wanted super "poof". The quality of the down is excellent, it is not heavy feeling at all on my body when sleep. Its hard to explain, but I am kept warm, but not overly, I think the down allows my body to still breathe. When I get a bit of a hot flash (yes, I'm o.l.d.e.r. ) LOL, I just kick it off, then right back on me when I've cooled off. I also keep a light sateen cover on it in order to not weigh down the down. It does not ever shift in the cover either.
I even have it on the bed in the summer (I do sleep in a very AC room though by choice, and in the winter I have the theromstat down to 67-68 degrees-love a cool room).
One time I did not have the cover on it and my poor Yorkie barffed on it, but the material that encases the down allowed it to wipe up really well without seeping in.
With all this said, I did spend alot on it, but I see it as an investment, if you get a quality down comforter it will most likely be able to be passed down to your children (that's what my German friends told me anyway. And from the looks of mine it will go that way too)

Sorry for writing a book here, I hope it helps in your decision.

Here is a link that might be useful: Down Comforter

Make sure that you look at company store sizing. Their sizes are is larger than typical, (which I like). Also, there is wny_liqidators on eBay whichs sells new (and like new/ returned) company store items.