Not all down is created equal, and better high quality down can result in extra consolation and higher sleep. It will be good if the nebulous idea of “high quality” could possibly be lowered all the way down to a single quantity. It could actually’t, however there are a few metrics you need to use to higher gauge your pillow’s high quality.
The primary is fill energy. This measures how a lot air is trapped in a single ounce of down feathers. If one ounce of (uncompressed) down takes up 500 cubic inches, then it has a fill energy of 500. This issue contributes to how fluffy the down is, in addition to how a lot warmth it traps. This is usually a difficult quantity to depend on, as a result of some merchandise like down-filled jackets are designed to maintain warmth in, so extra fill energy is best.
With pillows, then again, whereas extra fill energy means extra fluffiness, it may well additionally imply extra warmth will get trapped, resulting in a unending seek for the cool facet of the pillow. In some circumstances, you will discover that pillow producers have stopped together with the fill quantity of their descriptions, particularly to keep away from this confusion.
That is the place fill weight is available in. This will usually be confused with fill energy, however as an alternative it refers to how a lot down is within the pillow, measured in ounces. So, for instance, a pillow with a decrease fill weight might need 12 ounces of down, whereas the next fill weight pillow might need 20 ounces. Each fill energy and fill weight can contribute to how fluffy or agency a pillow is.
Most pillow producers will eschew displaying both of those numbers too prominently, and as an alternative provide picks for 2 or three ranges of help. Whereas we take these components into consideration whereas testing, your greatest guess when shopping for any pillow is to think about the way you sleep—in your facet, your again, and so forth.—and choose the fill stage that is most definitely to maintain your head and physique supported in a method that fits you greatest.
