Goose down pillows

Down pillows come in essentially three densities.

Goose down is collected from geese raised from all over the world. Among the finest,
is Hutterite Goose Down from Alberta, Canada. Another best and very dense variety
of down comes from Siberia. High to poor quality down is collected in Asia, where
many products are manufactured offshore, for the world market. (In this article,
offshore means outside the USA.)

Quality varies so much that at time, it's reassuring to find a tag or label on products confirming the manufacturer has met specific standards. Reasons for differences in quality, not including the country of origin, may be that down is being collected from too young geese, or that the down has been cleaned carelessly or with harsh a chemical. Another reason is that too many feathers maybe included in the filling. However, if the mixture includes duck feathers, they are very small and tend to be soft.

Goose down products are warm, but not overwhelmingly so. They work because the
down traps air and that air re-directs body heat toward you instead of away. Down
pillows may be a problem for someone with allergies but quality fabric covering
can minimize problems. Do check more than one manufacturer; some have been very
successful with hypoallergenic products.

What's worth the money to some of us may seem like money spent foolishly to others.
If the manufacturer has a solid reputation, a product costing two or three times
more than a competitor's will probably last that much longer--maybe even five or
more times longer.

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