These Days, Trying to Find the Right Bedding Is a Research Project…
The average person will spend roughly one third of their life sleeping. That’s a lot of time in bed. Hearing that number has all of us at The Get Well thinking critically about our quality of sleep and, by extension, quality of bedding. That’s not to mention the fact that we’ve officially entered The Depths of Winter. It’s true that everyone needs a good night of sleep, but even beyond that, they deserve one. Particularly during the season of short days and loooong nights.
Don’t Sleep On This Lineup…
There are a few names in the bedding market that seem to come up alllll the time. Kicking off our list is the Brooklinen Down Comforter. Brooklinen’s name precedes them, so we had to investigate whether the hype around them is deserved. Next, the slightly spendy and luxe Down Duvet Insert from Parachute. And last but not least, the “most-reviewed comforter on the internet,” the Buffy Cloud Comforter. We researched them all according to the same criteria, and by the end, there was one name that clearly dominated (no spoilers!). With that… let’s get into it.
Editor’s Note: For a very limited time, Buffy’s Black Friday Bedding Sale is back. Check out their website now to save 20% (or more) sitewide.
Value for the Price: Buffy
First things first, we’ll address the elephant in the room. Just how much money do these brands expect us to cough up? Each product has a range of potential prices based on the size of your bed: Brooklinen’s down comforter could cost anywhere from $189-$609. Parachute’s starts much higher, at $300, capped at $560. And Buffy’s comforter comes in at a much more affordable $145-$235. So from a strictly financial standpoint, Buffy wins this one.
Then again, as the age-old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Does the comparatively low price of Buffy’s Cloud Comforter come at the expense of quality? Not necessarily. Much of what makes Buffy’s Cloud Comforter so impressive is the revolutionary tech that went into designing it. There’s a reason why it was one of The Today Show’s 12 Most Innovative Sleep Products. But, we digress…
Year-Round Comfort: Buffy
In the depths of winter, we need a comforter that can make us feel like we’re being wrapped up in a bear hug, but when the warmer months roll around, we want to feel like we’re sleeping in a cloud. Buffy’s Cloud Comforter hits the mark on both counts, delivering the perfect combination of fluffiness, coziness, and breathability, no matter the season.
As for the other contenders, Brooklinen’s Down Comforter and Parachute’s Down Duvet Insert are a bit more complicated. Both brands’ heavier-weight down filling brings the heat and definitely checks the “cocoon” box, but they might leave you feeling like you’re in a sauna when the warmer months roll around. Both brands offer different weights for different seasons, so achieving the perfect comfort level year-round may require you to purchase two comforters.
Materials & Sustainability: Buffy
What’s in a comforter? More than fluff, if it’s a good one. Buffy’s Cloud Comforter is encased in TENCEL™ Lyocell, a moisture-wicking eucalyptus-based fabric. The 100% GRS-certified and BPA-free filling is made with spun fibers made from plastic bottles (each Cloud Comforter upcycles 50 bottles). Their environmentally sound morals are shared with Parachute, whose insert boasts the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification.
The Parachute and Brooklinen bedding that we’re comparing are made with 100% cotton shells and down made from animal feathers. The Parachute Insert is made with European white down, imported and assembled in the USA. The Brooklinen comforter is filled with a DOWNMARK® certified blend of down clusters and feathers, sourced ethically in Canada.
Durability & Care: Buffy
Kicking things off with the Brooklinen comforter—they advise spot-cleaning, but if you absolutely must deep-clean it, you have to bring it to a dry cleaner. Parachute’s Down Duvet Insert can be machined wash on cold or dry cleaned. Brooklinen suggest regularly fluffing the filling to ensure it remains evenly distributed, while Parachute suggests purchasing their wool dryer balls to help keep the filling evenly distributed—so both brands require some upkeep.
Buffy’s Cloud Comforter, on the other hand, is fully machine washable. The high-quality construction and stitching ensures the fill stays in place through the wash cycle, while the durable, eucalyptus-based fabric shell gets softer with every wash. Basically, the Cloud Comforter is the only option that gets better with time, which is no small feat.
Shipping & Customer Experience: Buffy
We *thought* that the playing field had been leveled a bit when we discovered that Brooklinen, Parachute, and Buffy all offer some form of free shipping. Then we read the fine print.
Brooklinen provides free shipping on orders over $100, and although they accept returns and exchanges for most items up to 365 days after purchase, they charge a $9.95 return fee. Parachute accepts returns of most items (comforters included) up to 60 days following a purchase (for free), and their shipping is carbon-neutral.
Buffy ships for free, and allows free returns up to 50 nights after purchasing. While they have the shortest time frame for returns, they make up for it with their 7-day, completely free, at-home trial. It’s exactly as good as it sounds: You pick any item(s) you want to test out, provide your card info (you won’t be charged until confirming the purchase), and enjoy up to 7 nights with them from the date of delivery. Then, you get to decide whether you want to keep the products or not. If not, you can return them free of charge.
And the (Bedding) Oscar Goes To… Buffy
It wasn’t an easy decision, but—okay, it was. The more we explored, the more clear it became that Buffy stole this bedding show. The Cloud Comforter checked all of the boxes for us in terms of value, comfort, durability, sustainability, and customer experience.
Buying new bedding is an investment, but Buffy’s award-winning comforter proves that 5-star hotel-quality doesn’t need to come at a 5-star price.
