Beyond Down

Beyond Down is a manufacturer that makes synthetic bedding products such as the gel fiber bed, mattress pads, comforters and pillows. Their products are stocked and sold by major retailers like Amazon.com, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Target. Beyond Down makes a down alternative comforter that is perennially at the top of the list of the list of down alternatives. It has similar performance characterstics as natural filler comforters, but at a fraction of the cost.

Balancing Aesthetics and Comfort

The company is famous for a gel fiber body pillow, which is an oversized pillow with synthetic gel fiber fill. They also carry a line of synthetic down pillows. Of note, Beyond Down makes their own down alternative comforters. Customers have complained that down alternative comforters from Beyond Down isn't that attractive, mainly because of what seems to be lumpy construction and unappealing cover design. On the other hand, the comforter does have a convenient baffle box stitching that keeps its fill partitioned into little separated strips which make it much harder to displace the filling or making 'holes' in the comforter.

Great Insulation

However, the poor aesthetics was made up by the fact that the it had great insulating properties and high warmth capacity. Stress tests on the fabric showed great robustness to wear-and-tear even if washed repeatedly. The manufacturer does suggest washing in the machine at the gentlest cycle and then dried at low heat repeatedly until all moisture is gone.

On the Heavy Side

This down alternative comforter is a bit on the heavy side. Notably, it has a worse warmth-to-weight ratio than down and perhaps the very top down alternative comforter. Indeed, customers have described the comforter as "overstuffed" but extremely warm. So warm that some repeatedly wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat. Polyester fibers don't wick sweat away as well as down, making this a rather uncomfortable drawback.

Hypoallergenic Alternative

From Beyond Down, they write:

"Indulge yourself without irritating your allergies. The Sleep Better Beyond Down Comforter has an elegant 300 thread count, all-cotton, floral jacquard cover. But its real beauty is below the surface. The sumptuously soft, gel fiber filling is completely hypoallergenic; it's the ultimate synthetic alternative to down. There's no reason why your bedroom can't be fashionably decorated AND allergy-proof."

Baffle Box Stitching and Gel Fiberfill

Beyond Down's choice also has a baffle box construction. What is a baffle box and why should you care? The fill (whether its synthetic or natural) that goes inside a comforter has a tendency to shift, which creates excess or insufficient fill in spots. To prevent this, the comforter may have sewing to create internal compartments for isolating and holding the fill. A baffle wall is a strip of vertical fabric inside the comforter. Several baffle walls help keep the top and bottom of the comforter separated, allowing the fill to attain higher loft. Beyond Down calls its internal fill a kind of "gel fiber filling" which is most likely another type of polyester that makes up most of the down alternative comforters.

10 Year Warranty

Buyers will be happy to know that Beyond Down backs their down alternative comforter with a very comfortable 10 year warranty.