What do you recognize a good winter comforter by?

The format of cassettes
Down comforters are stitched in cassettes, square areas in which the down is contained. The size of the cassettes is an indication of the warmth class of a comforter. The larger the cassettes, the more down they can hold. And you understand, the higher the insulation capacity. For a Winter comforter, the cassettes are large.

Manufactured with steg
A high-quality winter comforter keeps evenly warm. To keep the cold out completely, the cassettes are manufactured with a steg band. Unlike down comforters in the summer category where the top of the ticking is stitched directly onto the bottom. By using a stegband, less heat loss occurs at the stitching edges of the cassettes.

Quality of down
The European down standard EN 12934 determines which quality class the down with which your comforter is filled belongs to. Down from Quality Class I is the only down that is classified as “new”. Pay attention to this when purchasing your comforter.

Warmth class
The comforters are classified according to the DIS heat class system, which is widely used in the Netherlands. A convenient system to quickly find the right comforter. The Winter comforter falls in heat class 1. In Germany the heat classes are exactly the other way around. There, our Heat rating 1 is called Wärmeklasse 4. An overview of the heat classes:

Heat rating 4: the Summer comforter.
A very light comforter suitable for warm bedrooms.

Warmth class 3: the All Year Light comforter.
A slightly lighter comforter for the whole year. Suitable for the heated bedroom or for people who are not easily chilled.

Heat class 2: the All Year comforter.
An average warm comforter that is a good choice for most people as a year-round comforter.

Heat class 1: the Winter comforter.
A warm comforter, for the cold bedroom or for chilly individuals.

Heat class 1+: the WinterPlus comforter.
A very warm comforter, for the coldest bedroom or for particularly chilly persons. The WinterPlus comforter is an “outside category” comforter that is not often sold in the Netherlands. Especially in regions with cold winters such as southern Germany and Austria, this comforter is still regularly sold.