Fleeting Expertise

I discovered a web site that’s great for learning how to shop for products I’ve never bought before in a short period of time. When I shop, I want to buy something I know will satisfy my needs for the foreseeable future. I don’t want to have to buy another one because it broke or a newer one came out that I want instead. I want to do the comparison shopping and deal seeking just once.

This web site helps me do that. It covers a variety of products, from electronics to kitchen. For each kind of product, they tell you what to look for, how to make comparisons, and then list several products they’ve concluded to be the best in several categories according to a variety of sources like Consumer Reports and the Amazon.com customer reviews. It’s a great way to get to the bottom of it all and come out feeling like you’re making the right choice. I’ve used it for buying my television, my mattress, and my paper shredder.

For example, here are my notes from this web site about down comforters:

• Egyptian cotton and white goose down. Feathers and synthetic are bad.
• Fill power is the space occupied by one ounce of down. It provides warmth, insulation, loft, and overall quality. More is better. High quality: 700+. Excellent quality: 600-700. Good quality: 525-600.
• Thread count determines softness and durability. Higher is better. A high thread count keeps fill in and impurities out. Examples: 325, 400, 600, and 700.
• Baffle box construction (“baffled”) has vertical cloth walls sewn in to spread out the fill. Not all have it, so check.
• The warranty can indicate its quality. It can range from one year to lifetime.
• Must get a duvet. It should be 100% cotton and have a high thread count.
• The size should be specific. For example, “Queen”, not “Full/Queen”.
• Measure your bed to ensure it will fit properly. It should drape down the sides of the bed.
• Gusset edges surround the outer edge and maximize loft.

I have a problem with my current down comforter. The down pokes through the comforter and duvet, and looks like a mess on the duvet cover. After reading this web site, I learned this was because the thread count of my comforter and duvet are too low. Who knew? Not me.

The web site is consumersearch.com.