Buffy ❤️’d our experience so much, they decided to sponsor this review
A Good Night’s Sleep Sets the Mood for the Whole Day.
If you wake up feeling rested and ready to tackle the day, then you definitely got up on the right side of the bed (as the saying goes). But if you start the day feeling tired, uncomfortable, or grumpy, you need to take a closer look at your sleep game.
We recently established that the first step toward feeling restored every morning is simpler than you’d think: great bedding. Most importantly, a quality comforter. And let’s face it, yours is probably good, but not great.
Shopping for new bedding can be overwhelming because there are soooo many options on the market. With that in mind, we took the guesswork out of the equation by putting three top-rated bedding brands head-to-head:
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Brooklinen, Buffy, or Parachute?
All three brands are known for their best-selling comforters, but in our research, the Buffy Cloud Comforter in particular kept popping up on award lists everywhere from HGTV to Architectural Digest.
Brooklinen and Parachute offer different density and fill options, so we evaluated the top seller from each brand (All-Season Down Comforter and the Midweight Down Duvet Insert, respectively) to see how they measured up against Buffy’s Cloud. We then broke our comparisons down into four essential categories to help you decide which option is the best fit for you:
- Comfort + Temperature Regulation
- Materials
- Shipping + Return Policies
- Quality for Price
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the battle of the bedding.
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Category #1: Comfort + Temperature Regulation
You spend 1/3 of your life in bed, so it should ideally be the most comfortable place in your home. That said, comfort involves a good deal of personal preference. These comforters are designed to support a range of conditions and sleep temperatures (although according to the Sleep Foundation, cool temps are key for better quality sleep).
The Brooklinen All-Season Down Comforter falls on the warmer side since it’s packed with feather down and insulated with a not-too-breathable cotton shell. When they tested this comforter, the hot sleepers on our team found that they often woke up too warm and had a hard time cooling off afterward. On the other hand, our cooler sleepers said they appreciated the comforter’s warmth, especially during the winter months.
While the Brooklinen All-Season Down Comforter is undeniably soft and fluffy, it’s intended for a moderate climate which obviously does not lend itself to the extreme temps of summer or winter. If you’re generally a cooler sleeper who loves a plush comforter, this option may be best for you comfort-wise.
Parachute’s Down Duvet Insert is known for its lasting loftiness and sleek look. The overall consensus from our team is that it’s light yet warm and doesn’t flatten down easily (a common issue with many comforters). Like the Brooklinen option, if you tend to sleep hot this may not be the best suited for you, but it would be a great winter option. (If you’re into seasonal comfort rotation, that is).
The Strategist describes Buffy’s internet-famous Cloud Comforter as “sleeping under a pile of cotton candy,” and after testing it out ourselves, we have to agree. It hits the sweet spot between soft and fluffy, but is cool-to-the-touch (more on this shortly), lightweight, and breathable enough for year-round comfort. If you’re looking for a comforter that does it all, this is the option for you.
Our Final Temperature Regulation Ranking:
- Brooklinen: 8/10
- Buffy: 9/10
- Parachute: 8/10
The Winner: Buffy
Each comforter has its pros and cons, depending on the season and what type of sleeper you are. However, because of its year-round functionality and maximum breathability without sacrificing fluffiness, Buffy edged out the competition.
Category #2: Materials
All three of these brands have highly intentional production processes, as evidenced by their shared OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certifications. As for fill and fabric, though, they do have some key differences.
Parachute’s Down Duvet Insert has a 100% cotton sateen shell and is filled with European white down boasting a Responsible Down Standard certification (this ensures that the supply comes from humanely treated ducks and geese).
Brooklinen’s Down Comforter is also made with a 100% cotton sateen shell, and is filled with 100% DOWNMARK® certified (ethically sourced) down. This particular type, Hutterite down, is known for being ultra-plush and dense because birds raised by these communities are not overfed or given any growth hormones. Who knew?
Buffy’s Cloud Comforter features a sateen shell woven from breathable eucalyptus-based lyocell as opposed to cotton. This fabric features the same silky sheen as other sateens but requires far less water to produce and absorbs moisture more efficiently to keep you cool and dry. Lyocell is celebrated for its breathability and naturally cooling properties, making it the ideal casing for a comforter. Not to mention, Buffy’s lyocell is woven into their famed SilkShape™ strands, which are smoother than cotton or linen when examined under a microscope and intended to minimize skin irritation and snagging.
As for the fill, Buffy’s 100% vegan fill is made from recycled PET plastic bottles (~50 per comforter!), making it much lighter and fluffier than its down-filled alternatives… plus, no feathers poking out. To get ahead of any concerns–we were skeptical ourselves–it’s worth mentioning that this fill is GRS-certified and BPA-free. Read: it’s completely skin-safe and simultaneously recycles what would otherwise be environmentally-bound plastic. Score.
Our Final Material Ranking:
- Brooklinen: 8.5/10
- Buffy: 8.5/10
- Parachute: 8.5/10
The Winner: Tied
The truth is that each of these comforters have a uniquely impressive approach to materials. Those looking for feathered down have strong contenders in both Brooklinen and Parachute, while customers looking for vegan components and a cooling lyocell-based effect will find their ideal match in Buffy. While the Cloud Comforter’s proprietary SilkShape™ fabric got an honorable mention from our team, we gave this category to all 3 brands.
Category #3: Shipping + Return Policies
This was the category we were most surprised by. Each of the three brands has a wildly different policy for shipping and returns…
Parachute orders ship free in the US, and they accept returns for “most items” within 60 days of delivery. While they do offer free returns in stores, this does not extend to duvet inserts given their bulky size. That means dissatisfied Parachute comforter customers are subjected to shipping and handling fees for mailed returns.
Brooklinen orders upwards of $100 (so, all comforters) ship for free in the contiguous US. Most (operative word) of their core products can be returned or exchanged within 365 days, but they do charge a $9.95 fee.
Buffy, on the other hand, has an at-home trial that lets you experience their bedding FREE (!) for a full week before you commit to buying. A temporary hold is placed on your card, but you’ll only be charged when the trial ends, and only if you decide to keep the product. On top of that, they offer a 50-night return policy and free shipping throughout the continental US.
Our Final Return Policy Ranking:
- Brooklinen: 7/10
- Buffy: 9.5/10
- Parachute: 8/10
The Winner: Buffy
Both Parachute and Brooklinen lost points for charging customers looking to make a return. Although no one beat out Brooklinen’s year-long return policy, the length didn’t win us over, either–who needs a full year to decide on a comforter? Seeing as Buffy is the only brand that offers a FREE trial period in addition to a free return policy, they nabbed this category.
Category #4: Quality for Price
When comfort is your endgame, sometimes a splurge is the way to go. But in those rare and wonderful occasions when quality comes at a reasonable price, you can have it all and stay in budget. These brands all have very different prices…
Ranging from $150 to $250 depending on size, Buffy’s Cloud Comforter is the most competitively priced option of the bunch.
Brooklinen’s All-Season Down Comforter starts at $299 for a twin bed and goes up to $499 for a king. Despite the essential 200% increase from Buffy’s prices, this is the second-most affordable option.
That just leaves Parachute. Their twin-sized Midweight Down Duvet Insert begins at $370 and goes up to a whopping $560 (!) for king-sized.
Our goal here is not just to pick the cheapest comforter in the lot–anyone can identify Buffy as the least expensive. Our concern is with value, and how each comforter’s price relates to its quality.
Down tends to be $$, so in that sense Brooklinen’s pricing felt somewhat reasonable. For a similar product, however, Parachute’s pricing felt unnecessarily steep. Given the level of innovation (and prestige) we expected the Cloud Comforter to err much closer to Parachute’s pricing. The truth was a happy surprise.
Our Final Price Ranking:
- Brooklinen: 7.5/10
- Buffy: 9/10
- Parachute: 6/10
The Winner: Buffy
Buffy’s ability to keep their pricetag low while harnessing the power of eco-friendly down alternatives and proprietary, moisture-wicking fabric was impressive to us. When it comes to quality for price, Buffy’s Cloud Comforter is by far the most valuable option—their $200 queen-sized comforter is $199 less than Brooklinen’s and $270 less than Parachute’s.
And The Overall Winner Is (Drumroll, Please)…Buffy
Now that we’ve taken a closer look at all three bedding brands and their best-selling comforters, you hopefully have a better idea of which best suits your style and preferences.
Based on our testing and research, we’re naming Buffy’s Cloud Comforter the overall winner. Its magically fluffy, cool-to-the-touch composition provides a temperature-regulating hug for every kind of sleeper in the book. For this reason, the Cloud Comforter offers the rare gift of year ’round comfort. Plus, it’s made with sustainable, eco-friendly materials and it’s available at an accessible price point. What more could we ask for?
If you’re in the market for a quality comforter–a pleasure everyone deserves–Buffy’s beloved Cloud Comforter lives in a bubble of hype for a reason. Even after comparing it to rivals in the market, we couldn’t keep ourselves from coming back for more… and we’re confident you’ll feel the same.
