Mattress Topper Reviews > Featherbed Topper Reviews
Featherbeds → Reviews, Ratings & Complaints Based On Data From 2,700 Actual Owners
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last updated September 1, 2011
What You Need To Know
Owner Satisfaction: Featherbeds have 87% owner satisfaction.
Price: $70-$160
Pros: Generally effective at softening a firm mattress; few heat problems
Cons: Can lack adequate thickness; fluffing / shaking often needed to maintain loft; feathers poking through cover is possible and can be painful; may be somewhat noisy when lied upon.
Competition: Learn how featherbeds compare to other topper types in the mattress topper comparison.
Featherbed Ratings: As a Group
The ratings below show how featherbeds overall as a group are evaluated by owners. For ratings on specific brands, see the section following this one.
| Owner satisfaction | good | Featherbeds have 87% owner satisfaction. Their high satisfaction is mainly due to their ability to soften a mattress. |
| Durability / longevity | fair | Featherbeds have similar longevity/durability as other mattress topper types. About 20% of owners complain that some feathers escape the topper, especially during shaking / fluffing. In addition, the product will lose at least some of its loft and softness over time. |
| Price | fair | Prices for featherbeds range from $70-$160. On average, owners paid around $96. The more expensive brands/models usually have more fill power, which tends to mean more softness / thickness. Owner data suggests, however, that paying more for a featherbed does not tend to result in higher overall satisfaction. |
| Less pain | fair | Featherbeds can minimize pressure points effectively. But they tend to not contour strongly to the body and, as a result, are generally not effective in lessening back pain. Feathers poking through the cover can cause pain. |
| Motion isolation | poor | Unlike memory foam and latex toppers, featherbeds do not reduce your motion from reaching and disturbing your partner. |
| Easy to move on | good | Difficulty moving on / getting up off the topper is generally not an issue. |
| No initial odor | fair | Better than memory foam and latex, but odor is a problem for about 5% of owners. |
| No sleeping hot | good | Only 1% of owners report heat trap issues. |
| No noise | Fair | The feathers or lining inside may make a crunching / crackling noise when lied upon. |
| Good for sex | good | No complaints by owners reported. |
| Fewer allergies | fair | Traditionally, people with allergies / asthma were encouraged to avoid featherbeds because they may aggravate allergies more than the synthetic "hypoallergenic" options. However, some studies show that more dust mite allergen can be found in synthetic bedding than in feather bedding. |
| Proper fit / secure | fair | Some brands may be smaller than advertised, and some stay put (won't slide around / bunch up) better than others. See product comparison below for details. |
| Appearance | fair | When bed is made, product may cause bed to appear lumpy and uneven. |
| Ease of cleaning / maintenance | poor | Dry cleaning is often recommended. Regular shaking / fluffing is usually needed to maintain loft / comfort. |
Featherbed By Top-Rated Product / Brand
The following chart lists featherbeds that rate highest in owner satisfaction based on significant and credible owner experience data; it is not a complete list of products / brands available. The chart compares featherbeds on issues that can vary from brand to brand.
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| Owner Satis-faction | # of Owners (sample size) | Price (queen) | Soft- ness | No Noise | No Odor | No Feather Clumping/ Lumpiness | No Poking Feathers | Stays Put on Mattress | Fits Mattress Dimen- sions | Return Policy | Retailer | |
| Cluster Top Baffle Box | 90% | 220 | $70 | Good- Fair |
Good | Good | Good-Fair | Good-Fair | Good | Good | 30 days | walmart.com |
| Luxury Down on Top | 86% | 255 | $143 | Good | Good | Fair- Poor | Fair | Good | Fair | Fair-Poor | 30 days | Overstock |
| Luxurious Baffle Box | 86% | 700 | $90 | Fair | Fair -Poor | Good | Fair-Poor | Poor-Fair | Fair | Good-Fair | 30 days | Overstock |
| Natural Featherbed | 88% | 766 | $102 | Fair- Good | Good- Fair | Good- Fair | Fair | Fair-Good | Good | Fair | 30 days | Overstock |
Pinzon Chamonix (Amazon) |
83% | 55 | $200 | Good | Good | Good | Fair-Poor | Fair-Poor | Good-Fair | Good | 30 days | Amazon |
| Super Snooze | 86% | 970 | $137 | Fair- Poor | Fair- Poor | Good- Fair | Fair-Good | Good-Fair | Good | Good-Fair | 30 days | Overstock |
| Ultimate White Goose Down | 88% | 173 | $162 | Good | Good- Fair | Good- Fair | Fair-Poor | Good-Fair | Good | Good-Fair | 30 days | Overstock |
Sensation of Lying on a Featherbed
Owners often compare sleeping on their featherbed to "sleeping on a cloud," and the words "cozy," "soft" and "fluffy" were often used to describe the topper. Those who said that the product makes no difference in comfort often described the product as "too thin" and that it flattened when lied upon.
Baffling
Featherbed manufacturers often tout that they use baffled channels in their products. Baffling is designed to keep the feathers in place and therefore prevent clumping and the formation of peaks and valleys.
Our owner experience data, however, shows that baffling has limited effectiveness in many cases, and that one should expect at least some feather clumping whether the featherbed is baffled or not.
Thread Count
Thread count is the number of threads per square inch of fabric. Our data shows that there is little or no correlation between the thread count and owner satisfaction for featherbeds. However, a higher thread count may be somewhat more likely to prevent feathers from escaping.