Oh man I’ve been on this mission my whole adult life and haven’t struck gold just yet but I’ve learned from some mistakes. My best recommendation is to not buy online. Go to a store and actually feel the products. Don’t choose cost over quality. Natural fibers are always better than synthetic. I hope you find the best one out there! Please lmk if you do so I can try it too 😄 More on reddit.com

I like pottery barn and the company store for my everyday bedding. They are good quality at a fair price but they are more expensive than what you bought. More on reddit.com

Down Alt is a waste of money IMO. Unless this price point is all you can afford (understandable if so) I’d pass on polyester and go even for duck down if you can’t afford better quality goose down. More on reddit.com

I see no problem with that strategy, honestly. The duvet cover often is the most expensive element in many instances. For example, I always recommend a linen canvas duvet cover since it's so damn durable and breathable out of all the fabric options available but it's insanely expensive ($500+ retail). This usually leaves little budget left over for a duvet insert for most people -- even when they find great deals at a few hundred dollars less from places like Ebay --- so it is not a new concept. I tend to also highly recommend silk inserts since they're great for hot sleepers and they are pretty reliable all-around (cheap ones to expensive ones). Hell, I have a cheap all-season silk insert from Costco (SilkHaven brand) that works really well for the price I paid for it, so buying budget-friendly duvet inserts sometimes is not a bad thing at all! The more expensive silk inserts tend to be either really nice outershell options or really high-end silk grades (6A) which raises the price quite a bit (but doesn't increase the breathability of the silk fill too much, overall). Overall, though, you'll probably do pretty well with a more average-priced insert as long as the filling material you're buying is breathable and decently durable. More on reddit.com