Gear

57 listings, sorted by what they are willing to tell you

Each category below has one job, written out in plain words, and the item ranked first in it is the one whose listing states the most about doing that job. Not the most popular, not the best looking, and not the one with the most adjectives. Where a listing leaves a measurement out, this site records nothing rather than guessing, which is why several well-known products sit near the bottom of their sections.

1. Sheet & Pillowcase Sets

   Its job: fitting the corner and stating what the fabric is

   A sheet set has one mechanical job and one disclosure job. The fitted sheet has to grip a corner and stay there, and the listing has to tell you what the cloth is made of. This page sorts twelve sets by how well their listings do both, and the sorting is unkind, because a surprising number manage neither.

   Listings

   12

   Grouped into

   Cotton · Rayon or viscose from bamboo · Microfiber and unstated fiber · Satin

   Sits in

   Sheets

2. Bed Pillows

   Its job: holding a shape through a night and a wash

   Pillows are sold on adjectives more heavily than anything else on the bed. Firm, soft, hotel, cooling: none of those has a scale behind it, and none of them is comparable between two sellers. What is comparable is whether a listing names its fill, names its cover, gives a finished dimension, and says whether the thing can be washed. Eleven pillows are sorted here on exactly that.

   Listings

   11

   Grouped into

   Down alternative fill · Shredded memory foam · Fill not stated

   Sits in

   Pillow

3. Comforter Sets

   Its job: covering the bed at a stated weight

   A comforter is a bag of fill, and the only thing that makes two of them comparable is how much fill is in there. GSM reports that. Three of these twelve listings give a GSM figure. The rest use a season word, and a season word is a mood rather than a measurement. This page sorts on what is actually stated, which puts some very popular sets a long way down.

   Listings

   12

   Grouped into

   Bed in a bag, 5 to 7 pieces · Comforter and pillowcases only

   Sits in

   Comforter

4. Mattress Protectors

   Its job: keeping the mattress dry without adding a plastic sound

   A protector is a waterproof film with a fabric face on it, and the complaint people have is never about the waterproofing. It is about the noise. Every one of these twelve listings claims to keep liquid out; far fewer say anything about how the thing sounds when you roll over, and fewer still give a depth you can measure against a mattress.

   Listings

   12

   Grouped into

   Viscose from bamboo face · 3D air fabric · Terry, quilted or cotton blend

   Sits in

   Mattress Protector

5. Mattress Toppers

   Its job: changing the feel of a mattress and the depth of the stack

   A topper is the only item in this catalog that changes another item you already own. Put three inches of foam on a mattress and the mattress feels different, which is the point, and the fitted sheets that used to work now might not, which is not. This page treats those two effects as one decision, because they are.

   Listings

   10

   Grouped into

   Memory foam · Fiber pillow-top pads

   Sits in

   Mattress Topper

Those 57 listings cover 5 categories and 5 bed sizes. For what any of it is made of, see Materials. For how often it goes in the wash, see Care Calendar.