Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, let me say that this is the second down-filled mattress topper I've owned in my life. It's been several years (more than 15) since my last one, and I kept telling myself I was going to get another one some day. That day finally came that I decided I couldn't sleep any longer without the amazing comfort that down mattress toppers provide, and after months of researching numerous brands, settled on this one. The package arrived as expected - on-time and in good condition. The box wasn't all beat up the way a lot of things like this get when shipped from vendor to customer. Not that this item could sustain much damage considering the nature of the product, but it was reassuring to see that the package was handled with care. Upon opening the box, I initially thought I got sent the wrong size - I didn't see how a queen sized mattress topper could possibly fit inside. I then recalled some of the other reviews I've read on here about how the topper needs to be unfolded and laid out flat for several hours to fully fluff and expand, so I belayed my concern. I pulled the topper out of the packaging, unfolded it and laid it out on top of my bed. Sure enough, it was the correct size. It was, however, far from the 5" thickness it was supposed to be, but I again assured myself that all it needed was to air out. Like other reviewers have stated, this mattress topper does have a rather distinct smell to it, customary with real down/feathers. I knew that a bit of fabric refresher, though, and it would be fine. I was right about this, as I discovered after a couple nights of treating it with the refresher and sleeping on it. But I digress. After the topper was spread out on top of my bed, I walked away for several hours and would periodically pop my head into my bedroom to see what was going on. Sure enough, the topper had expanded to more than double the thickness it was when I first pulled it out of the box. A few hours later, and it had doubled in thickness again, now being a full 6" thick. I was happy. The first night I slept on it, I felt I had died and gone to heaven. The softness, the support it still gave, the complete feeling of absolute luxury gave me a night's sleep like I hadn't had in years. I was quickly reminded of everything I loved about my very first down mattress topper, and I berated myself for waiting so many years before getting another one. (I'll never be without one again.) One of the features this product boasts, however, is a "poke-proof" lining over the top of it. I was skeptical about this simply because I'm familiar with the nature of down-filled products; nothing is "poke-proof." Sure enough, after about a week of sleeping on this topper, a few feathers started to poke through. I simply wiggle my finger over the top of the quill poking through to get it to go back down into the topper, and all is well. Another feature that the inexperienced probably won't care too much for is the fact that every other night or so, the topper does need to be refluffed. It's just the nature of the product, and I don't know of a single down-filled mattress topper on the market that doesn't have to be refluffed. Baffles definitely help keep *all* the feathers and down from shifting around, but there's still going to be some flattening that occurs as a result of sleeping on it. Simply remove your sheets and comforter from the bed during laundry day, shake the heck out of the topper, flip over and rotate, and let it all re-expand - good as new! These are definitely a little bit of an investment over a traditional batting-filled mattress topper, but the difference in comfort and quality are literally night and day. There's truly no comparison to be made between the two. Buyers who know how to handle these products will surely not be disappointed with this purchase.