IMO, EE fills an important niche as far as providing products of good value at reasonable price points. I own some of their stuff and have bought some for my family. However, if I wanted the “best” of something – especially in the sphere of down quilts – I normally would look at more niche players. Apex (which you are not looking for) tends to be more generic in terms of specs (if the manufacture will tell you the spec) and IMO that is an area where EE offers excellent value and performance. Not to say a manufacturer cannot purchase and utilize sub-par Apex (I think that can happen).
Let’s see what owners of the Enigma have to say and their level of experience with other products.
As far as a super light summer down quilt, I’d look at Katabatic, Nunatak, etc. etc. (Hmm, I think Katabatic may have dropped it’s least warm quilt). I see you own the Katabatic Palisade so you likely have an opinion on that brand. I think a key benefit of the Katabatic is the cord system … I also own a 6 ft Palisade am happy with it a a height of about 6 feet +1/2 inch and weight of 170 lbs. Katabatic tends to be conservative on its comfort ratings.
Among other things, I own or have purchased EE products (Apex quilt and outerwear) Katabatic quilts (2 models, both down) Nunatak products (Apex), MLD products (Apex and other stuff) WM products, FF products etc., so I have some exposure to some of those manufacturers’ items.
Also, historically EE was widely perceived to advertise temperature comfort ratings that many people felt were much more optimistic than competing manufacturers – not sure current status on that because it has also been reported that at some point they modified their ratings in response to market concerns. I usually use Katabatic and WM as my benchmarks when look at comfort ratings and if a competitor is suggesting something that seems to good to be true, I compare construction, shape, down quality and most important after that – fill weight. If I remember correctly, historically EE was an outlier in that it tended to show “comfort ratings” that were warmer than competitors despite not comparing favorably on the key metrics that contribute to warmth.
Not bashing EE – they do have good products. But IMO, I would not choose an EE DOWN quilt based on the advertised weight and advertised comfort rating in comparison to another respected brand. I might choose the EE (and have) but only after my personal assessment of actual warmth.
.
