Health

White Goose Down Pillow

img

Most comfortable pillow

Why would I spend $130 on a pillow? Because this is the best pillow I have ever slept on, and the last pillow I will ever buy.  I have tried a lot of pillows over the years, but none of them were quite what I wanted.  I’ve tried buckwheat, memory foam, shredded memory foam, and various combinations and down-substitutes.  Nothing compares.  I should point out that I am a side sleeper, and I have had neck surgery, so I am acutely aware of whether my pillow is adequate.

For a long time, I was reluctant to buy a pillow that cost over a hundred dollars.  I’m a frugal shopper, but this purchase does not seem extravagant when I consider that I’ve spent $40 – $60 several times over on pillows that didn’t work for me.  The buckwheat was too heavy, the memory foam felt like it was fighting back, and the shredded memory foam and down substitutes all had to be rearranged any time I got up or rolled over. I finally broke down and paid the premium price, partly out of frustration, and partly to end the speculation about whether a high-quality down pillow was worth the money.  It was.

The thing about down is that it’s not possible to find “pure” down pillows. This high-quality pillow states that it’s 90% down, but you can tell that the other 10% is not feathers.  A down pillow that includes feathers will eventually start pricking you with little quills.  I’ve tried a number of down/feather mix pillows, and they all turn into porcupine pillows over time, with tiny (but sharp) feathers working their way through the cover and the seams.  These little barbs can be very annoying, and difficult to pin down and remove; they will ruin a night’s sleep.

I’ve been sleeping on this East Coast Bedding European 800 Fill Power White Goose Down Pillow for over a year, and have not had one single prick from a quill. Moreover, this pillow is like laying your head on a giant marshmallow, it is incredibly soft but also firm, providing all the support I need. To adjust the pillow, just sock it a few times to fluff the down.  The down filling has an almost “fluid” quality.  Lift your head a little and give the pillow a quick sock in the side, and “poof,” the down is rearranged instantly.  I have spent a lot of money trying to find a pillow that suits me, and this one is absolutely the most comfortable pillow I’ve ever slept on.

*So how can you tell if you’re getting real down and not a down/feather mix?  When it comes to down pillows, you get what you pay for, and price is a good indicator.  But you can also compare the weight of the filling to the fill power.  Fill power is a measure of the amount of loft (in cubic inches) per ounce of down filling. You can also get an idea of the down quality by comparing the weight of the filling to the fill power. Feathers are heavier for the same amount of loft, so a pillow filled with 25 ounces of 800 fill power down will be firmer than a pillow that has 27 ounces of 700 fill power down because feathers don’t provide as much loft as pure down, even though the pillow has more filling by weight.

-- Runciblefish 12/4/20

© 2022