I’ve been on a mission to perfect my sleeping environment for the past few months. While some tips and tricks can go a long way to helping get better sleep, I’ve been really honing in on finding my perfect pillow at a great price. While our mattresses are crafted to be super comfortable and deliver great back support, what we don’t have control over is how to support your precious head. Today I’ll be looking at an affordable down and feather pillow I found at Nordstrom Rack – let’s dive in.
Price & Features
The Nordstrom Rack-branded pillows are definitely targeted at the budget bedding essentials market. The cost for the two pillows (in one set) was $40, which is certainly affordable and on the cheap side relative to all-down pillows.
As is expected at that price point, the pillow uses a combination of down and feathers. The feathers provide a bulk of the material and the down feathers help the pillow loft and adds extra resilience. There aren’t any ratings related to “fill power” which indicates to me it’s what I’ll call “unmarketably low” but I’ll discuss the loft of the pillow in a bit.
Fabric Cover
The cover consists of a 300 thread count fabric with an internal liner (which I presume is to minimize the pokiness of the feather fill). The cover has a subtle stitched pattern and a soft feel.
My only gripe with the cover (since I’m not too concerned about as it’s the pillow case that will matter anyway) is the internal liner. It has a plasticky feel and is fairly noisy when you adjust the pillow. I suppose this is a necessary evil to prevent the feathers from poking through, but it is hard for me to overlook.
On the plus side, the internal liner prevents some of the typical orders from down/feather pillows and also likely helps prevent allergens from collecting.
Loft & Feel
The pillow lofts and fluffs very well and feels great out of the bag. However, it does go somewhat flat as you lay on it and I found myself kneading it into place to get the support where I needed it. Additionally, when it does go flat the pillow becomes rather firm as the down compresses and it becomes similar to the feel of a typical all-feather pillow.
I’m a side sleeper, so the really important part of a pillow is how it’s able to support my neck while allowing my head to rest in a normal position. With a bit of adjusting the pillow does become quite comfortable – not great but certainly got the job done and provided adequate support. For back sleeping the pillow works great – the fill fans out nicely and supports my head as I would want.
My biggest grip with the pillow is that when you move or adjust the pillow it’s quite loud. I don’t mind having to maneuver the pillow into place, but the noise it makes is slightly bothersome. However, if you are a back sleeper, your ears won’t be pressed into the pillow and the noise is much less of an issue.
Verdict
All told, I think Nordstrom’s budget down/feather pillow offering delivers what I expected at the $40/pair price point. The pillow is very affordable, lofts well, has a soft cotton cover, lacks any down/feather odor, and is quite comfortable for side sleepers with a little adjustment.
If you are a back sleeper I think this pillow is much better suited for you – the fill supports my head nicely when resting on my back and the noise is much less of an issue (since your ears aren’t pressed into the pillow).
My primary complaint is the internal liner which prevents the feather quills from poking through is quite loud. My other complaint is that the pillow goes flatter than I would like, but is typical of other feather and down/feather pillows.