The Best Pillows
Verified by
Hadleigh V. Lead Product Analyst
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The Coop Original Adjustable wins because the strongest testing in this category keeps landing on it. Good Housekeeping's Textiles Lab has put more than 200 pillows through shape-retention and wash tests, then sent finalists home with sleepers for at least a month. It named the Coop its Best Overall, reporting that 'all testers (including side, back, and stomach sleepers) said this pillow improved their sleep'. Tom's Guide made it Best Overall too, Wirecutter lists it as its best adjustable memory foam pillow, and Sleep Foundation gave it an 8.7 as its Best Adjustable.
That reach across sleep positions comes from the zipper. The pillow arrives overfilled with cross-cut memory foam and microfiber, plus a spare bag of fill. Side sleepers keep it lofty, back sleepers pull some out, and stomach sleepers take out a third or more. Most pillows suit one position. This one can be set for any of them.
It also keeps its shape. Wirecutter's testers found it 'holds its shape better than other shredded pillows we tested', avoiding the flat pancakes cheaper shredded-foam pillows turn into. Mattress Clarity rated it 4.6 out of 5 as its pick for neck pain.
At $89 for a queen, with a 100-night trial and a 5-year warranty, it costs about half as much as the latex and gel-grid pillows it beat.
What It Won't Do
It runs warm. Tom's Guide found the memory foam 'tends to retain heat' because there is no gel or cooling layer, so hot sleepers should look at the Purple Harmony or Layla Kapok instead. Expect a smell at first: one of six Coops that Wirecutter ordered off-gassed strongly for several days, and Yahoo's tester noticed an odor that took about a day to fade. Good Housekeeping saw the outer cover pill over time. Sleep Foundation adds that finding the right amount of fill takes trial and error over a few nights, so it will not feel perfect on night one.
The Beckham Hotel Collection pillows are the cheapest way to sleep well, a verdict Good Housekeeping, Tom's Guide and Yahoo reached on their own. Good Housekeeping named the set its Best Value, with one tester saying 'I've tested down alternative pillows that cost five times the price that didn't perform nearly as well as this one'. Tom's Guide picked it as its best affordable pillow. Yahoo made it its value pick, and one editor there has slept on the same pair for four years.
You get two pillows for about $60, roughly $30 each, so a full bed costs less than one Coop. The fill is a soft, overstuffed down alternative in a cotton cover. It gives the plush, sink-in feel of a hotel bed and goes straight into the washer and dryer, which most premium pillows here cannot.
What It Won't Do
Support is where it falls short. The Beckham has one 8-inch loft and a soft fill you cannot adjust, and Good Housekeeping found some side sleepers felt it lacked support. Yahoo puts it more bluntly: it is not for anyone who needs firm support. Good Housekeeping's lab also noticed loose threads and puckering after washing. TechRadar's tester found it did not always sleep cool. There is no published warranty, only a 30-night trial, a gap Tom's Guide also flagged.
Who Should Buy Which
Coop Original Adjustable Pillow
Best Overall at Good Housekeeping and Tom's Guide, with fill you add or remove to match how you sleep
- You switch between side, back and stomach sleeping and need a pillow you can tune
- You have tried several pillows and none had the right height
- You want a pillow that keeps its shape instead of flattening
- You want a long safety net, with a 100-night trial and a 5-year warranty
- You are willing to air it out for a day or two and adjust the fill over a few nights
Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillows (2-Pack)
Best Value at Good Housekeeping, Tom's Guide and Yahoo, with two plush hotel-style pillows for about $60
- You want two good pillows for about $60
- You sleep on your back or stomach and like a soft, plush feel
- You are furnishing a guest room or replacing every pillow in the house
- You want pillows you can machine wash and dry
- You do not need firm support for side sleeping