Spending more than $10 or $20 on a pillow can seem frivolous when other budgeting categories seem much more pressing.
It's like we reserve fancy, fluffy pillows for hotel beds and are fine with sleeping on shitty pillows at home. Flat? Lumpy? Absolutely no neck support or malleability? Questionable stains? That's just how it is — or is it? I think the Original Casper Pillow is luxurious enough to change anyone's mind, even people who wouldn't dare to splurge on bedding in the past. Also, it's less than $100 and 100% machine washable.
Is the Casper Pillow comfortable?
Upon unzipping the pillow to see what's up with this pillow-in-a-pillow business, I discovered that it's more of a small pillow inside an extra-thick case with a fill of its own. Casper's double chamber design strikes a comfortable, moldable balance that has more bounce than your average down-alternative pillow.
SEE ALSO: Best memory foam pillows
Sitting on my bed and flopping back into the pillow trust fall style, it softly catches my head without a huge thud. (The ultimate test of a comfy pillow, of course.) The inner pillow is made up of denser, shorter fibers compressed together to create a ball of support. Inching toward the edges, the outer layer is filled with feathery, longer fibers that nail that fluffable down feel.
It's firm enough to keep my head from sinking too much and straining my neck, but soft and responsive enough that the conforming is immediate. The sides puff up around my face and neck without being overwhelming. I find it so comforting to have my pillow pulled my neck, letting me lean my head ever so slightly to either side and automatically hit cushion.
The Casper Pillow's promo pictures make it look like a perfectly plump, smooth piece of rubber. Just know that natural fibers (like cotton) wrinkle pretty much as soon as you touch it.
I get slight memory foam vibes here, despite the fill being solely down-alternative clusters. Pushing into the pillow won't get it to mold your handprint or anything, but it does take a second or two to expand back into place. It does a nice job of responding to pressure without being so slow that you feel like your head can't make a dent. If you really wanted a flatter, firmer pillow, you could completely take the outer pillow off and sleep on the core, which would be the size of a small couch pillow.
What I didn't love
On laundry day, I slept on the cover while my pillowcase was being washed. I found myself flipping over because it just...wasn't soft on my cheek.
100% cotton is known for having that crisp, hotel pillow feel, so perhaps I shouldn't have expected extreme softness — but after watching everyone in review videos lay their head directly onto the cover, I assumed going coverless was a thing. I can't find an exact number for the thread count on the pillow, but Casper's sheets clock in at a 200 thread count. Most luxury hotel sheets hit at around a 300 thread count, so if the pillow is anything like the sheets, maybe this is why it was a bit rough. A thin pillowcase should solve the mild scratchy feeling without limiting the cotton's breathability. Besides, who would sleep without a pillow case anyway?
Remind me to not complain too much about Casper's materials, because both the inner and outer pillow are washer and dryer safe.
Which Casper pillow is the best?
The Original Casper pillow's firm center, fluffy sides, and 5-inch loft will be best for combination back and side sleepers who need loft for neutral alignment that's still soft enough to let the back of the head sink a bit when back sleeping. If you absolutely know you want the feel and smell of natural down, Casper's Down Pillow provides a nice tall, puffy surface for side and back sleepers.
Casper's newest pillow creation, the Casper Foam pillow, is much flatter and can compress to about two inches. That's the sweet spot for back sleepers who need to keep their head low to the mattress to prevent the spine from craning upward. I tried the Original Casper on my stomach and I had to slide another pillow under my torso to keep my back straight.
Is the Casper Pillow worth it?
Everyone deserves this luxury every night, especially when it's only costing you $65 a pop ($85 if you go with the king size). If you can't commit to a full down or full memory foam pillow, it's a great middle ground between the two. Even the biggest down stans will appreciate the way their head doesn't sink thanks to the firm core. At any rate, I can pretty much guarantee that once you try the Casper Pillow, you'll wonder how you ever fell asleep on anything else.
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