The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

[Atrac]

I've modified this thread to be a generic one on Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Inspired Pillows. The purpose of it is to locate the BEST pillow of this type without spending $99.00 at Brookstone or Bed Bath & Beyond. The farther in you read, the more informed I became, so by the end hopefully you'll end up with the best deal. There's also some coverage on Memory Foam Mattress Pads, which is the next logical step after buying a Memory Foam Pillow. A lot of people have offered some valueable suggestions, so if "pillow talk" is your thing, you should really check this thread out!

This first post regarding Robinson's*May is a dead deal, so you can skip it and move on. Besides I profess in it that all Memory Foam Pillows are about the same. I've since learned that this is absolutely *not* true. In fact after all of the pillows I have tried since this first post, I'd have to embarrassingly say that the Simmons Beautyrest Pillows are some of the worst!

This post is either going to interest a lot of people or fade quietly into the night... (I'm glad to see that it didn't!)

Robinsons*May has a sale on Simmons Beautyrest Pillows. They are buy one, get one free. Plus if you get the coupon from the Los Angeles Times, you can get 10% off in the Home Store (coupon is 15% off, but only 10% for this department). One pillow regularly costs $49.99. I ended up getting two for ~$22.50 a piece. One is going to dad for Father's Day.

These pillows are made of the kind foam that forms to your head and neck (also known as "Memory Foam"). If you are ever up late at night, you've probably seen the infomercial on TV. They also make mattresses out of this material that are hella expensive. You can put your hand in it and it leaves an imprint, then slowly returns to form. They state it's foam that was developed by NASA for long space flights and excessive g-forces.

I got on a kick this week to get one of these pillows, and this is the best deal right now. On eBay they sell for around $30 - $50, and at Bed Bath & Beyond a similar one goes for $59.99 (Isotonic Brand). BB&B B&M (Porky Pig not withstanding) also has a Swedish one for $99.00. That pillow *really* kicks ass, but I'm not paying that much for one when this Simmons Pillow at Robinsons*May is pretty close. Brookstone also sells a similar pillow, and it too sells for $99.00. Ouch!

Robinsons*May also has a bigger one that goes for $79.99, and it is also Buy One Get One Free. Honestly though, the Standard Size one is quite big enough for me(and I'm 6'2" 195 lbs).

If it sounds cool you better check it out soon because I think it's only a 3-Day Sale.

I tried to link to it on the Robinsons*May website but they use those damn session id's. They are listed at $29.99 on the site, but the $8 shipping charge made me pass until this particular sale popped up.

Obviously this post is based on an experience in Southern California. I imagine that if you have a Robinsons*May in your area, you can find the coupon in your Local Paper and hopefully they are having the same In-Store Pillow Sale. Robinsons*May Credit Card holders apparently get the coupons in the mail.

 

[amnesiac]

Holy cow! That's a good deal I'm going to pick some up this weekend. I snore like a mofo, hopefully this will help and my g/f will stop trying to push me off the bed or smother me with her pillow.

 

[Gamerz]

I looked at this deal to, but I went with the one a Costco for $26. Sure, buy one get one free is good, but you still have to put down $50.

I bought this for my wife and now I can not get Her to wake up in the morning, this pillow moves with her to the couch at night. It is sweet.

 

[IS300]

Atrac, thanks. I've been looking for a deal on one of these for a while.

Gamerz,

Is the one at Costco also a Simmons Beautyrest Pillow? If it's different, did you get a chance to physically check out both pillows? What are your opinions?

thanks.

 

[Lounatik]

Nice deal on these pillows. I have one similar to this(aren't they all about the same?) and I really have an easy time sleeping at night. if you can afford to get this,by all means do so.



Peace




Lounatik

 

[DeeTees]

No they are not all about the same.

Several years ago Brookstone was selling a memory foam pillow that was extremly comfortable (I have not been able to steal it back from my wife since she accidently slept on it one night.) Since she appropriated it I have tried to get a replacement every try both online and at local department stores has resulted in a memory foam marshmallow that does a very poor job of supporting my head. All of the "memory foam" pillows I have had a problem with are relatively much lighter than the Brookstone pillow. I suspect that buying from relatively equal vendors you get just what you pay for. I further suspect that most on-line deals are for the light memory foam pillows, not the high density memory foam.

By the way the Simmons Beautyrest is one of the low density memory foam pillows that is currently gathering dust in my closet. They appear on sale on a regular basis at Sam's Club at 2 for $39.95, but as far as I am concerned are not worth the money.

It is entirely possible that you will be satisfied with the low density pillows if you have never experienced the high density foam pillows, or you may in fact like the low density better, but memory foam pillows are not all the same.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[jrichrds]

Outside of the rip-off Brookstone Tempurpedic pillows, I haven't been able to find any other high-density memory foam pillows around. The ones i've seen at Costco and other places have all been low-density.

Everything at Brookstone is a rip-off. But we have 3 of their Tempurpedic pillows, and they've been the most comfortable ones. The one I got recently doesn't seem to be as comfortable as the one I got 4 years back though.

I saw someone on E Bay selling Tempurpedic pillows for 1/2 the price as Brookstone. It's hard to say whether they're the same or not, but they claim to be the same and Tempurpedic isnt' a brookstone product to start off with.

 

[The_Dude8]

atrac, what section in the LA times contain the 10% off coupon?

 

[carmann]

The coupons are in the Press Telegram too. They're usually located in the 1st section of the paper.

 

[Marukoo]

Originally posted by: DeeTees


It is entirely possible that you will be satisfied with the low density pillows if you have never experienced the high density foam pillows, or you may in fact like the low density better, but memory foam pillows are not all the same.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

So any suggest of hig density foam pillows??? Any brand??? pricing???

 

[Atrac]

Definately all of these pillows are not the same.

I have to agree that the Brookstone one is the best. The $99.00 one at Bed Bath & Beyond is also as good. High Density is definately very very nice, and very very expensive.

The Isotonic one at Bed Bath & Beyond is pretty close though. But in my opinion, even $60 is too much for a pillow.

I suppose if you've slept on a 100 bucks, then 20 bucks would feel pretty lame.

The good thing about this deal is you can feel it in the store vs. taking the risk of ordering online.

I wonder what the actual cost is on one of these pillows, especially the high density ones?

 

[Atrac]

Originally posted by: The_Dude8
atrac, what section in the LA times contain the 10% off coupon?

You know, I didn't pay attention. I went into the store and found out about the coupon so I had to find a newstand and buy the LA Times. I just frantically flipped pages, tore out the coupons, then jettisoned the paper. 50 cents to save $5.00 was my only concern.

They were definately within the first couple of sections (maybe business???). They're black and white, not a nice expensive color ad of its own like JC Penny (surprisingly enough).

 

[RadioactiveMagpies]

I really want one of these, does anyone know where is the best place to get one online?
i must toss and turn every 30 minutes when I sleep, I was considering goose down ones, but if these seem to be much better for me.

How is this one at sam'sclub rate?

pillow

 

[Atrac]

I went to Linens n Things today (never go in there normally) and they have what is called "The Perfect Pillow" for $49.99. Plus *ENDING TODAY* they have a $5 mail-in rebate on any pillow/bedding purchases over $25.

After *careful* inspection of this pillow, I'd have to say that it is HIGH Density. It's heavier than the other pillows I've sampled, and it has that kind of "wet" or "moist" feel to it. It's like a chubby baby's bottom. This pillow is actually shaped like and is the size of a standard size pillow, but it doesn't have that extended neck part to it or contours. It's just a large slab of that NASA material. I'm 99.9% sure that it is the same material that the Brookstone Pillow is made of.

Linens n Things actually has the exact same Simmons Pillow that I originally mentioned. There is a definate difference. They also had one made by Homedics and although it was more dense than the Simmons, it still isn't a Tempur Pedic clone.

I'd have to say that THIS pillow is the needle in the haystack that we have been seeking. For ~$45 after rebate, it's a "good" deal (compared to the overpriced other ones at Brookstone).

It is actually called "The Perfect Pillow," is made by Carpenter, and comes in a BIG Red & Yellow Box. It is a standard sized pillow. It comes enclosed in a Zippered White Velour Cover (feels nice!). The saleslady told me it is a tremendous seller and they usually sell out right when the get them in. They only had two left at the store I was at. Unfortunately they don't list it on the Linens n Things website.

Seriously, if you don't mind that it doesn't have that contour shape, this is the pillow to get. Unless someone knows of a better deal on a High Density one.

 

[chaswood]

The "NASA" stuff is called visco-elastic foam. If you do a Google search you will find a number of companies selling generic pads and pillows. I bought a 3-inch 4-pound visco-elastic foam pad as a mattress topper a couple of years ago for $280 from an online store when my wife made me give up the waterbed. It's incredible to sleep on - solid support with no hard spots. Temper-Pedic is a great brand, but you pay through the nose for it.

As Atrac said, density is the thing. You can find the good pillows in high density foam for $50-75. The deals at Robinsons and Linens n Things sound great if they're the the 4-pound stuff. I've got a cheap "memory-foam" pillow for about $12 but it ain't worth s#!+.

 

[DigDug]

I always thought that Tempur-Pedic claimed to have created the material back in Switzerland.

 

[jrichrds]

wonder what the actual cost is on one of these pillows, especially the high density ones?

For the $99 Tempurpedic pillow at Brookstone, I would say no more than $30. The cost to manufacture, of course, will be even lower.
After meeting a few people who manufacture stuff that Brookstone sells, it appears that there is about a 4x markup to get to Brookstone's retail price.

As for how other pillows compare to the Tempurpedic, I'd give the Tempurpedic a feel and try and use it as your benchmark when you try out the other visco-elastic memory foam pillows.
On the other hand, if you think paying $99 is a rip and you'd never buy such an expensive pillow, it may be better to avoid trying the Tempurpedic so you can be happy with whichever other pillow you find.

Once again, I mentioned that I've seen on E Bay these Tempurpedic brand pillows for half the price, but do not know if they are really the same thing as what Brookstone sells.

 

[feralkid]

I always thought that Tempur-Pedic claimed to have created the material back in Switzerland.

Actually, it was Sweden.

 

[RadioactiveMagpies]

Is this mattress from hsn made of the same material as the memory foam pillow?

mattress?

 

[Atrac]

Originally posted by: RadioactiveMagpies
Is this mattress from hsn made of the same material as the memory foam pillow?

mattress?

That is really really hard to say without actually laying on it. The key words to look for are "Visco-Elastic," "Smart Foam, "Memory Foam," "Isotonic," or the expensive "Tempur-Pedic." This ad doesn't even mention NASA or have the picture of that hand leaving an imprint in the foam. Once you've found any of those keywords, you can refer to my new mini-dictionary below!

Of course that doesn't mean it isn't. It just means there's no way to tell.

Here's the link for the company's website:

Innerspace Mattress Company

If Dennis Quaid is somewhere inside, it's probably not a good deal.

 

[Atrac]

Originally posted by: DeeTees
No they are not all about the same.

Several years ago Brookstone was selling a memory foam pillow that was extremly comfortable (I have not been able to steal it back from my wife since she accidently slept on it one night.) Since she appropriated it I have tried to get a replacement every try both online and at local department stores has resulted in a memory foam marshmallow that does a very poor job of supporting my head. All of the "memory foam" pillows I have had a problem with are relatively much lighter than the Brookstone pillow. I suspect that buying from relatively equal vendors you get just what you pay for. I further suspect that most on-line deals are for the light memory foam pillows, not the high density memory foam.

DeeTees, I went to Brookstone this evening and they still have a Memory Foam Pillow (Tempur-Pedic) that sells for $99.00. Is the one that your wife stole from you different from the one they sell now?

I went to Brookstone to verify that "The Perfect Pillow" from Linens N Things is as close as I thought it was. Well, they're pretty close. I wanted to touch the Brookstone's actual foam, but it is protected by another cover within the TerryCloth one. I wanted to see if it was "moist" like the Linen's one. Ultimately, I really couldn't tell the difference.

I should note that "The Perfect Pillow" box advertises it has having "High Density" foam. It really does feel like it to me as compared to the other pillows. It's kind of like squeezing one of those Stress Relief Balls vs. a stale marshmellow.

All in all, I'd say that each person is going to have to make their own call. I've touched about 6 different "memory foam" pillows over the past few days and as it's been said already, you will pay more for better quality. They are not all alike.

How so, you may ask?

The Ultimate Hand Print Memory/Smart Foam Pillow Mini-Dictionary

OK! I've done a lot more reading on this and here's what I have come up with on these damn pillows. There are basically 3 Kinds (2 Brand Names and 1 "Other," which could be more than just one type).

1) Tempur-Pedic : This is the most expensive type, originally developed in Sweden. It's the Granddaddy of them all. The one we all *really* want if we could afford it. These pillows sell at retail stores for $99.00 and up. As stated earlier, these are sold at Brookstone, Bed Bath & Beyond, and probably some other stores. They are firm and tend to be more flexible once they get warm (courtesy of your living head producing body heat). I noticed the ones under lights at Brookstone were definately warmer and more bendable (the handprint shows up nicely when they are warm). The handprint will disappear fairly quick, showing that these are firmer than the next category (Isotonic). These tend to come in terrycloth/velour form fitting covers. Tempur-Pedic pillows are "Officially" recognized by NASA. It is an official registered trademark. Tempur-Pedic's website is here: Tempur-Pedic Official Site (Extremely Informative).

2) Isotonic : This is the next expensive type. Isotonic pillows are in general about $40.00 less than Tempur-Pedic ones. They are more doughy & moist and a little less firm than the Tempur-Pedic ones. They do react to body heat, but they are still more flexible on initial contact. They are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond and JC Penny, and probably other stores. I have yet to see Isotonic Pillows that mention NASA at all. The packaging does show the famous "handprint." These tend to come in terrycloth/velour form fitting covers. The handprint is easy to do yourself (very little effort required) and it will slowly return back to original form. Isotonic is a trademark owned by Carpenter. This means that "The Perfect Pillow" I bought at Linens N Things is not the same as Brookstone's pillows. That explains the moist feel to it. Isotonic is an officialy registered trademark. Isotonic's official site is here: Isotonic Official Site (Embarrassingly Uninformative).

3) "Other" : This category applies to anything that is not Tempur-Pedic or Isotonic. These pillows range from $20 - $30 (or more if they really want to get your money). Some are very lame, some are average (my opinion of course). They'll say "Memory Foam" or "Smart Foam" on the packaging. Pillows in this category tend to mention NASA and show that handprint on the packaging. I've found that you really need to push and then don't blink to see the handprint. They also tend to be lighter than the other two types. "Stale Marshmellows" may come to mind with some of these pillows. I've noticed that they come with Not-so form fitting terry cloth covers or in some cases with 100% Cotton or 50/50 Covers that are regular standard size cases (and are embarrassingly too big for the pillow!). This I suppose includes the Simmons Beauty Rest Pillow, so hopefullysome of you are still happy with my original recommendation, even though its a more inexpensive pillow (that's what deals forums are all about, right?). Let's face it, these "Other" pillows are "budget knock-off" versions of what we want. I have seen these budget versions at Sears, Robinsons*May (*wink*), Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens N Things, and the "As Seen On TV Store" (that one is PINK!) I'm sure a lot of the ones on eBay are also of this type. (To be fair to eBay sellers though, if they do say the pillows are "Tempur-Pedic" or "Isotonic" and not "similar to" then they are probably telling the truth..unless they have horrendous feedback.)

The important thing to note about ALL of these pillows is that they will say "Visco-Elastic" on them. That with the picture of the hand print and any NASA reference is what causes the confusion (to the delight of many retailers selling "cheap" as more expensive). One thing I have not figured out is the difference between "Urethane" and "Polyurethane."

Note that the above information can probably apply to Mattresses and Mattress Pads as well.

So that's about all I have found out. Compare this post to my original one and you'll see that I've come a long way. Hopefully those that have purchased the Simmons from Robinson's*May are happy. All in all, this really is a case of "Innocence is Bliss." If you don't know there are better pillows out there, you'll probably be content with "Other."

In terms of Tempur-Pedic vs. Isotonic, that is totally a personal preference issue. In fact with all of these pillows, as suggested by others earlier in this thread, you *really* need to try them out. Most stores have a demo out. If they don't, you should ask to open one and inspect it. Bed Bath & Beyond is a *GREAT* place to go and do this, since they sell all three types. I had a little trouble telling the difference between Tempur-Pedic and Isotonic (as you can see from my above posts), so that's a good thing for me (I'd settle for Isotonic). I'm afraid "Other" is no longer in the running for me.

On a sidenote, I'm quite upset with IKEA. I mean, IKEA = Sweden. Tempur-Pedic = Sweden. IKEA = No Tempur-Pedic Pillows. They're missing a great opportunity!

Please if anyone can add to or correct any of the above information, please feel free to post. There's a LOT of confusion regarding this pillows and it would be nice to have a rather complete reference for them. Yeah, on the surface, who really cares about this stuff. But for people who have trouble sleeping, I think it's good to know more about it since they're can be a lot of money involved!!!!!

I know there are many out there who want to say it, so to paraphrase William Shatner,

For god's sake man, it's just a pillow!!!

 

[Atrac]

"Oh come on baby, that was just pillow talk."

 

[jrichrds]

Great summary Atrac

 

[Atrac]

Originally posted by: jrichrds


Once again, I mentioned that I've seen on E Bay these Tempurpedic brand pillows for half the price, but do not know if they are really the same thing as what Brookstone sells.

I actually bid and won one this morning. I'll be sure to post how it compares once I've received it. I suppose I'll need to be careful on what I say though since it could be construed as promotion for an eBay seller. The fine line we walk on here.

Oh, and thanks for liking my summary.

 

[Atrac]

There is a 20% off printable coupon floating around the net that you can use at Linen N Things. So that would make "The Perfect Pillow" by Carpenter (Isotonic) $39.99. Also, LNT has a Homedics Smart Foam Pillow that would be $23.99 with the coupon. It's not as good as the Tempur Pedic or Isotonic, but it's pretty nice. It's definately more dense than the Simmons ones that I originally mentioned. If push comes to shove I'd have to say that the Homedics one is "Medium" Density. After all of the inexpensive versions I've felt over the past week, the Homedics one is the closest. They even do a good job copying the terry cloth cover. The foam itself also has its own lining, so that's dual protection. Both of these features are traits of the $99 Tempur Pedic one, so this one gets my vote for "Best Tempur Pedic Knock Off." heh heh Most importantly, it has a slight odor. It seems to me that the better smart foam pillows have this odor (Tempur Pedic & Isotonic have a smell), which of course disappears after it airs out. The cheaper pillows that I examined didn't stink at all, which means that they stink!

The 20% off printable coupon is for the B&M Store Only (cannot be used online). It's easily findable..just do a search at Yahoo or Google for "Linens N Things Coupon." It's valid through the end of June.