Marlow Pillow Review

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The Marlow Pillow is designed to be a crowd-pleaser that works for all types of sleepers, with an adjustable loft you can control with the pull of two zippers. This gives the pillow something of an advantage over those you can only tweak by removing or adding filling—because it’s far easier to fiddle with when you’re tossing and turning in bed. (I just can’t imagine myself tearing out shredded foam in the middle of the night and creating a hazardous little pile next to the bed.)

The pillow is made from memory foam and polyester designed to deliver a combo of comfort, support, and optimal loft. But does it live up to its, ahem, lofty claims? I put the pillow to the test to see how it performs.

What’s Inside

The Marlow pillow has a fill made from 20% polyester fiber and 80% memory foam, with a cooling infusion for breathability and heat transfer. The pillow’s cover is made from 100% cotton with a sateen weave. At the side of the Marlow are mesh gussets designed to be airy and breathable. All the pillow’s materials are vegan and hypoallergenic, so you can rest easy on it knowing that it won’t cause an allergic reaction.

Special Features

Adjustability: The Marlow has a shredded memory foam and polyester fill with a loft you can adjust by zipping or unzipping the two side zippers. The difference between the two settings isn’t dramatic, but it does add or subtract some height to make the pillow more comfortable.

Good for Back Sleepers and Side Sleepers: The pillow has a medium height and firmness, so it tends to suit back sleepers well. Unzipped, it’s fairly fluffy, which works well for a lot of side sleepers—including me when I tried it in this mode.

Cooling: Overall, I found the pillow to sleep fairly cool due to its gel-infused foam construction, which is designed to offset traditional memory foam’s tendency to store heat. It also has a crisp-feeling cotton cover and mesh at the sides that, to me, effectively prevented heat buildup.

Great Price: Customizable pillows from reputable bedding companies tend to be pricey. This one costs significantly less than what we’d expect to pay, without skimping on high-quality materials.

Product Info

Sizes & Prices

The Marlow comes in two sizes:

• Standard, 17.5″ x 26″, $65
• King, 17.5″ x 36″, $85

Warranty

The Marlow comes with a 365-night sleep trial, which means you get an entire calendar year to try this pillow and return it or have it replaced. It also carries a generous two-year warranty.

Shipping & Returns

Brooklinen offers free shipping throughout the U.S., plus international shipping for a fee. You can also return the Marlow for free within the sleep trial period if it’s not working for you.

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Sleep Experience

Brooklinen touts the Marlow as the “best pillow for most people” due to its adjustability and customization. I decided to put this claim to the test by changing it out for my regular pillow for a few nights, mostly to see if it lives up to the “best for most” hype.

The first thing I noticed as I fell back onto the Marlow is how much support it provides—particularly when you’re resting on your back. When the zippers are closed on both sides, the pillow has a nice medium firmness and medium loft. But the cotton pillowcase is so taut over the polyester and memory foam filling that even though it has plenty of give, it doesn’t sag or feel mushy under the weight of your head.

I then unleashed the pillow’s lofted beast by unzipping both of the sides to reveal its mesh side panels. This gave it a little extra height and compression, but not as much as you’d expect, given that this is the pillow’s most touted feature.

I’m primarily a side sleeper, so I left the pillow with its zippers open while sleeping. I found it to be supremely comfortable in this mode, with plenty of height and support to maintain good head and neck alignment. It also didn’t feel stuffy or too warm, which suggests at least some of the pillow’s cooling technologies were doing their job.

After an entire night with the Marlow, I deemed it more supportive than my usual pillow for side sleeping—and for back sleeping, with the side hatches battened down. I’m going to keep using it for at least a few more nights, and possibly even buy another one for guests.

Customer Reviews

• “The best pillows we have ever had. No bunching, no “hot” spots, no flattening. Just comfort and coolness. Very supportive. Well worth every penny.” — Patricia S.
• “​​This is a great pillow! I use the setting with all zippers open and it’s nice and soft and fluffy! It’s also great that if I change my mind and want something a little firmer I can just change it. Would recommend to anyone.” — Christina F.
• “This pillow is better than my previous pillow, but I still am not 100% comfortable when I wake up. I’m a side sleeper and am looking for something with good support and is hypoallergenic. This fits the bill for now, but I’m not sure if I’d repurchase this pillow.” — Samantha P.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Good price	Adjustability isn’t very dramatic
Adjustability	Not great for stomach sleepers
Supportive
Good for back and side sleepers

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Final Breakdown

The Marlow Pillow aims to be a universal pillow that suits (nearly) all sleepers by adjusting to a sleeper’s preferred position with the quick pull of two zippers.

While we found the pillow’s adjustability to be a tad overhyped, the Marlow did in fact supply the support needed for most sleep positions, and the versatility to adjust to them. It was also just a super-comfortable pillow that didn’t trap heat or cause any head and spine alignment issues.

Just as importantly, the Marlow is a bargain—particularly when Brooklinen is running one of the brand’s many sales. If you’re on the fence, we recommend you try it, given that you have 365 days to change your mind.