Original Tuft & Needle Pillow Review

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Have you ever slept on a pillow that left you with neck pain so bad you felt like you had aged decades? Yeah…it’s pretty rough. So when we heard that Tuft & Needle decided to apply their game-changing Adaptive Foam to a pillow format, we were excited to give it a closer look. 

This pillow was designed and manufactured in the USA, and T&N does its absolute best to pass along all savings to their customers. So, without further ado, let’s check out the Original Tuft & Needle Foam Pillow.

Inside the Tuft & Needle Pillow

The Original Tuft & Needle Pillow construction is pretty simple: a single piece of plush T&N Adaptive® foam wrapped in a removable poly blend cover (polyester, Tencel, and micro-polyamide, which is a synthetic fiber). 

The cover is hypoallergenic, extra soft, and intentionally smooth to make it easy to take on and off. It’s also breathable, so you can get the full benefit of the cooling technology in the foam. 

Adaptive® Foam

The core of the pillow is cut from the same high-quality Adaptive® foam used in the top layer of all Tuft & Needle mattresses. The single foam structure does a great job of cradling your head in place, so it doesn’t roll to one side or another. 

T&N opted for the single cut instead of shredded or molded foam because they feel it gives your head and neck the best support. The only downside is that you can’t fold the pillow in half, although this pillow is pretty lofty, so you shouldn’t need to fold it.

Cooling Tech

T&N ventilates the foam to allow heat to flow through the bulk of the pillow. Other memory foam pillows have a tendency to trap heat, but the T&N pillow does a pretty good job of circulating warm air away from your head. 

Plus, the foam is infused with graphite and gel beads. Graphite is naturally heat-wicking. It draws warmth away from your body and disperses it through the channels in the foam. The gel beads are cool in a way that’s similar to latex. Gel absorbs heat and neutralizes it, so as long as your room isn’t too hot, your pillow shouldn’t get too hot. 

The gel beads stack up in the foam when compressed, which creates even more support under the weight of your head.

Related: Best Cooling Pillows

The Best Parts

We rounded up our favorite features of this pillow. Here’s our highlight reel:

• Soft AND Supportive: Generally, pillows are one or the other. For example, down pillows are notoriously soft and lightweight, whereas memory foam pillows are dense and firm. T&N always develops products designed for all sleep positions, which is how their pillow can both cushion and support your head and neck. 
• Squishy AND Responsive: This feature goes hand-in-hand with the pillow being both soft and supportive. When you press into the pillow, it has a remarkable amount of give, but when you lift your hand, the foam snaps back into place. That means you can expect the pillow to move with you, while always contouring around your head and neck.
• Cooling: We hear a lot of consumers shying away from foam because they sleep hot. T&N goes above and beyond to keep its foam pillow cool. How? A cover high in breathability, a ventilated foam structure, heat-absorbing graphite, and cooling gel beads. T&N actually claims that it always feels like you’re on the cold side of their pillow.

Best For/Not Best For

The T&N Foam Pillow is a great choice for…

• Back sleepers and side sleepers who have smaller frames
• Those with neck pain or upper back pain
• Hot sleepers
• Combo sleepers who move around a lot
• Those who don’t want a pillow that requires constant fluffing

This pillow is not an ideal choice for…

• Those who like the easy compression of lighter materials, such as down pillows
• Side sleepers who need a pillow loft higher than 5”
• Stomach sleepers who like a flatter pillow (generally 3” or less works best, unless you sleep with your arm under your pillow, which elevates your head)

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Product Info

Next we’ll dive into pillow specs and buyer details, like pricing, shipping, return policy, and warranty.

Sizes and Prices

Tuft & Needle offers their Original Foam Pillow in Standard size and King size: 

• The Standard size costs $85 and measures 25″ x 16″ x 5″.
• The King size costs $110 and measures 34″ x 16″ x 5″.

T&N also offers financing through Affirm for their pillows.

Shipping and Returns

Shipping

Tuft & Needle customers get free shipping and 1-5 day delivery. If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, there may be additional shipping fees. If you have Prime and buy your pillow on Amazon, you’ll be eligible for free Prime shipping.

T&N Returns & Exchanges

You also get free returns on your pillow purchase during the 100-night trial period. If you’d like to return your pillow, email support@tn.com, and they’ll send you a FedEx return label. After you drop off your pillow package at FedEx, you’ll see a refund on your original form of payment within 5-10 business days.

If you want to exchange your T&N pillow for a different size or model, you’ll only need to pay the difference between the two products. The T&N team will walk you through the exchange process when you call 877-842-2586. They’ll likely ask you to donate your old pillow and show proof of donation or disposal.

Amazon Returns

If you buy your pillow on Amazon, you’ll need to follow Amazon’s return policy. You should be able to get a full refund as long as you initiate the return during the sleep trial. To begin a return through Amazon, call 888-280-4331.

Trial and Warranty

Trial Period

T&N pillow customers get a 100-night sleep trial. In our experience, that’s more than enough time to figure out if you want to commit. Amazon customers get a 30-night trial period. If you decide within 30 days that the T&N pillow is not a good fit, you can ship it back and get a full refund.

Warranty

The Original T&N Foam Pillow is protected by a 3-year limited warranty. T&N will repair or replace your pillow if the foam cracks/splits or the cover fabric/stitching is damaged. You have to be the original owner of the pillow and have purchased directly from T&N or an authorized dealer for the warranty to apply. You can initiate a claim by emailing help@tn.com or calling 877-842-2586.

Customer Reviews

• “These pillows are tall and firm, and I could see that might be an issue for petite folks, but we are both big people and they are great for us. As an unexpected, amazing bonus, my husband’s snoring has almost completely disappeared!!! I have fibromyalgia, and I used to have a whole set of pillows (literally 6) that I would fuss with endlessly trying to get my arm comfortable. No more. 4 stars instead of 5 because I still have to flip it once or twice a night for coolness.” – Riotgrrl2x
• “The product itself was too soft for what my husband was wanting. But that was more of his personal preference than an issue with the pillow itself. Amazing customer service when needing to return the product.” – Shannon W.
• “This is the sixth pillow I have gotten from you all in the last two to three years because they’re so great! I love the firm feel, and yet they give without ever going flat or needing to be fluffed up. I find they’re excellent for all different sleeping positions.” – WLWW

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Adaptive® foam that cushions without losing its shape	A higher price point than the average pillow
Heat-wicking graphite and gel infused into the foam	Might have slight off-gassing odor right after unboxing
An ideal loft level for back sleepers and side sleepers	The pillow is not fully machine washable (only the pillow case)

 

The Bottom Line

This pillow is designed to work for all sleeping positions, and for the most part, it delivers. If you’re a stomach sleeper who likes an extra flat pillow, keeping shopping. Otherwise, you’ll get substantial pressure relief and contouring for your head and neck. It sleeps noticeably cool for a solid foam pillow. Plus, with a 100-night trial period and financing options, it’s worth your time and money.