TechRadar Verdict
Sleep like a baby on the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow, which is designed for stomach sleepers. It’s filled with down clusters and covered with a 100% cotton sateen shell for a luxurious sleeping experience.
Pros
- +
Soft and fluffy
- +
Good for stomach sleepers
- +
Treated with antimicrobials
Cons
- -
Spot clean only or dry clean
- -
Not as thick and fluffy as some down pillows
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The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow is a luxurious pillow with down fill. It doesn’t contain feathers – which can be a good thing if you’ve ever been poked by feathers. One advantage to buying a Brooklinen Down Pillow is that you can select from three levels of firmness. I’m reviewing the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow, since my preference is plushness – and I tend to be a combination sleeper alternating between my stomach and side and this pillow is designed for stomach sleepers. However, the Brooklinen Mid-Plush Down Pillow is ideal for most sleepers, while the Brooklinen Firm Down Pillow is designed for side sleepers.
I tested the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow for over two weeks to see how it matches up to the rest of the best pillows on the market. And if you’re looking for ways to really boost your sleep comfort further, take a look at our guide to this year's best mattresses for all budgets.
Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow review in brief
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow provides a luxurious experience, and I consider it one of the best down pillows on the market. While Brooklinen’s firmer options are filled with down clusters and feathers, the plush option consists solely of down clusters, and they contribute to the light and fluffy feel of the pillow. It’s not quite as thick and fluffy as some competitors, like Parachute’s Soft Down Pillow, but it is indeed a supremely soft pillow.
Type: Plush down pillow
Best suited to: Stomach sleepers
Dimensions: 20” x 26”/standard, 20” x 36”/king
Trial period: 365 nights
Warranty: 2 years
The pillow also provides the level of support that I would expect in a lighter and squishier pillow. The down clusters are encased in a 100% cotton sateen shell that’s smooth to the touch. For the more than two weeks that I tested it, the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow was a pleasure to sleep on. I didn’t toss or turn, and woke up refreshed each morning, with no aches or pains.
However, if you sleep hot, the pillow does not provide any cooling properties. Although I fall in the category of hot sleepers, I didn’t experience any night sweats during the two weeks of testing. So, I’m classifying the pillow as temperature-neutral, since it didn’t have any type of cooling effect, but it didn’t raise my body’s temperature, either.
I’d recommend the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow for stomach sleepers, and Brooklinen’s other down pillows for those who want a firmer pillow.
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow review: price and deals
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow may be expensive as pillows go, but it’s rather moderately priced for a down pillow. Most down pillows are well over $100, and some can cost $300 or more.
Brooklinen also makes two other options. The Brooklinen Mid-Plush Down Pillow ($139/Sale $125.10) and the Brooklinen Firm Down Pillow $149/Sale $134.10).
Regarding prices, if you purchase 2 pillows, the price is reduced by 10%. A pack of four pillows reduces the price by 15%.
In addition to down pillows, Brooklinen also makes a down alternative pillow with a microfiber fill, and a memory foam pillow. However, neither comes in a choice of firmness like the down pillows.
A comparable alternative is the Casper Down Pillow ($139), which includes a combination of ethically-sourced duck down and feathers. It actually has 5 different chambers and is a pillow within a pillow. The Casper Down Pillow is incredibly soft, cool to the touch, and comes in standard and king sizes. It also has the advantage of being machine washable. However, the Casper Down Pillow does not come in a choice of firmness levels.
Another option is the Parachute Down Pillow, which is also machine washable and comes in a choice of soft, medium, and firm density- as well as a boxy-shaped down sleeper pillow. It’s available in standard and firm sizes. All of the pillows are made from 85% down clusters, and 15% down and feather fibers. Prices are a little steeper, and for the standard size, range from $129 for a soft pillow to $149 for a medium density to $169 for a firm.
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow review: design and materials
- 100% down cluster fill is soft and plush
- Cloud-like comfort for stomach sleepers
- Ultra-fresh antimicrobials keep pillows fresh
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow is made of 100% down clusters, instead of the 30% clusters in the Brooklinen Mid-Plush Down Pillow, and the 14% clusters in the Brooklinen Firm Down Pillow. The pillows are certified as the finest Canadian White Duck Down.
The down clusters are what make the pillow so soft, compared to the firmer versions with feathers. For stomach sleepers, the plush down pillow provides the sensation of sleeping on a cloud.
The pillow has been treated with Ultra-Fresh antimicrobials, which is designed to limit the growth of bacteria, odors, and stains. This is important since the pillow is not machine washable, like many down pillows.
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow review: performance
- Luxuriously soft
- Not too thick to be uncomfortable
- Lack of feathers eliminates shedding and poking
For over two weeks, I slept on a pair of Brooklinen Plush Down Pillows to see how they fared in performance, testing for setup, comfort, support, and temperature regulation. I also slept in side, back, and stomach positions to see if the performance was the same. Here’s how I got on…
Setup
5 out of 5 stars
The pair of Brooklinen Plush Down Pillows arrived in branded boxes. If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you know that I dislike branded boxes because they advertise what’s inside. However, this box only included the company’s name.
Both pillows arrived in one large, sturdy box, and upon opening it, I was pleased to see that each pillow was individually enclosed in a thin plastic bag with a carrying handle. Since I take bedding hygiene quite seriously, this was a pleasant surprise.
There were also a few small documents enclosed, like the DOWNMARK certification that guarantees that the product is made by a Canadian manufacturer using down or feathers - which eliminates the uncertainty of purchasing a fake or substandard item. There’s also another authenticity certification from the Feather Industries of Canada. In addition, there’s an Ultra-Fresh protection tag, guaranteeing the pillow had antimicrobial protection.
Since the down pillows weren’t vacuum-sealed and didn’t have off-gassing smells like some pillows I’ve tested, I didn’t experience an unpleasant odor and didn’t have to wait for the pillows to regain their shape.
Temperature regulation
4.5 out of 5 stars
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillows don’t claim to have cooling features - but I didn’t find them to be hot either. In other words, the material didn’t hold heat. This is due, in part, to the fact that down pillows tend to be naturally breathable and temperature regulating.
I actually found them to be temperature-neutral, and I was able to sleep comfortably each night.
Firmness and support
4.5 out of 5 stars
The Brooklinen Plush Down Pillows were very plush and comfortable. This is the softest model that the company makes, and I enjoyed the sensation of sleeping on a cloud. If you tend to prefer soft pillows, you’ll enjoy these – especially if you’re a stomach sleeper. I’m a combination sleeper, which means sometimes I sleep on my stomach, and sometimes on my side.
I found the pair of pillows to be both soft and supportive in either position. When sleeping on my back, I was still comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as when I was in the other two positions.
However, I need to explain that your preferences make a world of difference in deciding whether this type of pillow is right for you. I don’t really like firm pillows, so it’s no surprise that I would be happy with the softest pillow that Brooklinen makes – in fact, I requested the plush pillow over the mid -plush or firm models.
For me, the pillow provides the right combination of softness and support to ensure that I slept comfortably and never woke up with aches and pains. However, I acknowledge that even some stomach sleepers may find that the pillow doesn’t provide enough support, and they may prefer the mid-plush or firm option.
As with many (if not all down pillows) I did have to refluff the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillows the next morning, but I didn’t consider that a major issue.
Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow review: user reviews
On the Brooklinen website, the down pillows have 3,531 reviews (73% gave the pillows 5 out of 5 stars, and 12% the pillows 4 out of 5 stars). The reviews don’t specify if the pillow was plush, mid-plush, or firm. However, positive comments ranged from buyers saying they loved the pillow to those calling it perfect for side sleepers. Negative comments referred to the pillow being flat.
Should you buy the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow?
If you want a down pillow that’s full of down fill instead of goose or duck feathers, I highly recommend the Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow. It’s super soft, but also provides a degree of support. And although it’s not marketed as a cooling pillow, the materials ensure that it doesn’t get hot, either.
However, keep in mind that unlike most down pillows, you can’t launder it in the washing machine.
And while it’s ideal for stomach sleepers, those who prefer to sleep on their back or side may prefer Brooklinen’s mid-plush or firm pillow instead.
A comparable down pillow is the Casper Down Pillow ($139), which includes a combination of ethically-sourced duck down and feathers. It actually has 5 different chambers and is a pillow within a pillow. It is incredibly soft, cool to the touch, and comes in standard and king sizes. It also has the advantage of being machine washable. However, the Casper Down Pillow does not come in a choice of firmness levels.
Another option is the Parachute Down Pillow, which is also machine washable and comes in a choice of soft, medium, and firm density- as well as a boxy-shaped down side sleeper pillow. It also comes in standard and firm sizes. All of the pillows are made from 85% down clusters and 15% down and feather fibers. Prices are a little steeper, and for the standard size, range from $129 for a soft pillow to $149 for a medium density to $169 for a firm pillow.
