Is a $162 Pillow Worth It? Review of Canadian Down & Feather Company

Is a $162 Pillow Worth It? Review of Canadian Down & Feather Company

November 9, 2022 by Stacy Garrels

Turns out, I do like sleeping on my back. 

And I can actually chalk it up to my new pillow. 

Throughout my whole life (and two pregnancies), I had thought I was a side sleeper. It was just more comfy that way, curling up in a ball with my head grazing the pillow. 

But I have slept on my back, head atop my pillow, the past few nights and really enjoyed the experience. The pillow is a $162 Canadian-made pillow filled with 100% duck down. (It came as a set of two, but I’ve only slept on one.) 

My mind is blown because I was skeptical. About the price and about pillows in general. Admittedly, I was willing to get a free pillow to do a review of it. I had intended to write a milquetoast review stating the pros and cons in sufficiently enthusiastic language. 

But this pillow is actually easy to be enthusiastic about. Even if the $162 price tag is more than I spend on bedding. And by bedding, I mean all textiles that drape and adorn my bed. (You can check out the full product specs and details here on the Canadian Down & Feather product page.)

My comforter, for example, was maybe $70 tops. Lately, I’ve thought about investing in “nice sheets” - whatever that means, so pillows had kind of been on my radar. But not really. Because in my circles, people talk about upgrading to luxury sheets or duvets. But pillow talk is not in the mix. 

But this Canadian Down & Feather pillow is great: 

• Soft but firm and supportive

• Head feels well cushioned

• Cool to the touch (I tend to sleep warm) 

• Provides neck support (back support too) 

Not being a doctor or chiropractor, I’m not really familiar with how the neck bone’s connected to the backbone and all that medical jargon. But I do know that by sleeping in a straighter posture, I woke up with my neck, shoulders, and hips feeling good. 

I have early-onset osteoarthritis in my hips. (Nothing like chasing around a 2-year-old with the hips of an 80-year-old.) Sleeping positions can be a challenge: find a position where I can fall asleep but keep my hips intact. Being able to sleep flat on my back with my head on the pillow helps. A lot. 

With a 5-year guarantee, this brings the cost of the set of pillows to $31.20 a year or $15.60 per pillow. This translate to 4.3-cents per night. 

To get all official and review-like, let’s walk through the product specs and the pros, cons, and good-to-knows. 

Product Specs

• Pillow Size: 20x30 (For the queen-size I reviewed. Standard size is 20x26 and king-size is 20x36.) 

• Fill Weight: 26 oz (For queen-size, firm pillow. A medium-firmness pillow in this size has a fill weight of 19 oz.) 

• 500 thread-count 

• 100% cotton shell 

• 100% duck down filling

• 625+ Fill Powder Down (This higher fill power down is fluffer and keeps you warmer. The figure 625+ means that it insulates and lofts up to 625+ cubic inches per ounce of fill.) 

• Hypo-Allergenic: Pillow has anti-microbial properties to eliminate bacteria. This includes the outer shell and filling. 

• Country of Origin: Canada 

• Quality Guarantee: 5 years. (Canadian Down notes their pillows may last a lifetime if properly cared for.) 

Pros

• Durable: Pillow guaranteed to last up to 5 years (compared to 1-2 years for other pillows) 

• Comfort: Able to easily find a comfortable sleep position without contorting by body 

• Support: It just felt good to lay my head on this pillow. Soft yet very firm support. 

• Better Sleep: You just sleep better when you can lay in a more comfortable position. 

• Identifiable: The bed I share with my husband is a jumbo of sleeping pillows and throw pillows. It can be hard to distinguish my sleeping pillow from his. This pillow stands out by its look and touch from the cheaper pillows. No more sleeping on his drool stains. 

Cons

• Cost: $162 for a set of pillows is expensive. (You can find a soft support version of these 625 Loft pillows for $116.) There are other down pillows that run $200 to $400 and some inexpensive goose feather pillows starting at $23. 

• Materials: The duck down and goose down filling used can be a con for those who are vegan or just opposed to using animal byproducts for apparel and home goods. 

• Inorganic Cotton: For the $156 price, it’s a little disappointing that the cotton shell is not organic. 

Good to Knows

• I’ve tried only ever tried low-end and high-end pillows. Discounting hotels, I’ve only ever slept with low-end (Amazon basic or the cheapest Target model) pillows or ultra-high-end (Canada Feather and Down). The contrast is immense. I don’t know how these pillows compare to a more middle-of-the-road pillow in the $40 to $80 range. There is a range of context I am missing.

• 
  

  Shipping can be tricky. I live in a first-ring suburb outside of a major metropolitan area. Shipping is generally very easy, but for this delivery, a UPS signature was required. After the first attempt to deliver to me, the pillow was brought to a partner distribution center (local Michael’s) and I missed the sticky note. It took three attempts for the pillow to reach me (I made certain to be at home all day on the days of the last 2 attempts). I think these final-mile delivery challenges are more to do with the particular driver, but be aware you do have to sign for your delivery. If you can, you might want to have your package delivered to your work. 

>>> Shop the 625 Loft White Down Pillow 

Final thoughts

As outlined in detail, I really am very pleasantly delighted by this pillow. I thought it would be “just a pillow” and nothing to get excited about. But, I’m a mom of a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. Sleep is very exciting. It’s the thing I most look forward to all day every day. And this pillow has delivered really good, really comfortable sleep. Having a good pillow, it turns out, is just as important as having a comfy blanket. 

Admittedly, I don’t have a deep acquaintance with the world of pillows. Apart from this Canadian luxury pillow, I’ve mostly had cheapo pillows from Target. There’s a whole sphere of middle-of-the-road pillows I’ve never tried, like gel or memory foam. I should try out these pillows, too, to broaden my perspective. 

But this experience hasn’t made me curious about the mid-range pillows I’ve missed. Instead, I’m curious about Canada Down & Feather’s 850 Loft Hutterite Goose Down Pillow. If the $162 priced 625 Loft pillow delivers great sleep, then I feel like a $346 set of pillows (queen-size, firm) has got to be utterly sublime. 

If I try the 850’s, I’ll let you know. But the 625 Loft pillow, at 4.3 cents per night over 5 years, is definitely worth its hefty price tag.