Pillow Buying Guide

Eiderdown offers the biggest range of Down Pillows available anywhere in New Zealand so when it comes to choosing a pillow, we realise there is no one size fits all, so our experts have made a guide to help you find the perfect fit for you! Combined with our Warranty & Returns policy, this guide will help you choose with confidence the ideal pillow to help you get a great night’s sleep. All of our pillows are made locally in New Zealand at our Dunedin factory meaning we can work with our customers to help make the right choice for them. We also offer Custom Pillows if you're looking for something a little different to our standard options. Our expert team is only a phone call or email away so please contact us for any questions about what is right for you. 

When shopping for the right pillow that best suits your needs of comfort and support to its important to consider the following:

1. Your sleeping position.
2. The Natural and sustainable pillow fill Material options specifically Hungarian Goose & Duck Down, New Zealand Alpaca, and New Zealand Wool.
3. Pillow construction, firmness, and fill level/loft(height)
4. Are you a Hot Sleeper?
5. Health issues, sore neck, shoulders
6. Size of Pillow - Standard, Euro or Lodge?

The position you sleep in is one of the best ways to determine what type of pillow you need. Finding something that is right for how you sleep will go a long way to helping get a restful nights sleep.

If you sleep on your side, then you will need a pillow that supports the head and neck, and keeps your ears in line with your shoulders to prevent your neck extending in either direction.

This means that a lot of side sleepers need a pillow that has a higher quantity of fill creating more loft, which our 'Firm' fill level pillows are perfect for. Of course, people who are of smaller stature may not require that much fill so may find 'Medium' pillows the best choice. All of our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down pillows come with a firmer option which is best suited for side sleepers.

Back sleepers require a little bit of extra support for their neck without tilting their head forward. This means that a 'Medium' fill level pillow is best suited to back sleepers.

A 'Medium' pillow is a great all-rounder and can provide support for back sleepers as well as smaller/medium build side sleepers. This is the most common fill level for pillows so the right choice comes down to the type of fill you would like. You can find more information on our fill types below.

Lower profile pillows are ideal for stomach sleepers. They give you something soft to sleep on without lifting your head too much to cause neck pain. Our 90% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow is the lowest profile option we have and with its 'Soft/Medium' fill level, makes it the ideal choice.

If you switch positions throughout the night, we suggest a 'Medium' pillow or a pillow where the fill is malleable and can be scrunched or folded to allow you to adjust to your sleep position. Our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down pillows are ideal for this type of sleeper

Down is the Premium and versatile fill option for pillows. During the production process we can control the fill level/loft(Height of pillow), the fill composition (% Down and feather) and the density (soft/firmness) to create beautifully soft pillows that can also be incredibly supportive. The down is blow filled into pillowcases which means we can offer it in different fill levels for each of the types of down, helping create ideal pillow options for everyone.

Down creates the softness with the higher the down percentage the softer the pillow is to the touch, while the feather gives the pillow the support. These pillows cradle your head giving a luxurious cloud like comfort. You can find out more about our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down at the below link, including the difference between the two fill types.

90% Hungarian Goose down pillows have a filling power of 750+ which makes these pillows loftier, more insulating and lighter with exceptional resilience and rebound creating a cloud like experience.

This supportive yet airy quality makes them so comfortable and supportive with generous cradling for luxurious comfort.

A firm Down Pillow will support a side-sleeping habit and medium option that is not too firm or soft is ideal if you change positions on your sleep.

Higher % feather (50% down/50% feather) pillows are heavier than down pillows and love to be scrunched up or folded into the perfect sleeping position either under your head, between your knees or behind your back.

Our Alpaca pillows are now an adjustable pillow that is filled to a Firm level to provide maximum support. They have a 15cm zip in the case so fill can be removed to suit your needs, making these our most versatile pillows yet. It also has the benefit of Alpaca’s superior moisture-wicking ability to help draw away any excess moisture keeping your head dry and comfortable throughout the night. If you are someone who’s head gets warm (A Hot Sleeper) throughout the night then this is a great pillow for you.

Our scented pillows are now filled with 100% New Zealand Wool Joma Pearls. This is a good durable fill that creates a 'Soft/Medium' fill level pillow that combined with our beautiful scents can help with a great nights sleep.

All our Hungarian Goose and duck down pillows are made in various fill grades ( % Down /% Feather) and also various fill weights. The combination of grade and weight give many options to suit your personal requirements. See attached table

You can see from the table the lightest and softest, yet supportive pillows are in the high down %. Lower Down % have a higher fill weight to ensure comfort and support.

We only make single chamber pillows using our Hungarian down blends. Multiple chambers with feather centers and down filled surrounds are designed for economy not comfort so our recommendation is to avoid this style of construction.

The Alpaca pillow come with antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and moisture-wicking 100% cotton covers, making these pillows a favorite among hot sleepers as well as those with allergies and asthma. Hot sleepers particularly appreciate the pillow’s construction: the cotton cover is naturally breathable

Down pillows with natural breathability of Down and cotton cover are also good choices for Hot Sleepers.

If you experience shoulder pain then ensure you choose a pillow that conforms to fill in the space around your head, neck, and shoulders — supporting proper spinal alignment and relieving pressure from your shoulder. The 50% 'Firm' Down pillow also enables this pillow to maintain its shape throughout the night, so you experience solid support all night long.

The Wool/Poly blend pillow which is a 'Medium/Firm' pillow has excellent resilience and rebound and is also another excellent choice to support head and shoulders.

Size of Pillow

Most of our pillows come in the New Zealand standard size of 45 x 71cm but we do offer a couple of additional sizes as part of our range, Euro/European & Lodge.

Euro/European Size

Euro/European Pillows are a square 65 x 65cm pillow that are largely used for sitting reading in bed or as a decorative pillow in New Zealand. We have this size available as an option in our 5% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow.

Lodge Size

Lodge size Pillows are a larger 50 x 90cm rectangular pillow. These can be used for larger size beds or as singular pillows on smaller beds. We have this size available as an option in our 5% Hungarian Goose Down or 25% Hungarian Duck Down Pillows.

Down Pillow Fill Levels