Emma Original Pillow Review
A very firm adjustable pillow
Verdict
A supremely firm choice, the Emma Original Pillow gives a great deal of support but it doesn’t have a soft feel to it. This pillow has three adjustable layers, which you can reorganise (or remove) to get the level of comfort that you want. Even so, I found this pillow a little too firm, and there are slightly more comfortable and adjustable memory foam pillows available.
Pros
- Adjustable
- Washable cover
Cons
- Very firm
- Hard to tell layers apart
Availability
- UKRRP: £104
Key Features
- LayersThree adjustable internal foam layers.
- TrialA 30-day trial is available, so you can return this pillow if you don’t like it.
Introduction
Like a kind of mini-mattress, the Emma Original Pillow uses the company’s memory foam technology to deliver a supportive pillow.
Adjustable for comfort, the pillow can have any of its layers removed to adjust its firmness and height. I found this pillow to be a little hard and not very forgiving and I preferred the alternatives.
Design and filling
- Three layers of foam
- Good size
- Adjustable comfort
The Emma Original Pillow comes pre-stuffed with three layers of foam. They are a pressure-relieving viscoelastic memory foam, designed to distribute weight across your head, neck and shoulders evenly.
Next is the HRX (High Resiliency Extra) hyper-soft cold foam, giving a combination of firmness and softness, which Emma says keeps your spine aligned.
Finally, there’s Airocell memory foam, which enhances airflow and absorbs moisture to keep you cool and dry.
Combined, the pillow is very firm. Yet, the layers are optional, and you can remove any of them to adjust the pillow’s feel. For side sleepers, Emma recommends all three layers; back sleepers are recommended to use the viscoelastic foam with the HRX foam; stomach sleepers are advised to choose the right firmness and height and go for it.
Given the various combinations that the foam can be inserted in, and then the choices of which fillings to go for, the Emma Original Pillow is highly customisable. The downside is that trying the pillow isn’t quite as easy as unboxing it: various combinations should be tried until you hit the level of support and comfort you like.
Of course, it may mean that you end up with some layers that you don’t want, and have to store the ones that you’re not using. I also found it slightly confusing that the layers are all the same colour. On Emma’s website, it shows the layers in different colours, making it easy to distinguish between them. I had to base my decision on touch and feel.
The soft cotton exterior can be removed and washed at 40°C, keeping the pillow in its best condition.
There’s a 30-day trial available of this pillow, so you can try it out before you commit to keeping it.
Comfort
- Very firm
- Good levels of support
I found the Emma Original Pillow very firm. Straight out of the box, with the default three layers, it was almost too firm to me as a side sleeper. In fact, it felt a little like sleeping on a tiny firm memory foam mattress.
I was about to give up, but then I tried playing with the layers, and found a combination that suited me better. I still felt as though the Emma Original Pillow was firm, as is typical for memory foam pillows, but I managed to get the right balance to make it more comfortable with a softer feel on top.
Laying down on my side, I measured that my head was kept 13cm from the mattress, which is towards the top end of what I’d expect. Still, this shows that the mattress is firm, but that it supports well, keeping my spine level.
I found that this mattress kept its shape well, bouncing back after I’d used it into its original shape without dipping.
I used a thermal camera to see how quickly the pillow could dissipate heat. I took an image every minute. Even after five minutes, the outline of my head can be seen clearly, showing that this pillow holds onto heat.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a very firm, customisable pillow, then this is a good choice, and it’s easy to look after.
If you’d prefer something slightly softer, there are better alternatives.
Final Thoughts
Memory foam pillows are much harder than pillows with other fillings. If you want a more natural, feather-like experience, then the Simba Hybrid should be the model that you buy. Play with the layers on this model, and it’s possible to balance comfort against support in a way that suits your own sleeping style. Even so, I did find this pillow to be quite firm and I found the similar Simba Hybrid Firm to be a better choice for those that want firmness and comfort.
How we test
We test every pillow we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main pillow for the review period
We use a thermal camera to see how quickly the pillow can dissipate heat for a comfortable night’s sleep.
We measure how far off the mattress our head is kept, to check how supportive the pillow is
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FAQs
Yes, you can use any combination of the three internal foam layers.
The outer cover can be washed but the internal layers can not be.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
