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Verdict

For those that love a feather pillow but prefer a synthetic option, the Simba Hybrid pillow is for you. Its soft open-cell Nanocubes give softness and support, and you can take out any you don’t want in order to adjust the pillow’s feel and height. Excellent heat dissipation and a washable cover make this a brilliant alternative to feather pillows and one of the best pillows on the market.

Pros

  • Customisable height and softness
  • Very comfortable
  • Supportive

Cons

  • Expensive

Availability

  • UKRRP: £108

Key Features

  • FillingNanocubes give a soft feather-like feel, and you can remove extra ones to adjust the pillow’s height and comfort.
  • Trial30-night trial for all Simba pillows.

Introduction

I like the feel of feather pillows, but they’re not an option because of the way that animals are treated to collect the feathers.

For years, I’ve been hunting for a synthetic version that gives a similar experience, only cruelty-free. Finally, the Simba Hybrid Pillow delivers what I want.

Supremely comfortable, completely customisable and brilliant at maintaining its shape, this is the best pillow that I’ve ever used.

Design and filling

  • Adjustable filling
  • Chunky body
  • Two-sided

Out of the box, the Simba Hybrid Pillow expands up into a super-chunky pillow. It’s so large in its default configuration that it’s almost too large to get into a regular pillowcase. In this configuration, the pillow is quite firm, yet it has a trick.

Open up the zip, and inside are the Nanocube fillings: open-cell foam cubes. Thanks to the mesh bag in the box, I could empty some of the Nanocubes, making the pillow slightly less firm and more attuned to my preferences.

Simba Hybrid Pillow Nanocubes
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

Each Nanocube is a clever bit of engineering, compressing down when pressure is applied but springing back into its original shape when left alone.

As with the open-cell technology on Simba’s mattress products, such as the Simba Hybrid Pro, the Nanocells are designed to be comfortable and supportive while improving airflow.

Simba Hybrid Pillow filling
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

Around the side of the pillow is a turquoise strip. With this side up, you sleep on the Stratos layer. Comprised of phase change material, it absorbs, stores and releases heat on demand, helping remove heat.

Simba Hybrid Pillow fabric close up
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

Flip the pillow over, and there’s a cotton top certified by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a non-profit that’s there to improve the lives of the growers and the environment.

As it’s hard to see which way up the pillow is when inserted into a case, I recommend checking before making the bed up. Finally, there’s a microfibre layer that sits between the surface and the Nanocubes.

Simba Hybrid Pillow mesh
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

While the Nanocubes aren’t washable, the pillowcase is, as is the microfibre case for the cubes. Just find somewhere safe to store the cubes while you wash.

Simba Hybrid Pillow washing instructions
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

There’s a 30-night trial of this pillow, so you can give it a go for a decent period before you decide to keep it or return it. 

Comfort

  • Nice and bouncy
  • Easy to fluff up
  • Excellent heat control

From a pure comfort point of view, the Simba Hybrid Pillow is as close to a feather pillow as I think you can get with a synthetic fill. The Nanocubes gave a level of softness, and I gently sank into my pillow. It’s a far more comfortable and natural feeling, to me, than a harder memory foam pillow.

Unlike microfibre pillows, which tend to lose their shape and require a bit of fluffing, the Simba Hybrid Pillow largely retains its shape, springing back into position. After a few nights’ sleep, the pillow can sag a little, but I recommend giving it a shake and a fluff to get it back into its best position, reorganising the Nanocubes inside.

I measured my head at a height of 12cm from the mattress when lying on my side, which is about the right height for keeping my neck straight while sleeping. That’s a good combination: the pillow gives that sink-into feeling, yet is supportive enough to keep my neck straight. Of course, you can adjust the pillow to suit different preferences and sleeping positions.

I preferred this pillow on its Stratos heat-management size. Using a thermal camera, I took a picture after lying on the pillow for ten minutes, then a photo every minute after that. After four minutes, the outline of my head was virtually gone, showing that this pillow dissipated heat well.

Simba Hybrid Pillow Heat
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Simba Hybrid Pillow Heat after one minute
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Simba Hybrid Pillow heat after two minutes
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Simba Hybrid Pillow heat after three minutes
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Simba Hybrid Pillow heat after four minutes
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

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Should you buy it?

If you want a feather-like experience in a synthetic form, then this pillow is the best that you can get.

If you want something firmer and more supportive, then a traditional memory foam pillow might make more sense.

Final Thoughts

If you like everything about feather pillows but prefer a cruelty-free, anti-allergy option, then the Simba Hybrid Pillow is incredible. To me, this adjustable pillow gives the highest level of comfort and is the closest that man-made materials can get to giving a feather-like experience. After using this pillow extensively for weeks, I wouldn’t use any other.

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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

We measure how far off the mattress our head is kept, to check how supportive the pillow is

FAQs

Is the Simba Hybrid Pillow worth it?

Yes, it’s extremely comfortable and the closest we’ve come to a feather pillow in synthetic form.

How can you adjust the Simba Hybrid Pillow?

You can remove Nanocubes from the inside to adjust the firmness and pillow height.

Trusted Reviews test data

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Full specs

UK RRP
Manufacturer
Size (Dimensions)
ASIN
Release Date
First Reviewed Date
Model Number
Washable cover
Number of layers
Layers
Pillow type
Pillow trial
Pillow customisable

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