****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I, like many other reviewers, needed a pillow to help me sleep propped up due to a surgery and other health reasons. The delivery came within 3 days of ordering, just in time for when I needed it.I've noticed a few negative reviews are complaints that the foam isn't expanding. If you've never ordered memory foam from Amazon, it's pretty understandable why you'd be frustrated, especially if you don't know how to fluff it so it properly expands. I thought I would offer a few tips so people could know exactly what to do. The photos are from 10 minutes after opening the box, and I opened it about 2 minutes after it was delivered. My personal review comes after the tips, if you'd rather skip to that.1. It's best to open it ASAP. This gives the best chance of it being able to expand how you are probably expecting it to.2. The filling is shredded memory foam. This is what keeps the product relatively low-cost. It's also why full-foam products are more expensive. It's just easier to fill a pillow with shredded foam than making a foam insert that fits the cover. Other reviewers have posted photos of the inside, so you can get an idea of what it looks like.3. When you take it out of the box, it will probably feel a bit lumpy, but mostly solid. The package is vacuum sealed, so all the foam is mushed together. You need to thoroughly fluff the pillow so that the shredded pieces can separate, allowing each of them to expand. If you don't, it's highly likely that a lot of pieces will sorta stick together, making it feel more lumpy and look a bit..pathetic.4. Foam needs air to expand. Hence why in #3 you need to make sure the shredded pieces both have room to expand, and are able to get enough air to.5. To fluff, I recommend starting from the bottom of the pillow (the neck pillow is a single piece of foam, as opposed to shredded, and the cylindrical leg pillow is small, so it's way easier to fluff). You can open the cover and the insert to allow more air in, but you run the chance of a few shredded pieces getting out and making a mess (I think another reviewer posted what this mess can look like). You'll then need to whack the pillow on each side, near the joint where each arm piece is, and the arm pieces. The arm pieces will feel a bit floppy, so you might need to "push" some foam there from the outside of the insert. The top where the handle is will need extra attention, as all the foam will fall to the bottom. You can flip the pillow over and whack it to knock some pieces towards the handle, but it won't be as fluffy as the bottom due to, you know, gravity.5. If you spend like 5-10 minutes making sure the foam is separated, the pillow should expand pretty quickly, but I'd still let it sit for a few hours. By the time I've finished writing this review (which I began right after fluffing my pillow, so about 30 minutes after receiving it), it's already fluffed up to my expectations.6. I didn't notice a smell, but I don't notice many smells. Foam is stinky. Fluff/air it out properly and after a few days an scent should dissipate.Actual review time:Since I just received it, I will update the review in about a week (on 5/25/21) if anything significant changes. If not, well then it's a pretty dang good deal.For reference, I ordered the "Hot Pink" pillow, as I was trying to find something that matched my couch a bit. It doesn't, since my couch is more magenta and the pillow is a very bold hot pink/fuchsia, but it's the perfect color for me regardless. I turned off any filters on my phone to try to get an accurate photo of the color, but my iPhone 7 supersaturated it with a slight aura anyway. I do recommend this color if you're looking for a hot pink, but not if you just want a plain or blush pink.The fabric is soft and comfortable, but it does feel a bit cheap. I was anticipating this, but I don't think it will cause a problem anytime soon. There were a few threads sticking out from some seams that were a bit annoying.I really like the pockets on the arms. I read on my phone at night and tend to fall asleep holding it, so sometimes I end up dropping it on the floor and probably wake up my downstairs neighbors. Usually I try to tuck my phone under my pillow, but having the pockets will be super useful.I gave it 4 stars because it's not a super high-quality, absolutely flawless item, but that's okay.I also don't trust 5-star reviews anymore.
