Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow review: A budget-friendly set suitable for side sleepers

The Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow proves you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get good support as a side sleeper. At under £20 for two, this is a budget-friendly buy worth adding to your basket, says Susan Griffin.

One of the best pillows for side sleepers, the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow is a synthetic pillow with a 'core block for strong support', surrounded by a softer filling. It's made in the UK, machine washable at 40 degrees, and very affordable. What more could you ask for?

I've tested many of the best pillows as a tech and health writer, and this one should be applauded for its green credentials. The company’s synthetic fillings save more than 750 million plastic bottles from landfills and the brand is accredited with manufacturing with zero waste to landfill. Truly impressive.

Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow review

Specifications

• RRP: 2 for £17
• Size: 48 x74x15cm
• Sleep position: Side
• Filling: Synthetic
• Firmness: Firm
• Trial: None
• Guarantee: 1 year

First impressions of the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow

I'll be honest - I did not expect to like this pillow based on my first impressions. It looked plump but squashed down easily and I couldn't feel the 'core block in the middle like I expected to. It just felt like a soft, hollow fibre pillow.

I was preparing for a bad night's sleep - but as it turns out, first impressions can be wrong. This pillow was actually incredibly comfortable to sleep on with enough support to align the spine and neck when I was lying down on my side.

What is the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow like to use?

I was impressed with the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow from my first night. Although the pillow was flattered by the weight of my head when I used just one pillow, meaning it wasn't thick enough for good support, it was perfectly supportive with two.

With one, it felt like the pillow just wasn't quite plump enough as my head tilted down towards the bed - but I thought that two would be too many, as it normally is.

How wrong I was. Two pillows may have looked and felt like a lot, but they dipped down under my head's weight to put my spine in a good position after all. So the fact that the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow comes in a pack of two for a very keen price was perfect.

When it comes to storing this pillow, the Slumberdown comes in recyclable packaging made of thin plastic. Given the brand's eco-friendly credentials, this is hardly surprising. However, it does mean that storing this pillow when it's not being used is harder. Many other pillows - including the Snuggledown Hotel Luxurious Side Sleeper Pillow - come in thicker, reuseable plastic packaging that would keep the pillow clean and dry in storage. So, if you're looking to fit out a guest bedroom with a new set of pillows, it may be better to opt for another pillow instead.

How does the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow compare?

Sure, the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow isn't the perfect pillow. In my eyes, that's the Simba Hybrid Firm Support Pillow. This is my favourite pillow for side sleepers as you can adjust its thickness and firmness to suit your sleep style - but it’s pricey. One of the biggest wins for the Slumberdown is its budget-friendly price tag.

The Bensons for Beds iGel Side Sleeper Deep Pillow costs half as much as the Simba and is impressive - so long as you exclusively sleep on your side. For affordable and comfortable, the Dreams Side Sleeper Pillow is good – on par with the Slumberdown, but in testing, I found I didn't need to use two pillows.

Should you buy the Slumberdown Super Support Firmer Pillow?

Even though you need both pillows for good support, I found this to be an impressive pillow. For me, it hit the sweet spot of being soft yet supportive. It’s affordable and it feels nice and soft. One is enough if you sleep on your back.

However, other pillows are more versatile if you shift position in the night, as many of us do.