The Carbon Air Pillow Review

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Your sleep quality is almost entirely dependent upon your sleep comfort, and although many believe your mattress is the main culprit of comfort issues, you should definitely first check out your pillow before investing in anything new. A pillow is highly influential to your spinal alignment and overall body support. Finding the right pillow can make a huge difference in how you sleep each night.

The Carbon Air Pillow comes recommended by The Sleep Judge Review Team. We have personally slept with and checked out the claim made by the manufacturer and our unbiased option is found below. If any of the following is something you are struggling with, you may want to consider this pillow option:

• You struggle with shoulder or lower back pain
• You sleep hot
• You love the feel of a foam pillow, but struggle with heat retention
• You struggle with pillows going flat
• You want a dependable pillow that won’t need to be replaced after only a year of use

About the Eight Sleep Company

The Eight Sleep Company believes in combining technology and comfort to create advanced, affordable, quality sleep products. The release of their mattress includes a built-in sleep monitor to provide you with detailed insight into your sleep habits, and needs. Combined with their other products, you can pick and choose which products you feel are best for your rest.

They back their products with a guarantee, sleep trials, and healthy warranties against defects. Plus, they offer free shipping both ways, meaning if you aren’t sold on the product, you can get a full refund.

Their Carbon Air Pillow is a simple enough design, but introduces infused memory foam in a way many have never attempted. It is conforming, yet built to support a wide array of side and back sleepers. It also is created to provide amazing cooling properties.

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Shipping, Unboxing, and Offgassing

The Carbon Air Pillow arrived in a plain cardboard box within a week after ordering it from my front door. I prefer that companies ship in this manner so as not to draw attention to what’s inside.

The pillow was packaged nicely inside a durable plastic carrying case to help keep it protected, and I was happy to see that it wasn’t compressed during shipment. Although many forms can be stored easier when compressed, when stored in such a manner for too long, this can more quickly break down their cellular structure and leave them less durable. There also were ZERO off-gassing despite being stored in plastic, which was a relief since I’m sensitive to the release of those pent-up chemicals.

Initial Impressions

I’m not a huge fan of memory foam overall (a personal preference), but I have run across some great products from time to time and I absolutely liked the overall feel of this pillow. Much lighter than most memory foams, the pillow was easy to grab hold of and had an immediate response and bounce back- unlike denser, heavier foams that take time to confirm your weight.

I prefer a soft, yet supportive pillow and just the initial, overall feel of The Carbon Air promised to sand up to what the company features it as. I also was able to immediately feel the coolness of the material blend it uses through the thin cover.

One thing I wasn’t incredibly impressed with was the overall length of the queen. It seemed long, and although it fits in a queen-size pillowcase, it only just barely fit in there and extended into the decorative end of a bag-style case.

Construction

As mentioned, the overall construction felt spot on from the start. This is a pillow that is supposed to be all-inclusive for back and side sleepers, and provide a cooling support surface that conforms to support your head, neck, and shoulders.

Material Casing

The open weave, the lightweight casing is made from a Tencel Lyocell/Polyester blend. This is a natural fiber material that is hypoallergenic, breathable, and cooling. When woven with a poly thread, it makes it a very durable option.

I often find the basic covers of these pillows to easily snag and be a bit flimsy overall. But this case was smooth, well designed, and not at all ‘thready’ to create an easy to snag surface. It also felt very durable, and can easily be laundered if needed.

Lay Flat, Wrap Around Zipper

Many cases only have a zipper that runs along one edge of the pillow, making it difficult to squeeze the foam in and out of. This zipper wraps slightly along both edges to make a larger opening to easily take on and off.

The zipper also lays flat and is sewn close to the piping along the seam to avoid any inconsistencies along with the case. It blends so well into the case, both visually and by feel, I initially had to turn the pillow a few times to determine exactly where it was.

Filling

The pillow itself is made from graphite (carbon) infused, polyurethane foam. This is a low-resilience memory foam construction to provide instant weight response and pressure relief without sacrificing support. The top of the pillow is coated with a cooling gel that draws heat from the body.

This gel is highly effective, and the cooling effect can be felt immediately through the case. This is not magic, however, but rather the physics of heat conduction. The gel works to bring the temperature of its environment into balance with the temperature of your skin surface. Therefore, your warmer skin will always feel cooler when placed up against it. To keep this effect from reaching equilibrium, the foam is also inundated with hundreds of airflow chambers to help dissipate the heat away from the body.

Features and Benefits

As described above the main features of the Carbon Air Pillow is how it is designed for all-around comfort. To reiterate:

• Carbon Infused Foam

Carbon is another material that can help draw heat, but more than anything it is naturally antibacterial, supports a hypoallergenic experience, and also draws in odors for a fresher experience.

• Air Ventilation

The inclusion of the airflow chambers is not often seen in a memory foam due to the cellular structure that doesn’t always hold up under compression. The design of this pillow has larger chambers along the surface of the pillow, with almost three times as many smaller chambers on the bottom of the pillow, creating multiple airflow outlets.

• Cooling Gel Layer

This gel layer truly is amazing. As defined above, it pulls heat and works continually to create a cooler sleep surface. This is highly effective, and better than gel-infused foams as it creates a thicker surface for increased cooling.

• TENCEL Cover

The natural fiber cover is also naturally antibacterial, hypoallergenic, and provides cooling as well. Woven into a poly blend, this allows a more open, breathable weave so you can experience the full effects of the pillow itself.

Loft & Size Options

At approximately 5 inches tall, the pillow is the perfect height for a wide range of body shapes and sizes. It is designed specifically for side and back sleepers, although many stomach sleepers may find it comforting to lay against it in a hybrid stomach/side position.

It only comes in one size, a standard queen that measures 29 x 16 inches. This is well within the acceptable Queen size measurements, but it just feels so much longer than similar products. This could be due to the shorter width that is average, but it is a snug fit in a queen pillowcase, although it does fit.

Heat Transfer

The entire pillow is designed around providing a cooler, supportive sleep experience and it truly delivers. I am not a hot sleeper, but I found it incredibly cooling and was very impressed by how this feeling never dissipated.

I passed the pillow along to a hot sleeper to see what they thought about the design and overall feel. They were so impressed with the overall feel and consistently cool surface, I had to finagle it back in order to take the pictures needed for the article!

It is obviously the detail that has gone into this design works to support the company claims.

Durability

I’ve spoken on the durable feel of the case, and the pillow itself also feels like it is built of materials that will last. It comes with a 5-year warranty and is not supposed to compress and create a lack of support for many years. Initially, it feels very ‘springy’ and durable, and the foam is not at all dense or grainy, making me think it definitely has the life in it that is promised.

Maintenance, Protection, Care & Warranty

You definitely want to use a pillow cover with this, and as mentioned, it is a bit of a snug fit in a queen pillowcase- so you may want to consider a king even though it may be a bit large. A pillowcase provides an extra layer of protection against natural oils and dirt from your skin. It also can help soak up moisture.

If your pillow does get dirty, you can remove the case to launder, but be sure to hang dry. You also cannot put the pillow in the washing machine, so first, blot up any liquids with a towel, and then spot clean or spray with a gentle cleanser (such as dawn dish soap and water) and continue to blot until the stain is gone.

Warranty and Sleep Trial

The pillow also comes with a generous 5-year warranty that protects against manufacturer and material defects. It also comes with a 30-day sleep trial, which is plenty long enough to determine if it is a good match for you. Free shipping is included if you decide to return it.

Cost

This isn’t a cheap pillow. It does run on the high end of the quality pillow spectrum, and is currently marketed at $150 or 2 for $265. It is not unusual to pay close to or over the $100 mark for a high-end option, and since most pillows only last 18 months to 3 years before breaking down, you are paying for not only workmanship, but also the longevity of the product. Keeping that in mind, this is a fair price, especially if you purchase 2.

Reviews and Feedback

The reviews of this pillow are overwhelmingly positive and speak well to the support, comfort, and amazingly cool surface. All reviews speak to back and side sleepers, and describe the soft cushioning for the head and shoulders. Many love how well it helps to align the head and neck to the rest of their body.

Who We Recommend the Carbon Air Pillow For

If you are a hot sleeper, this is definitely a pillow you need to try. It is specifically designed to address memory foam issues with heat sinks, and the technology and design certainly deliver. Even if you aren’t seeking a cooler sleep surface, the cushioning support is excellent for a huge range of body shapes and sizes, and can help bring your head and neck into alignment and help support your shoulders.

Our Final Verdict

We most definitely recommend the Carbon Air Pillow. It is everything the company promises and more, and the incredible warranty and no-hassle sleep trial return policy makes the investment a no brainer. The price point does work against it somewhat, and the overall length to width ratio makes it look longer than what it is- plus it barely fits in a queen pillowcase. However, neither of these are worth fretting over and don’t affect the feel and comfort. Plus, you are guaranteed a full refund if you truly don’t want it.

If you are looking for a cooler sleep experience, want to provide a more comfortable sleep product to your bedding, and need a pillow that keeps its shape and supportive qualities for years to come, this is a great option.

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