For the pillow connoisseur who needs a top-quality, small pillow for a special purpose, not a bed pillow.
I decided to write this review because there seems to be some confusion about this little pillow. It's advertised as a "travel pillow." Whatever you plan on using it for, just keep in mind that it's the size of a "travel pillow" and not the standard or king size pillow on your bed. The actual size is exactly what the advertisement says it is: 12 inches x 16 inches. Think of the little pillows you get in economy class on an airline. This pillow is that size, but oh so different, which is what I'm going to describe. Why I bought it: I woke up a few days ago having slept too long and had a painful muscle cramp in my neck. I looked at my down bed pillows, and they have gotten "flat," so decided it was time to get new pillows. I ordered some high-quality Hungarian goose down bed pillows to replace my bed pillows, but then I got to thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have just a small, firm, down pillow that I can put between my face and shoulder when I sleep on my side, to make sure my head is held up (in addition to a regular bed pillow). Normally I would just pack a bed pillow until it fills the space, but I had the thought that a small pillow might do the job better. My search for a small down pillow: I had no idea it would be so difficult to find a quality down pillow in the small size. This size is typically listed as "travel pillow" or "baby pillow." Most pillows this small size are filled with polyester, like the airline pillows. There are also specialty neck pillows in foam. I didn't want foam or polyester; I wanted a goose down filled pillow, and with a cotton cover. Amazon doesn't offer many options, but this one popped up and I took some time looking at the specs and comparing with the few other options available on the Internet. So I ordered it. Communication: After I ordered it, I read a few of the reviews and realized that the pillow can be "customized" to add more down. It comes with 4 ounces of down, but I wanted to make sure I got a firm pillow. I wrote to the Seller, Jack, at All About Down, in Seattle, asking if they could add more down. He wrote back right away and said to telephone him, which I did. He showed his concern about my needs, asking questions to make sure I really wanted the travel size pillow and not something larger, which I can understand now that I've seen several reviewers complain that the pillow is "too small" and didn't fit on their king sized bed. He said that they can make pillows in any size. He also explained that the 4 ounce size pillow is not firm and that more down can be added. He said that the 8 ounce pillow is firm, has little give, but is still soft. They can pack it with even more down, he said, but it might be too firm. I decided to go with the 8 ounces. Cost: The pillow as sold on Amazon is the basic cost, but if you want to "customize" it and have it filled with more down, then it costs more. I wound up paying an additional $28 plus $4 extra in shipping to get an additional 4 ounces of down fill, bringing it to a total of 8 ounces of fill. I felt like it was an awful lot of money, but I really wanted a firm pillow, and the thought occurred to me that any other source might not have the option to add extra down, and I would be disappointed if it didn't turn out to be firm. The additional cost is not an Amazon purchase, but I was glad it was available. So the little pillow wound up costing me quite a lot. But, compared to the Hungarian goose down bed-sized pillows I had ordered, the total cost of getting a firm, small pillow with European goose down was proportional to its size. Description: I was surprised that the pillow arrived so quickly. I ordered it Friday and received it on Monday. It came in a Priority mail box and the pillow was protected in a clear plastic bag. The pillow did measure 12 inches x 16 inches. I squeezed it and found no evidence of feathers poking through. It was also "firm" and "soft" (squishable). I could see that if I had asked for any more down than 8 ounces total, the pillow would be busting its seams. The cover shows excellent craftsmanship in sewing a nice white cording around the edges. The cotton fabric, which is cream-color, looks very dense, although I can't tell what the thread count is. It has two labels.. One is the obligatory "under penalty of law this tag not to be removed except by the consumer" - it says: All new material consisting of goose down (minimum 88% down), contents sterilized, made by All About Down . . .covering: 100% cotton, imported from Germany, filled and finished in the USA. The other label says: Branscher Tuch, qualitat und tradition, SanProCare (c) Textiles Vertrauen - Schadstoffgeprüfte Textilien nach Öko-Tex-Standard 100 [which means it's tested for harmful substances under the Öko-Tex-Standard, with environmentally friendly production). It also says (in English): Finest down proof fabric, made in Germany. -- The cover does look very nice, and the pillow is chock-full of down, or "firm" with the additional down I requested, making a total of 8 ounces of down. If you press down on the pillow it's hard to make it go down more than half (2 inches) of its fluffed height, and bounces right back. The fluffed height is roughly 4 inches in the middle of the pillow (after "customizing" with 8 ounces of down). This pillow compresses to maybe half its size, and as one reviewer noted, would fit in a gallon-sized Zip-log bag. The 4-ounce down fill sold on Amazon would be thinner and compress more, I suspect. I bought a zippered pillow cover and a flannel pillow case from other sources, but the Seller does have a nice range of pillow cases to sell that fit this pillow. Final thoughts: This pillow turned out to be exactly what I wanted, after the "customization." I wasn't looking for a pillow to use for an airplane trip - I purchased something else for plane trips (see my review for the Kuhi Comfort Original Travel pillow which I purchased in 2014). My purpose for the "travel" pillow was to have that small size in a firm down pillow to put between my shoulder and head for side-sleeping, and it works really well for that. I've also been using it to place in the small of my back, so I may wind up ordering a second one just like it. Other reviewers have noted that it's a good idea to buy a pillow case with a different color from the airline pillows, or you might forget it on the airplane. It doesn't come with a bag, but seems like it would fit in a backpack or large briefcase with your laptop. People who buy this pillow for airline travel might prefer the 4 ounce fill as advertised on Amazon (without customization to add more fill), unless you like a firm pillow. I can see this pillow as being useful for car trips in the passenger seat, as well as for airplanes, but I prefer the Kuhi travel pillow for airline travel. Read more