Mattress Forum

I purchased Nature's Rest zoned plush from Costco too but found that it was too high for my neck to rest comfortably.  As a back sleeper, my neck was at an angle.  As a side sleeper, it was very comfortable and positioned my neck well.  It was too springy, too high, and too expensive for what I needed. 

After returning the Nature's Rest pillow, I went for a contoured memory foam pillow.  The one at Costco felt cheap and thinned down, resulting in a very low profile.  Now I have the memory foam pillow from Overstock.com that had the highest reviews and it wasn't as impressive as the rating would lead you to believe.  It is still too low for me.  

Currently, I'm just using the shredded memory foam pillows I got from Costco a few months ago but the filling ends up being pushed back.  I don't think I will ever find the right pillow at this rate but I have sooo many pillows I'm too lazy to return so I never have to worry about having the right pillow for guests.  

I also ordered the LinenSpa zoned queen plush latex from Amazon. But, I have a feeling that won't do the trick either. 
I'm still somewhat shocked by just how bouncy and springy the "firm" model was. It was like a foam rubber ball! I can't believe anybody can sleep on that. NFW that I can.

As it is made in China, there is a good chance it's synthetic as well, despite being sold as "natural". Shoot, there's a good chance it's made from Tiger marrow, used motor oil, and political prisoners.

I would compare the feeling of these pillows to resting one's head on a balloon. The plush is not inflated as much as the firm was. But, who really wants to sleep with their head on a balloon?

Also, the odor these pillows have, while faint, is not like a natural odor. It strikes me as more of a synthetic smell. Which makes me wonder if it's 100% natural talalay, as advertised.

I have also a plethora of slightly used pillows around here from different stages of my life, different beds, etc.  Not only are there always pillows for overnight guests, but I even donated some to the Red Cross when a fire swept through here a couple of years ago.  People who are fleeing their homes in panic don't remember to take their pillows.  So they helped people.

You can play with Target pillows rather cheaply.  There is a really nice one that is a firm, has a light green piping on the edge.  I've had a bunch of these, they work great until they go flat in the middle....but they are like seven bucks so who cares.  You an also buy foam in the appropriate thickness(between 4" and 5.5" it sounds like) from a foam source...and cut it with an electric carving knife to work for you.  You could even layer foam to your own imagination and glue it when you find the right combo.

Also, you could add a little layer of foam to the underside of the pillow you liked but was too short to make it perfect.  I've done this.  I have a little square of pink memory foam, a trial piece from Rocky Mountain Mattress, that I've used all over the place for different things.  Sometimes it is a chair cushion, a low back cushion, part of a pillow, many uses.

Chances of you finding the perfect pillow are somewhat slim.  You could spend thousands at the rate you are going.  Then if you did find the perfect pillow it might only work for a short time...things change with the body.

Currently I am sleeping with a little, ratty pillow that has some sort of shredded foam in it.  No idea where it came from, but it just works splendidly.  Found it in our closet from some past experiment or trial.  Kinda like down, but a bit more supportive. 

Good luck!\

Kait

Luckily, I've been buying from retailers that allow returns. So, no money lost so far. I've been able to return both LinenSpa pillows to Amazon. (The 2nd one is boxed up and ready to go.) The Costco pillow, which hasn't been shipped yet for some odd reason, can be brought back to my local Costco around the corner. And, I am about to pull the string on a Sensus 4.5" thick king contour pillow from absolutecomfortonsale, which has a 30 day comfort guarantee. I was even able to sell the TP Symphony pillow I got "free" with our bed thru Craigslist, so I got some money back on that one, as well.

I have a feeling the 4.5" thick Sensus pillow will do the trick, as my wife's Tempur contour pillow is almost perfect. It's just a scoshe too shallow at 4". But, they don't offer the 4.5" "large" in king, only queen. I prefer king. Plus,the TP queen large is $159. I understand that Sensus is the closest thing out there to Tempur foam. And, if it's also too short, I've already thought about adding a layer of MF at the bottom, like you suggest. (Great minds...) 

In the mean time, shaping my dense down pillows specifically for neck support has worked pretty well. The great thing is that I can use them for stomach sleeping too, which I can't do with MF contour pillows.

I'm a great fan of down/feather pillows for exactly that reason, you can shape them into the crook of your neck for support.  My husband has a latex pillow that he likes but makes my down ear and jaw hurt.  I luv down pillows!

Is that like a sweet tooth, except you love down instead of chocolate?

O.K., I confess,  luuvvvv down pillows AND the darkest of dark chocolate!
 

BTW, I would have ordered from RMM, as their CS was extremely responsive and helpful with my email questions. Unfortunately, RMM does not offer a comfort guarantee on pillows, and AC does. So, I chose AC based on that factor alone, as both vendors had the same product at the same price.