Pillow Buying Guide

Eiderdown offers the biggest range of Down Pillows available anywhere in New Zealand so when it comes to choosing a pillow, we realise there is no one size fits all, so our experts have made a guide to help you find the perfect fit for you! Combined with our Warranty & Returns policy, this guide will help you choose with confidence the ideal pillow to help you get a great night’s sleep. All of our pillows are made locally in New Zealand at our Dunedin factory meaning we can work with our customers to help make the right choice for them. We also offer Custom Pillows if you're looking for something a little different to our standard options. Our expert team is only a phone call or email away so please contact us for any questions about what is right for you. 

When shopping for the right pillow that best suits your needs of comfort and support to its important to consider the following:

1. Your sleeping position.
2. The Natural and sustainable pillow fill Material options specifically Hungarian Goose & Duck Down, New Zealand Alpaca, and New Zealand Wool.
3. Pillow construction, firmness, and fill level/loft(height)
4. Are you a Hot Sleeper?
5. Health issues, sore neck, shoulders
6. Size of Pillow - Standard, Euro or Lodge?

The position you sleep in is one of the best ways to determine what type of pillow you need. Finding something that is right for how you sleep will go a long way to helping get a restful nights sleep.

If you sleep on your side, then you will need a pillow that supports the head and neck, and keeps your ears in line with your shoulders to prevent your neck extending in either direction. This means that a lot of side sleepers need a pillow that has a higher quantity of fill creating more loft, which our 'High Loft' pillows are perfect for. Of course, people who are of smaller stature may not require that much fill so may find 'Medium Loft ' pillows the best choice. All of our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down pillows come with a High Loft or Firm option which is best suited for side sleepers.

View Hungarian Goose & Duck Down Pillows

Back sleepers require a little bit of extra support for their neck without tilting their head forward. This means that a 'Medium loft” pillow is best suited to back sleepers.
A 'Medium loft' pillow is a great all-rounder and can provide support for back sleepers as well as smaller/medium build side sleepers. This is the most common fill level for pillows so the right choice comes down to the type of fill you would like. You can find more information on our fill types below.

View Pillows

Lower profile pillows are ideal for stomach sleepers. They give you something soft to sleep on without lifting your head too much to cause neck pain. Our 90% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow is the lowest profile option we have and with its 'Low Loft' fill level, makes it the ideal choice.

View 90% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow

If you switch positions throughout the night, we suggest a 'Medium Loft' pillow or a pillow where the fill is malleable and can be scrunched or folded to allow you to adjust to your sleep position. Our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down pillows are ideal for this type of sleeper.

Down is the Premium and versatile fill option for pillows. During the production process we can control the fill level/loft(Height of pillow), the fill composition (% Down and feather) and the density (soft/firmness) to create beautifully soft pillows that can also be incredibly supportive. The down is blow filled into pillowcases which means we can offer it in different fill levels for each of the types of down, helping create ideal pillow options for everyone.
Down creates the softness with the higher the down percentage the softer the pillow is to the touch, while the feather gives the pillow the support. These pillows cradle your head giving a luxurious cloud like comfort. You can find out more about our Hungarian Goose & Duck Down at the below link, including the difference between the two fill types.
90% Hungarian Goose down pillows have a filling power of 800+ which makes these pillows loftier, more insulating and lighter with exceptional resilience and rebound creating a cloud like experience.
This supportive yet airy quality makes them so comfortable and supportive with generous cradling for luxurious comfort.
A high loft Down Pillow will support a side-sleeping habit and medium loft option that is not too firm or soft is ideal if you change positions on your sleep.
Higher % feather (50% down/50% feather) pillows are heavier than down pillows and love to be scrunched up or folded into the perfect sleeping position either under your head, between your knees or behind your back.

About Hungarian Goose & Duck Down

Our Alpaca pillows are now an adjustable pillow that is filled to a Firm level (1200 grams) to provide maximum support. They have a 15cm zip in the case so Alpaca fill can be removed to suit your needs, making these our most versatile pillows yet. It also has the benefit of Alpaca’s superior moisture-wicking ability to help draw away any excess moisture keeping your head dry and comfortable throughout the night. If you are someone who’s head gets warm (A Hot Sleeper) throughout the night then this is a great pillow for you.

View Adjustable Alpaca Pillow

Our Wool pillows are now an adjustable pillow that is filled to a Firm level to provide maximum support. They have a 15cm zip in the case so fill can be removed to suit your needs, making these our most versatile pillows yet. This pillow is breathable and hypoallergenic making it a great alternative to Down pillows for allergy sufferers.

View Adjustable Wool Pillow

Our scented pillows are now filled with 100% New Zealand Wool Joma Pearls. This is a good durable fill that creates a 'low/medium loft' fill level pillow that combined with our beautiful scents can help with a great nights sleep.\

All our Hungarian Goose and duck down pillows are made in various fill grades (% Down /% Feather) and also various fill weights. The combination of grade and weight give many options to suit your personal requirements. See attached table
You can see from the table the lightest and softest, yet supportive pillows are in the high down %. Lower Down % have a higher fill weight to ensure comfort and support.
We only make single chamber pillows using our Hungarian down blends. Multiple chambers with feather centres and down filled surrounds are designed for economy not comfort so our recommendation is to avoid this style of construction.

The Alpaca pillow come with antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and moisture-wicking 100% cotton covers, making these pillows a favourite among hot sleepers as well as those with allergies and asthma. Hot sleepers particularly appreciate the pillow’s construction: the cotton cover is naturally breathable
Down pillows with natural breathability of Down and cotton cover are also good choices for Hot Sleepers.

If you experience shoulder pain then ensure you choose a pillow that conforms to fill in the space around your head, neck, and shoulders — supporting proper spinal alignment and relieving pressure from your shoulder. The 50% 'High Loft' Down pillow also enables this pillow to maintain its shape throughout the night, so you experience solid support all night long.

Traveling

Size of Pillow

Most of our pillows come in the New Zealand standard size of 45 x 71cm plus USA Sizing 20” x 26” but we do offer a couple of additional sizes as part of our range, Euro/European & Lodge/King and a Compact Travel pillow option.

Euro/European Size

Euro/European Pillows are a square 65 x 65cm /26” x 26“ pillow that are largely used for sitting reading in bed or as a decorative pillow in New Zealand. The fill weights of these pillows will proper support in use. We have this size available as an option in our New Zealand Wool Pearls, 5% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow and 50% Hungarian Duck Down fills.

Lodge/King Size

Lodge/King size Pillows are a larger 50 x 90cm / 20” x 30” pillow and are growing in popularity as beds get larger. These can be used for larger size beds such as King/ Super King and Cal King or as singular pillows on smaller beds. We have this size available as an option filled with New Zealand Wool Pearls, 5% Hungarian Goose Down, 90% Hungarian Goose Down, 25% Hungarian Duck Down, 50% Hungarian Duck down, or 80% Hungarian Duck Down.

Travel Pillows

Our Travel Pillows are 33 x 45 cm / 13” x 18” are a travel sized pillows designed to give travelers a fabulously comfortable and supportive pillow for use in planes, trains , any mode of transportation , accommodation options and lodgings. They are also light weight and compact and come in 25% Hungarian Duck Down, 80% Hungarian Duck down and 90% Hungarian goose down.

Down Pillow Fill Levels

New Zealand Pillows

Fill Type	Loft/Fill Level	Fill Weight (grams)
Hungarian Goose Down
90% Standard 45x71cm	Low Loft	400
	Medium Loft	550
	High Loft	700
90% Lodge 50x90cm	Medium Loft	1000
90% Travel 33x45cm	Medium Loft	200
80% Standard 45x71cm	Medium Loft	550
	High Loft	650
50% Standard 45x71cm	Medium Loft	750
	High Loft	850
5% Standard 45x71cm	Medium	900
	Firm	1100
5% Lodge 50x90cm	Medium Loft	1800
5% Euro 65x65cm	Medium Loft	1800
Hungarian Duck Down
80% Standard 45x71cm	Medium Loft	550
	High Loft	650
80% Lodge 50x90cm	Medium Loft	1100
80% Travel 33x45cm	Medium Loft	300
50% Standard 45x71cm	Medium Loft	750
	High Loft	850
50% Lodge 50x90cm	Medium Loft	1300
50% Euro 65x65cm	Medium Loft	1300
25% Standard 45x71cm	Soft	700
	Medium	900
	Firm	1100
25% Lodge 50x90cm	Medium Loft	1600
25% Travel 33x45cm	Medium Loft	400

US Size Pillows

Fill Type	Loft/Fill Level	Fill Weight (Ounces)
Hungarian Goose Down
90% Standard 20x20in	Low Loft	15
	Medium Loft	20.5
	High Loft	26
90% King 20x30in	Medium Loft	35.5
90% Travel 13x18in	Medium Loft	7
80% Standard 20x20in	Medium Loft	20.5
	High Loft	24
50% Standard 20x20in	Medium Loft	30
	High Loft	35.5
5% Standard 20x20in	Medium	41
	Firm	46
5% King 20x30in	Medium Loft	63.5
5% Euro 26x26in	Medium Loft	63.5
Hungarian Duck Down
80% Standard 20x20in	Medium Loft	20.5
	High Loft	24
80% King 20x30in	Medium Loft	39
80% Travel 13x18in	Medium Loft	10.5
50% Standard 20x20in	Medium Loft	28
	High Loft	31.5
50% King 20x30in	Medium Loft	46
50% Euro 26x26in	Medium Loft	46
25% Standard 20x20in	Soft	26
	Medium	33.5
	Firm	40.5
25% King 20x30in	Medium Loft	56.5
25% Travel 13x18in	Medium Loft	14