For most of my life, I invested very little in ensuring comfortable sleep. I spent many years snoozing on an Ikea mattress, under hand-me-down sheets, head propped up on whatever pillows Marshalls had on sale. And for the most part, I was fine. Maybe my neck ached a little in the mornings, but most adults’ did, right?
Then I started to think that perhaps there was something better out there. I decided to start by upgrading to the Coop Original Adjustable Pillow that a few of my co-workers raved about. My world shifted. My slumber soothed. I never looked back.
Until I noticed that Coop has released three new offerings since their original model: a cutout model, an orthopedic model and a wedge. As much as I adore my pillow, I couldn’t help but wonder if any of them would feel like an upgrade. So I tried them all for two nights.
Here’s why Coop’s original pillow is such a legend, and how three new models compared when put to the test.
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Why the original Coop pillow works
The Coop Original Adjustable Pillow is designed so that you can add or remove the fill as needed, customizing it for your needs. As a side sleeper, it took a few days of excavating foam until my neck was straight and comfortable at night, but then it was perfect: flat but not too flat, soft but not overly squishy. That was nearly five years ago and I have spent the nights since sleeping on my Coop pillow, my neck cradled in its soft, memory-foam-and-microfiber embrace.
With 20,539 five-star reviews on Amazon and counting, the Coop original has a cult following. According to Dan Caffrey, a certified sleep science coach at Sleepopolis, there’s a reason so many people find this pillow so comfortable. “An adjustable memory-foam pillow allows you to change the loft and firmness by adding or removing filling. This helps keep your head and neck aligned with your spine, which is harder to achieve with down or faux down since those compress unevenly and don’t offer as much structure. Memory foam also contours to your shape, giving more consistent support through the night.”
Over the years, I have made two additional purchases from Coop: a pillow protector to prevent the pillow’s triangle-stitched design from showing through all my pillowcases (a purely aesthetic concern), and a second pillow for my partner, who was prone to attempts to steal mine. And who could blame him?
$85 at Coop $85 at Amazon***
Coop Original Adjustable Cut-Out Pillow
First, I wanted to try the Original Adjustable Cut-Out Pillow, a variation on my pillow with a cutout designed specifically for side sleepers. When I first lay down on this pillow, I loved the way the cutout gently cradled my neck. But after testing it out over a few nights of slumber, the pillow didn’t feel noticeably better or worse than my usual pillow. Since the cutout shape looked visually awkward on the bed as it failed to properly fill out a standard pillowcase, I decided the pillow was an aesthetic downgrade, even though it was comfortable.
My partner, however, repeated history by stealing the pillow, claiming it did a better job of keeping his neck straight and supported. This is in line with Caffrey’s assessment of this type of pillow, which he says “can help lessen strain by supporting the curve of the cervical spine”.
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Coop Adjustable Orthopedic Pillow
Next, I tried something entirely new: the Coop Adjustable Orthopedic Pillow, which has a neck bolster along the bottom and three separate horizontal channels, all of which can be adjusted separately for your desired amount of fill.
“An adjustable orthopedic pillow can be helpful if your neck pain is tied to poor alignment during sleep,” explains Caffrey. “The adjustable filling gives you control over the loft, and the orthopedic shape provides targeted support to the neck and shoulders.”
As someone with inconsistent and mild neck pain from my bad habit of hunching over my laptop during the day, this was not a good fit for me. The effect of the bolsters and separate fill areas was simply lumpiness, which made me feel like the titular character of the Princess and the Pea as I tossed and turned atop my uneven resting spot.
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Coop Adjustable Wedge Pillow
Finally, I went for something pretty out there: the Coop Adjustable Wedge Pillow, which props you up a bit like a hospital bed. This was an immediate no for me. The massive wedge was soft and comfortable for lounging, but at bedtime I felt an immediate aversion to being elevated on its tilted expanse and my neck began to complain shortly thereafter.
The issue here, perhaps, is that I may not be the target customer for a wedge: “An adjustable wedge pillow is more often used for issues like acid reflux, snoring or breathing problems since it elevates the upper body,” says Caffrey.
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The original reigns
In the end, I decided to stick with my beloved Coop Original Adjustable Pillow, supportive bedtime companion of the past five years, but my partner has found a new favorite with the cutout variation.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by our different preferences. “Pillows are unique to the individual,” explains Dr Dan Ginader PT, DPT. “Much like the same pair of shoes won’t be comfortable for different people, the same applies to pillows.”
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Kori Perten is a writer and editor specializing in home, travel and lifestyle. Based in Boston, she has been testing and reviewing products since 2014. When she isn’t writing, she’s either traveling the world or leaning into homebody tendencies and cooking up a storm.
