The Nectar Copper pillow helps make the pillow decision-making process a bit easier for a lot of people. Choosing the right pillow, we’ve found, is almost as complex as choosing the right mattress. It’s not just about what the pillow is made of and what stuffing it has. A huge part of it is paying very close attention to also how thick a pillow is, the level of cooling it offers, and just how well it keeps your neck aligned.
Of course, the kind of sleeper you are plays a huge factor as well. And, because we’re all different, the best pillow for you isn’t necessarily going to be the best pillow for everyone and vice versa. In fact, you might even come across a pillow everybody’s raving about and absolutely detest it. We know it’s happened to us a few more times than we would have liked.
However, there are pillows out there that do more than just deliver as promised; they also make for a great choice for a lot of people because of what they offer, which helps make choosing less of a trial-and-error affair and more of a buy-it-and-be-completely-satisfied one. Such is the case with the Nectar Copper pillow. For instance, it wouldn’t have been the most obvious choice for us, being partial to the fluffier and much more shapeable down options, but our deep slumbers on it are proof that it is a terrific alternative.
Read on for our full Nectar Copper pillow review. And while you’re in the business of upgrading your sleep setup, you might also want to take a look at our guide to this year’s best mattress for all budgets. After all, getting the best sleep also hangs on finding the ideal mattress for you.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Review in brief
Much like the Saatva Down Alternative pillow we reviewed prior, the Nectar Copper pillow, while affordable for many people, isn’t going to be the cheapest proposition on the shelves. At $99 for a standard and $119 for a king size, we would certainly put it in the higher mid-range category, especially considering there are many more affordable alternatives that still deliver in terms of quality and even more budget options on Amazon. That said, there are plenty of Nectar sales and deals that mean you might not need to pay full price (in fact, there’s one running at time of writing).
At a glance: Nectar Copper Pillow
Type: Shredded foam pillow
Best suited to: Hot sleepers, side and back sleepers
Dimensions: 26 x 17.3 x 5 inches (Standard); 33.5 x 17.3 x 5 inches (King)
Trial period: 50 days
Warranty: 5-year limited warranty
What’s more, when it comes to value, this pillow is certainly among the best. Having tested this for about two weeks in different sleeping positions (side, stomach, and back) on a plush mattress with a medium-firm mattress topper, we found it to be an excellent proposition for users that run hot as well as side and back sleepers alike.
Its claims of cooling prowess are right on the money, as it isn’t only able to cool you down but is also just as great at minimizing heat retention. Meanwhile, its medium firmness and medium loft, combined with its moldability or shapeability, makes it great (read: supportive) for most side and back sleepers.
Unless you already know exactly the type of pillow that’s great for you, choosing one can be tricky. You might even have to return a couple of them before you find the right one. The Nectar Copper pillow, however, is a safe bet. Not safe in that it’s basic, but safe in that it delivers as promised and it’s extremely comfortable for most users.
If you are, however, one of the few that won’t find it suitable – whether it’s because you’re used to firm pillows or you tend to sleep on your belly – you’ll be happy to know that it offers a 50-day trial period. That’s plenty of time to give it a try and see if it’s right for you.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Materials and care
- Cover is made of cooling polyethylene yarn fabric
- It’s copper fiber-infused for heat- and moisture-wicking
- Filling are microfiber polyester and chopped memory foam
While others only promise cooling properties, the Nectar Copper pillow ensures that it actually delivers on that promise by encasing its pillow in its quilted pillow cover using a cooling fabric made primarily of polyethylene yarn, a synthetic fiber that allows heat to pass through instead of trapping it. Nectar takes things a step further by infusing that same fabric with copper fibers, which are known for their heat- and moisture-wicking – as well as antimicrobial – properties.
Inside this pillow cover is the pillow itself whose shell is made of 100% microfiber polyester, which offers more breathability, and whose filling is made of microfiber polyester and chopped memory foam for better moldability.
While Nectar says in its enclosed care instructions that the Nectar Copper pillow is machine washable as long as you use cold water, putting it in the machine even on a delicate cycle will affect its form. Unless absolutely necessary, we would go with Nectar’s recommended care to spot clean with mild soap and water, and air dry.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Price and deals
- Nectar’s premium pillow
- $99 for a Standard, $119 for a King
- Often sees discounts throughout the year
In the US, Nectar has three pillows available, with the Nectar Copper pillow being one of its two premium options (the other one is the Nectar Graphite Pillow, which we are also currently testing). When Nectar isn’t running one of its sales, it costs $99 for the standard size and $119 for the king size. It straddles, therefore, the line between high mid-range and luxury.
There are even pricier options like the Saatva Down-Alternative, whose price of entry is $115. That’s for a queen. Naturally, there are plenty of affordable options as well, including the brand’s Nectar Pillow, which starts at $75. Even cheaper still is the $65 Casper Original Pillow.
As with other mattress and pillow brands, however, Nectar often runs sales throughout the year, giving users plenty of opportunities to buy this pillow for less. At the time of writing, for example, the standard size is only $50 and the king size is down to $60. Annual sales events, such as the Black Friday mattress deals, also often bring with them bedding discounts.
Unfortunately for customers outside the US, Nectar currently only ships to the contiguous United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. (In the UK, there’s a different Nectar pillow range (opens in new tab) to explore.) And, if you find that the pillow is not for you, you do have a 50-day trial.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Design and features
- Made of an outer shell or cover and a pillow
- Cover is quilted, soft-to-touch, and great with cooling
- Gray sides with orange trimmings are a nice touch
Whereas some pillows don’t quite live up to the hype, the Nectar Copper pillow does. Its plush and soft-to-touch quilted cover made of cooling polyethylene yarn and copper fibers really does keep your head cool, even on a warm summer’s night.
According to Nectar, these copper fibers in the cover not only help wick both heat and moisture but also offer antimicrobial properties. That means that you’re getting triple protection here.
Of course, that’s just one aspect of the pillow. Unzipping the cover reveals – you’ll find the zipper handle tucked away neatly on one of the longer sides – the actual pillow itself, which Nectar says is made of microfiber polyester and chopped contouring memory foam stuffing. This one doesn’t have any special cooling properties so we’d definitely keep it inside the cover. However, the microfiber polyester, which also makes up the pillow’s shell, is one of the more breathable pillow materials as it allows heat to pass through instead of trapping it.
Fringing the beautifully quilted cover on all sides is a sort of bluish gray, also soft-to-touch material and orange trimming that does give the pillow a bit of personality. If you’re tired of having the same solid white pillows, we think you’ll like the look of this one. Not that it would matter since you’re likely to use a pillowcase anyway. However, it’s also worth noting that Nectar’s pillow cover is comfortable and luxurious enough that you won’t need one.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Performance
- Ready to go out of the box
- Excellent cooling
- Mouldable with good sinkage and support
We slept on one king-sized Nectar Copper pillow for about two weeks, testing it in key areas of performance, including support, comfort, and temperature regulation. We were unable to find another individual with a different set of sleeping habits and a different body type, unfortunately, but we did use the pillow at different times of the day and in all sleeping positions. Here’s what we discovered…
Set-up
5 of 5 stars
No setup or assembly is needed with the Nectar Copper pillow. Whether you’re getting the standard size or the king size, the pillow will come “pre-expanded” – not that it’ll make a big difference if Nectar did try to vacuum-pack it.
Even better, you don’t need to off-gas it really. We did have it sitting for about 10 hours on the bed before we slept on it the first time, but even out of the box, it did not come with any off-putting smell. We even slept on it without a pillow case for a few nights and didn’t experience any noxious smell.
The box the pillow comes in is recyclable. Or, at least, most of it. It does come with a plastic window that we feel is there purely for would-be buyers to admire the pillow when on a store shelf. Depending on your area’s recycling program, this big piece of plastic might pose a recycling problem. In LA, for example, recycling places might throw away a big box of highly-recyclable stuff if they came “contaminated” with just a single tiny piece of non-recyclable material or perhaps an unclean can. If you want to make sure that the box is recycled, we’d remove that plastic window beforehand.
Temperature regulation
5 out of 5 stars
The Nectar Copper pillow does more than regulate the temperature and ensure that it doesn’t trap any of your body heat and send it back to you. It boasts cooling properties as well, and they’re really effective at keeping even the hottest sleepers comfortable.
It starts, of course, with the quilted pillow cover it comes with. Nectar not only uses a cooling polyethylene yarn for the fabric of this cover but also infuses it with copper fiber, which is proven to be effective at minimizing heat and moisture.
While the pillow inside doesn’t use its own cooling technology, the material it uses for its shell and some of its stuffing – microfiber polyester – is known to be one of the most breathable bedding materials. So, in that way, the pillow minimizes the amount of heat that’s getting trapped inside the pillow, which also helps keep you cool during slumber.
We’re not especially hot sleepers, but we do tend to get hot sleeping on foam pillows, especially memory foam, which then keeps us up all night. Luckily, we’ve found that while other “cooling pillows” only manage to minimize the heat, the Nectar Copper pillow actually actively cools us, even during our midday late-summer naps.
As a result, you’re laying your head on a pillow that actually cools you down and keeps you sweat-free.
Firmness and support
4.5 out of 5 stars
We appreciate that the Nectar Copper pillow has some level of plushness. You’re getting a medium loft pillow, thanks to the fact that it is stuffed with chopped memory foam. That’s whether you go for the standard size or the king size, which we have and are glad to have as our two cats do love to sleep on it as well. Having a good amount of plushness and sinkage, therefore, is important, especially if you have narrower shoulders and a shorter neck.
Luckily, there’s plenty of that here. There’s plenty of moldability so it can contour to cradle your head while also supporting your neck. The pillow is, in fact, squishy enough to cuddle with or put between your legs for pressure relief. Of course, if you are a taller individual who’s a side or back sleeper, its five-inch thickness should suit you well.
We’d call this one a medium in terms of fairness, which means that some sleepers, particularly those who prefer a proper firm pillow, might find it a little too soft for their liking. However, it certainly doesn’t offer the same level of sink or fluffiness as a down pillow. Not even close.
Instead, we find that it maintains a good balance, offering a good amount of shapeability and sinkage while also maintaining firmness and support. And, in that way, it’s inclusive of most sleepers. Well, except for stomach sleepers that is. This pillow is a little too thick to be comfortable for those users.
Nectar Copper Pillow: Customer reviews
The user reviews on the Nectar site pretty much have the same feedback as us when it comes to the Nectar Copper pillow’s performance. Many users agree that its cooling technology really works, with one person saying that the pillow “feels almost cold to the touch” and another saying that it keeps them cool.
Of course, they all say the same thing about the comfort the Nectar Copper offers as well. One person even claims that out of all the other pillows they’ve tried, it’s the only one that didn’t give them neck pain. Meanwhile, another claims that they are now sleeping like a baby, thanks to it. The only negative feedback we’ve seen is one person saying that they would have preferred it to be a little thicker.
Unfortunately, the Nectar website only has 13 pillow reviews in total, and one of those is for the Nectar pillow. The Nectar Copper, however, enjoys a 4.95 out of 5 rating based on those 12 reviews.
Should you buy the Nectar Copper Pillow?
The brilliance of the Nectar Copper pillow isn’t that it does something extra special. Not to say that it doesn’t because it truly is one of the best cooling pillows on the market. Nectar designed it with a pillow cover that uses two cooling materials, making it incredibly effective at what it’s supposed to do. And, it’s also made of breathable materials to ensure excellent heat dissipation. So, yes, it does do something other pillows do not, and it does it well.
However, what makes it truly appealing is that it takes away that trial-and-error aspect of choosing the right pillow for you because it’s a great pillow for most people. It’s medium loft, medium firm with a decent amount of sink and moldability that make it a great option for back sleepers and side sleepers alike.
Back sleepers will get pressure relief in the neck as well as head support and comfort. Side sleepers will still enjoy that neutral spine alignment as well as its shapeability. Those who prefer a taller pillow profile will be satisfied with its five-inch height. And, those who prefer things on the fluffy side will still appreciate its level of plushness. That makes it a safe bet for most people, but especially folks who don’t yet know the type of pillow they would find most comfortable.
Should you buy the Nectar Copper pillow? In our expert opinion, yes.
