Customer Reviews

Chillow ® Comfort Device

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

I ADORE the Chillow. I'm pregnant and constantly hot at night... I got this in my 8th month but I wish I'd gotten it sooner! To the reviewer who put it in the freezer, the directions very clearly say NOT to do this, as it damages the integrity of the product. Now, there are a few drawbacks to the Chillow that are worth mentioning:

1) The exact spot you're sleeping on "loses its cool" after about an hour, but that gives you plenty of time to fall asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night, just move your head over a few inches into a cool spot, no problem. By morning the whole thing is room temperature, but that doesn't really matter -- it's cold again at night when you need it to be.

2) I use mine inside the pillowcase and the thing weighs a TON! Normally I flip my pillow around a lot at night and this would be almost impossible with the Chillow inside, but since the Chillow makes the pillow so nice and comfy and cool, I don't need to flip my pillow any more. Moot point.

3) I found the "set up" of the Chillow a bit of a drag. I thought I would open the box, put it in my pillowcase and be ready to go, but the process of filling it and getting the air out to create a vacuum is a bit laborious. The directions also say you may have to do it every few weeks. It's still a small price to pay in my opinion.

Having said all that, I would still buy this product again in an instant. (And it may become my new gift to all pregnant women!) In fact, even if it broke tomorrow I'd still buy another one. My nights have become SO much more restful, and that's priceless!

This is the second Chillow I'm ordering. My first one did develop a leak only because I've used it every night for a year and a half. I am addicted to this device. It's real cool when you first lay your head down, but then throughout the night it never goes above your body temperature so you do sleep really sound. Since I've been without mine, I've been waking up and flipping the pillow again. It does take a little getting used to but once you do, oh boy.

I have to admit that it's easier to use than I was led to believe. And at first it really does seem to keep cool in spite of proximity to your body. But after a few hours of sleeping on it, I found that I woke up with my face and hair damp with sweat.

Perhaps this was because the night was so humid, I don't know. All I know is that several times during the night, I was forced to pull the Chillow out of my pillowcase and move it away from my body. After a few minutes, I could put my head back down on it and it would be cool again. I will continue to work with it, but my first response to it was not as favorable as I would have hoped.

I got the Chillow because I've always liked a cold pillow. It does feel VERY good, nice & cold. It doesn't stay cold all night in the same spot; You still have to turn your pillow around during the night to get the "cold spot". If you are one who scrunches up your pillow, I don't think it would work for you. You have to leave your pillow flat. Also, it makes the pillow very heavy, because the Chillow is filled with water. This doesn't really matter, except when you're making the bed, the pillow is much heavier than normal. Overall, though, I am very happy with the Chillow and it does help relieve my hot flashes.

I bought this for my husband because my body heat tends to make him too hot at night. I would definitely buy this product again, but hopefully they will continue to improve on it.
Pros:
- It is wonderfully cool in the beginning, almost too cool if your pillow case isn't thick enough. You can use it under your head or neck, between your thighs, etc. - wherever you feel the warmest. Or save it for the middle of the night when you wake up hot.
- By the time it starts to lose it's coolness, most likely you'll have already fallen asleep. Not everyone uses it while sleeping. It would be great for sunburns.
- No refrigeration or batteries required, you can just keep it beside your bed or in your pillow case ready to go.
- Soft foam insert is comfortable to lay on.

Cons:
- It does lose it's coolness after some time, warming to your body temperature, but it's still more effective than an ice pack, cool wash cloth, fan, etc. To re-cool just keep it away from your body for a few hours.
- It's heavy. You have to pour water into it to soak the foam insert in order to activate the cooling feature (a one-time activity). Not such a big deal though because you usually leave it in one place and just lay on it.
- After a few nights of sleeping on it, the foam insert can start to bunch up inside the Chillow and it's hard to lay it flat again because there is just a quarter-sized opening to it. I end up having to manipulate it from the outside to get it flat again. This probably also depends on how much you toss and turn when you sleep though.

In spite of the cons, my husband has used the Chillow every night since I gave it to him and has had a much easier time falling asleep. Given the price, I'd still recommend it because I think the pros outweigh the cons and I haven't found anything as effective.

The previous reviewer gave this item a trash rating. I love this thing. In the summertime, heck, even in the cool Southern California winter months, I have a problem with hot feet at night. Before the chillow, my attempts at cooling down my feet with wet washcloths, foot creme and electric fans were for nought. Now, I just place those puppies directly atop a bare chillow. Voila! Instant comfort and a full night's sleep.
If the chillow gets deformed, simply unplug the opening, let a little air inside, then smooth it out and replug. I'm ordering a second one so that I can encase my feet inside a Chillow sandwich on the hottest nights.

I bought 2 of these pillow, one for my husband and one for myself, back in college. I would recommend this pillow to anyone and everyone. Its an amazing product and works just as described. We used ours every night for over a year and were never dissapointed. There are a few downsides as noted in other reviews, but nothing that makes it a bad product.

Negatives:

Core material does get bunched up but it can easily be re-adjusted and flattened out. If you vaccume seal it correctly it doesn't get bunched as easily.

Very heavy and slides around inside the pillow case.

requires weekly maintenance to keep it in good condition. But if you take care of your chillow it will take care of you.

Positives:

After well over a year still worked like the day we got it. Never lost its cool so to speak!

Chillow was my best friend while fighting a migraine! (which was 4 times a week)

I slept better than I ever have in my life.

On another note i want to point out a common mis-conception that has been noted in some of the reviews. The chillow DOES get warmer as the night progresses, however it IS intentional. Our body falls to sleep faster at cooler temperatures, but in the middle of the night when we are in REM sleep, the cold can make us restless and disturb our sleep. The chillow is designed to become warmer to provide for more restfull sleep during our critical REM sleep cycles. This is a very important part of what chillow is all about! Great Sleep!

After more than a year, I do want to note that both our chillows sprung leaks, and had to be thrown out. The leaking wasn't enough to soak our pillows, but the water had been in them for so long that it had a slight odor and it wasn't pleasant to sleep with. I am here buying 2 more new chillows, as they are worth every penny. I am more than happy to support Soothsoft by purchasing replacements for a great product that has made my hectic life more bareable!

After tring this for one night I was a tad disappointed because after several hours it loses the coolness, however I am using it under the sheet, laying on it with my back to more evenly disperse the cooling feeling throughout. It is very comfortable to lay on, feels nice, and by the next night its ready to be used again. I have edited this review, I feel that my inital disappointment in the product was unfair, my expectations were very high, I regret rating this only 2 stars, I would give it a 4-5 now and would recommend this to others.

If you have such issues with your pillow that any little bit helps, this might be a good buy for you. If you're like me and just like a very cool pillow, however, don't bother. There IS a noticeable cooling effect, but if you already find the temperature of your pillow comfortable enough for sleeping, I don't imagine it's significant enough to merit the purchase (unless you plan to refrigerate it before use).

Of note: (1) In my experience, the cooling does not transfer through flannel pillowcases (which might seem obvious to some). (2) Keeping this thing from bunching and sliding is just about impossible. The back is lined with fabric, but it's pretty slippery--perhaps a bit of anti-slip mat material between the pillow and the device would help.

I read a lot of reviews of the Chillow before purchasing. More than one person warned of it leaking. I take reviews with a grain of salt -- you have to consider how a person used or abused the item. Well, I had the Chillow for about 10 days before it tore at the seam. I followed the instructions to the letter and it looked exactly the way the instructions said it should if done correctly. I had only used it about 3 times. I was laying down with it and I realized I was not just chilly, I was completely wet all over my shoulders. The Chillow burst at a seam and leaked its water and smelly chemicals all over me. This was a total waste of money. It was also a total waste of time, filling it up and then cleaning up after it. ZERO STARS.