Honest Review: Quince Premium Down Alternative Pillows (Extra Firm!)

I decided to finish off our bedroom bedding revamp with Quince’s Premium Down Alternative Pillows. Would they measure up to popular brands? I had to see for myself.

In this review, find out about why I chose Quince pillows for our home, and why I think they provide great value, considering the competition. Be sure to check out my photos of how they look on our bed (with our new Quince cotton sheets).

What is a Premium Down Alternative Pillow?

A traditional down pillow is made from duck, geese or other bird feathers. Pillows have been made of this material for years, until companies figured out that there is a “responsible” and vegan way to recreate the “down” feel to a pillow without taking the feathers from animals.

With a down alternative pillow, Quince uses a microfiber filling, that mimics the plushness of a down pillow. Down alternative materials are good for people with allergies—hey, you may not even KNOW that you have an allergy to animal feathers. Or, you may just want pillows that don’t have feathers poking out sometimes (the throw pillows on my couch do this).

Impressions and main thoughts about Quince Pillows

I’ll say the most important thing first: it is fluffy and firm, and that is exactly what I wanted. I thought I’d be getting pillows that wouldn’t sag in the middle with my current ones from my wedding registry, but no: they have head dents in the middle, all four of them.

Quince’s alternative down pillow is so firm (in the Extra Firm “firmness” I ordered for us) that I can’t foresee it “denting” in the near future. The quality is nice, and it feels just like a fluffy pillow I’d find in a four- or five-star hotel. I put my head on it, and it kept my head propped up and not sagging. It felt luxe.

That hotel quality is exactly what I was going for, in adultifying our bedroom in our new house, as we age out of some of the things we even put on our wedding registry several years ago.

My verdict: get these pillows! The price can’t be beat and the quality is superb. This is my simple conclusion, which you’re reading only in the beginning of the review!

Firmness choices for Quince Pillows

I’ll tell it how it went: as I was looking at the choices for firmness in the Quince Down Alternative Pillows, Dan suggested getting one of each of the upper two firmness levels, so we could try both.

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, “Let’s get two of the Extra Firm, and if they’re too firm, we can use them in our pillow shams and go down a level in firmness. Keep in mind: Quince has free 365-day returns, but I will suggest that you review the Return Policy, as there’s some fine print about bedding products and return eligibility.

Regardless, when faced with choices of Soft/Medium, Medium/Firm and Firm/Extra Firm, I knew exactly what I wanted, and went for top firmness. I don’t have patience for my pillows un-firming themselves!

Other key things to know

A few other things that set the Quince bedding pillows apart are the following:

• They have a hypoallergenic filling; this is good for people who have allergies, like a few spouses of my friends who have to watch out for this type of thing.
• The outer cover is 100% cotton sateen; to keep them pristine, you might want to explore the Quince Pillow protectors, which I’ll invest in when I have some spare change.
• They ship for free, with no minimum spend, much like everything else I’ve reviewed like my Quince bath towel set and Quince cotton curtains, just to name a few.
• The price: I’ll get to that next, but the main thing to know is they’re priced “honestly,” or at about half of what competitors charge for the same thing.

They come in cases with handles and zippers!

I thought this was a nice touch from Quince: the pillows (I got two) each come in a storage case complete with a zipper and a carrying handle. I’ve never owned pillows that came with this touch of completeness.

Price comparison to the competition

We got our current bed pillows from our wedding registry with Zola. I looked at Martha Stewart pillows, and at Sensorpedic. Up a notch, I looked at Parachute Home, Brooklinen and Boll & Branch. I had credits from some returns, and wanted to use them for new pillows, but I felt crunched into pricing.

Quince prices fairly, meaning the lower two levels of firmness are at highly competitive price points, and the “Extra Firm” is a few dollars more. (Plus, I forgot to mention that you can size up from Standard size pillows to King size, for another $10 or so.)

For 50% less than brands like Parachute, it’s the reason I continue to shop for home goods with Quince, as you likely read in my Quince Home Collection review.

Add-ons: Quince pillow protectors

What’s a pillow protector, anyway? It’s a product that, if you have the budget leftover in your pillow piggy bank, will hug your pillow like an extra layer between the pillow itself and the pillow case.

Why this is necessary, and a good idea: it’s embarrassing to say, but let’s face it, if you’ve ever taken your pillows out of the pillowcases, you may see that they get discolored from face oils and sweat, over time. There may also be stains from things like drool, or whatever else (I’m not judging!).

A pillow protector serves as the part of the pillow you can wash, to get those things out, and keep the pillow itself in great condition. Quince’s 100% Cotton Pillow Protectors come in a convenient set of two, in Standard and King sizes, and they’re affordable as well.

Where to get them

If you’ve shopped with Quince before, you know that the best place to get Quince products is… at Quince’s website! The website gives you 365-day returns (I’d know—I’ve already returned Quince underwear for another size!), as well as free shipping.

You can get the Quince pillows at the Quince Premium Down Alternative pillow page. Or, to step up to the gusset style, the Premium Down Alternative Gusset Pillow has a luxurious more “rectangular” shape.

If, after reading this review, you’ve decided that you prefer a traditional down pillow, try out the Quince Premium Down Pillow, made with responsible down.