Purple Plush Pillow is a comfortable pillow that features side zippers which can be used to regulate firmness. Does it really work? Here is my Purple Plush Pillow review.
Where to Purchase
As of this November 2021 update, the Purple Plush pillow is no longer sold. There is no active listing on Amazon and it is nowhere to be found on the Purple website.
About Purple Plush Pillow
The Purple Plush Pillow is a different design than the popular Purple Pillow, featuring a fluffier feeling and adjustable firmness using side zippers. The official product website is purple.com, which was registered in August 1994.
Claims & Features
- Adjust firmness with side zippers
- Lyocell-blend covering is cool to the touch
- Wicks moisture
- Retains shape longer than the average pillow
- Machine washable
Purple Plush Pillow Review
Having used the original Purple Pillow, Purple Mattress, and Purple Cushion for over a year now, when I saw the company was advertising a plush version, I knew I had to try it out. This new version includes zippers on the side of the pillow which can be used to alter the firmness.
Opening the zippers creates more space which makes the pillow feel softer. Closing the zippers restrains the pillow which makes it feel firmer. Upon first impression, the pillow does feel very soft with the zippers opened and a little firmer when closed.
The outer material does feel cooler to the touch than a typical pillowcase. Originally, I had planned to put a case on the pillow, but the coolness of the covering caused me to question this decision. That’s because the cooling cover cannot be removed, thus you must wash the entire pillow rather than just removing the cover.
For my first real test, I closed the zippers for the extra firmness. While on my back, the pillow felt like it was cradling my head and neck. Before turning on my side, I opened the zippers and noted that it did feel noticeably softer.
I spent the first night with the pillow sleeping on my side with the zippers open. It felt a little too soft for me, but that is a purely subjective opinion. The covering material felt a bit “scratchy” as my face rubbed against it, and the coolness did not last, so I decided to use a pillowcase for the remainder of my review. I also closed the zippers for added firmness.
Over a period of 10 days of sleeping on the Purple Plush Pillow, I noticed that it began to flatten over time. A potential negative is that the cooling material of the cover cannot be removed. Washing it requires you to wash the entire pillow, and putting a pillowcase defeats any cooling benefits. Due to this, I found the pillow’s cooling benefits to be of minimal value. Another potential negative is the way in which it cradled my neck while sleeping on my side. It wrapped around my head causing part of the pillow to raise up in front of my face.
After using the Purple Plush Pillow for 2 weeks, I noticed that it continued to flatten over time. If you prefer a flatter pillow, this might not be a bad thing, but those who like the way it feels right out of the box may be disappointed. I tried washing the pillow to see if it would return to its original shape. According to the washing instructions, a front-loading washing machine is preferable. The instructions also said to tumble dry the pillow on low heat with clean tennis balls. I’ve never seen instructions like that before, but I tried it anyway. Surprisingly, the pillow did seem to fluff up quite a bit. I’ve since found that you can simply place it in the dryer with tennis balls or dryer balls to fluff it up.
So far this year, I have reviewed a number of other pillows on my YouTube channel, and I thought a comparison would be helpful. Some of the other pillows I have reviewed include the Miracle Bamboo Pillow, My Pillow, and the original Purple Pillow. The Purple Plush Pillow is nothing like the original Purple Pillow which weighs 10 pounds and has a very gelatinous feeling to it.
Comparing the thickness of the pillows, the original Purple Pillow looks the thinnest followed by the Purple Plush Pillow. In terms of softness and firmness, the Miracle Bamboo Pillow was the firmest. The My Pillow comes in second for firmness, and also has a lumpy feeling of which I am not a fan. The Purple Plush Pillow is soft, but using the zippers only provides a minimal change in firmness. The original Purple Pillow remains my favorite, and it is quite different than any of these other pillows.
I’m a fan of Purple products, yet I felt that the Purple Plush Pillow was not in the same league as the company’s other offerings. It is a nice pillow, but I’m not sure it is worth the price tag. If the firmness was more adjustable and it came with a washable pillowcase, I might feel differently.
I suggest perusing the hundreds of comments on Amazon to see what other users are saying about it. If you’re still shopping around for a plush pillow, you may want to take a look at this Beckham Hotel Collection pillow which has very high consumer ratings.
Be sure to check out my Purple Plush Pillow video review below.
One Year Update
Although I thought the Purple Plush pillow was a decent pillow, I never embraced it like I did the company’s flagship offering. It has resided in my guest bedroom over the past year, and has seen a moderate amount of use over. I’ve explained to guests how it can be adjusted, yet no one seemed to take advantage of that feature. The zippers and material have held up fine, but the Purple Plush Pillow seems a little too average compared to its other Purple kin.
2021 Update
As noted at the beginning of this article, the Purple Plush Pillow is no longer listed on the Purple website, nor on Amazon. My assumption is that it has been replaced by the Purple Cloud Pillow, which shares some of the same features.
Updated November 2021.