Verdict
Although a budget pillow, the Silentnight Airmax Pillow has a good level of comfort and support, although it does feel a touch hard when compressed. It is the ability to deal with heat that impresses, quickly dissipating residual heat, as my thermal photos show. For those who struggle to sleep in the warmer months, this pillow may help.
Pros
- Good value
- Gets rid of heat quickly
- Good support
Cons
- Feels a little hard when compressed
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FillingHas a 100% polyester hollowfibre filling.
Introduction
Sold as a pillow to combat overheating, the Silentnight Airmax Pillow has a synthetic interior and a breathable pillowcase.
It’s supportive and pretty comfortable to sleep on, and is available for a relatively low price, making it a good chioce for those that get hot at night.
Design and Filling
- Machine washable
- Hypoallergenic filling
- Airmesh improves airflow
Although the Silentnight Airmax Pillow has a relatively low price, it’s a little more high-tech than much of the budget competition with the airmesh that runs around the side. As well as making the pillow look nice, the airmesh improves airflow, helping you stay cool at night.
This synthetic pillow has a 100% polyester hollowfibre interior designed for breathability. As it’s synthetic, the interior is hypoallergenic and suitable for allergy sufferers.
Although the Silentnight Airmax Pillow looks similar to the Simba Hybrid Pillow, the interior is not adjustable, and the pillow comes in one standard height. It’s good to see that the pillow is washable and can be tumble dried, with Silentnight suggesting that the pillow should be plumped daily to help it retain its shape.
Comfort
- Gets rid of heat fast
- Medium softness
- Good level of support
I put the Silentnight Airmax Pillow through a series of tests to see how comfortable it was, as well as sleeping extensively on it. As a fairly deep pillow, this one is the only one that you’ll need on the bed.
I found that the filling was soft to the touch, but it does compress a fair way when I put my head on it, making it feel a little firmer once lying on it. It’s certainly not as natural feeling as the Simba Hybrid, although that pillow is a lot more expensive.
Lying on my side, I measured from the bottom of my head to the mattress and found a gap of 11.5cm, which meant that my neck was kept straight while sleeping, with the Silentnight Airmax Pillow offering a good level of support.
Most impressive was its ability to get rid of heat. Lying on the pillow for ten minutes, I stood up and then took thermal photographs every minute. After just two minutes, the heat had gone out of the pillow, making this one of the best pillows for dealing with heat.
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Should you buy it?
You want a pillow that can get rid of heat fast
With the airmesh surround, this pillow really does dissipate heat fast, making it a great choice for those that struggle in the warmer months.
You want adjustable comfort
If you want something with a more natural feeling that you can adjust to suit your own preferences, look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Simba Hybrid Pillow has a more natural feel, and its adjustable interior makes it suitable for a wider range of people, adjusting for size and comfort.
That pillow is a lot more expensive. What you have here is a brilliant budget model that delivers a good compromise between support and comfort while being able to dissipate heat fast. If you struggle in warmer weather, then this could be the pillow for you.
How we test
We test every pillow we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main pillow for the review period
We use a thermal camera to see how quickly the pillow can dissipate heat for a comfortable night’s sleep.
We measure how far off the mattress our head is kept, to check how supportive the pillow is
We measure how far off the mattress our head is kept, to check how supportive the pillow is
FAQs
Yes, the pillow can be washed in a machine and tumble dried on the cool setting.
