“You get what you pay for” is an old saying that people use to sometimes justify paying higher prices for things in life. While this saying sometimes holds true for certain things, there comes a point where you’re spending money just to spend money. No additional quantifiable value is gained by spending a penny more.
Pillows are one of those things that don’t justify spending over a certain amount if you want the best quality. There’s only so many added features and benefits a pillow can offer, and if you attempt to go above and beyond that point, you’re going to get diminishing returns.
A good pillow should provide support for the type of sleeper that you are, have a high thread count and container either memory foam or goose down. That’s it. Anything above and beyond that and it’s just a waste of your hard-earned money.
Here are 5 pillows that are so outrageously expensive, that the only reason you’d buy them is for bragging rights to your friends (if you’re into that sort of thing).
5 Most Expensive Pillows
LOGANA Batiste Medium 980 Goose Down Pillow - $630.00
Goose down is great. It keeps you warm in winter and cool in the summer. It’s 100% natural and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or additives. The reason this pillow is so expensive is because it comes with goose down and something they call “Batiste fabric”. This fabric is supposedly very soft to the touch, but here’s the thing: unless you were running a scientific test of some sort, you probably won’t notice the difference between this pillow and an $55 dollar one you’d find at your local home good store.
Cardigan Firm Down Pillow - $535
At $535 for one and over $1,000 for two, you’ll be spending more money on pillows that most people spend in 20 years. It comes with “down clusters” which supposedly helps trap warm air and subsequently keeps the pillow warm at night. Doesn’t a $10 pillow from Target keep you warm as well? The website that sells this pillow is famous for selling very expensive items, so they can probably get away with such a hefty price tag. After all, people tend to think that the more expensive something is, the better it must be.
Somerset by Sferra - $510
This one is a bit different than the others. Instead of Canadian goose down, it comes with Polish goose down. As with all other expensive pillows its main claim to fame is that it has a “high fill power”. Yet a quick trip to the local brick-and-mortar home goods store will find you a pillow for under $50 that has a “high fill power” as well. You’d be hard-pressed to notice the difference between the two.
When you break it down, it seems that all that high-end pillows have to offer is the “fill power”. To some extent that is true. But once you go above and beyond a certain point, you would be very hard pressed to rationally explain why the $510 pillow is better than one that costs $57.
Cornwall Firm Down Pillow - $795
P.T. Barnum once said that there’s a sucker born every minute. The description to this pillow states that it’s for the “bedding connoisseur”. The main selling point is the Canadian goose down (“Polish” goose wasn’t good enough?). There’s also some fancy 100% German-woven cotton Batiste thing going on here…but again, the question begs: At what point can you tell if a high-end $69 pillow is less soft and comfy than a $795 one?
Snowdon Firm Down Pillow - $855
This down pillow comes with Canadian goose down. It also comes with the following finishing options: piped edging, corner loops, and corner silks. The only reason you’d buy this pillow is if you’re into that sort of fancy look. It claims to have a high down fill power, but you’d be hard pressed to tell any difference between this one and the one you’d find at a home good store.
Too Much is Too Much
So now you’ve seen the most expensive pillows out there. Why are they so expensive? Is it because rich people want bragging rights about how expensive their pillows are? Or is it more psychological – people think that you get what you pay for and they truly believe that a $700 pillow will give you them an amazing sleep.
The truth of the matter is that when it comes to high-end pillows there is an imaginary line that can be drawn at which point if you cross it, you’re just wasting your money. If you want a good night’s sleep on a comfortable pillow, just make sure it contains down, has a high thread count and matches up with your kind of sleeping style.
You can easily find a high-end pillow for under $50. You would be hard pressed to explain the difference in quality (and a good night’s sleep) between the $50 pillow and one of the $500 pillows listed above.