Pillows - what to get!

[unlucky83]

I'm sick of pillows going flat and useless after a year or so. Even expensive microfibre ones seem to lose their thickness. Environmentally they are a nightmare! I want to buy some decent ones...that will last.
After much dithering I now think feather are the way to go ...or at least one flattish microfibre one top of a lovely thick feather one.
I did say never again to feather years ago after I had to wash them and couldn't get them dry (even in a tumble) and ended up with a stinky mess but a lot seem to be washable now.
So are washable/tumble dryable feather ones really ok now?
Do they really keep their shape better?
And which ones to get - not looking to spend hundreds but would spend £20 on one.

We have buckwheat pillows and wouldn't have anything else now. Even dh agrees that they're great and has switched over and he was a die hard feather man.

They're firm, but not hard and really give good support to the neck and head. They're slightly crunchy sounding to begin with, but you don't notice after a few minutes. They're also hypoallergenic and cool in summer.

I have just bought the most fantastic pillows as i had bought exact same a couple of months ago and they are brilliant. not cheap but certainly worth it and fantastic quality.
www.amazon.co.uk/ROHILinen-Premium-Synthetic-Microfibre-Department/dp/B00RH4I4YQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1434319582&sr=8-16&keywords=pillows
If you don't like amazon, I'm sure you'll get them direct from the shop.
I can't recommend them enough and am slowly replacing all the families.

Had never heard of them before !!!
Looking into them they seem quite interesting - you can buy more husks to top them up/replace and you can compost them- hate keep sending pillows to landfill.... (I do donate my old (microfibre) pillows to the animal rehoming centre but after use they get landfilled.)
The only thing I'm not sure about is you can never wash them - but with pillow protectors and older DCs (no vomit or wee incidents) that shouldn't be a problem...
I've just ordered two....hopefully I won't regret it!
Thank you ...

Cross posted ...as I googled - so its the buckwheat I've gone for ...with zips so I can refill etc - been dithering for weeks now so I thought they are worth a go...
but thank you - I have bookmarked the microfibre ones...in case I hate buckwheat. But I think I really have fallen out with microbfibre. I've paid £20 (reduced to) for a microfibre pillow before now ...so £40 a pair and they still went flat within a few years (and I washed one and not the other - it didn't seem to make any difference - both are now in one pillowcase on the DCs bed...on their way to the rehoming centre)
I also thought about memory foam but not keen on memory foam mattress toppers -and my mum had a memory foam pillow and said it was hot and also your head gets 'stuck' in one place...and apparently they don't last well either...
How can choosing a pillow be so difficult!

Honestly buckwheat is awesome. I could never go back to using another type of pillow now. We just use pillow protectors and they're fine.

Please don't get feather, I'm not trying to be an animal activist here, but how the feathers are sourced is horrific (torn from live geese and ducks). Some claim to only use dead birds, but still.

I know you have had bad experiences with microfiber, however, I got some from King of cotton, they were £20 a pillow, but well worth it. They are a bit larger so may need a bigger pillow case, but you can get them easily.

Right thought I would update ...the buckwheat pillows so far so good. I do like them.
When Dp saw then at first he asked if I had gone mad and filled the pllows with gravel! but now he really likes his. We have always had two pillows each and have realised we both like having two pillows -but I only got 2 buckwheat ones so both still have a thin ish microfibre one.

He has his microbfibre one on the top -but I think he would be happy with another thinner buckwheat one.
I am less settled - the rustling is weird but strangely soothing. I am getting a good night's sleep but struggling to get comfy...
I've realised when I first get into bed I sit up and stroke the cat, read a bit then pull the top pillow down and lie on my side when I feel tired and continue reading for a while before falling asleep. The problem I have is when I sit up I need two pillows but when I lie on my side they are too high and I think I must have spread them out before but the buckwheat one is quite heavy so I can't move it easily and it is quite a bit higher than the microfibre one. I have taken to putting my microfibre one on the floor and using the buckwheat on its own but it is just slightly too low ...so I push the filling to one side a bit to make it higher for my head but then my book is down a slope . I might take some filling out the buckwheat one to make it lower and use it with the microfibre one and longer term get another thin buckwheat one and move some from the 'big' one to make two the same size (two the current size would be too big)
....but the fact that they are easily adjustable like that is fantastic!
So I do like them! I am glad I bought them. And (assuming they do last well -and I think they will ) I will be getting them for DCs as well...

e1y1 I had never really though about where the feathers came from - guess I thought they were a bi-product of food production...sad that that they aren't. Actually I have just found a feather pillow -left in the house we are renovating. Long story but it has been in with the builders dust etc and it had two (absolutely filthy dusty/dirty) covers. I took them off wondering if it could be saved -the pillow is good quality and newish but there are some dubious marks (blood? ) on the actual ticking. I doubt I can wash it robustly enough not to be grossed out by it (even with two covers) which is sad. Anyway it had a washing instruction label on it - from Debenhams and I noticed 'made in china' . I already know about fake uggs and fur, and leather production in India so I guess from what you have written feather pillow production in China will be similar .
What a waste....but I think I can at least put the feathers into compost?

Don't get feather ones, I spent loads on a pair and can't use them as they STINK

RTFT dame

You can wash feather pillows in the machine, don't use fabric conditioner and give them an extra rinse. You need to tumble dry them on low with some tennis balls in the drum to stop the feathers clumping.

I love my buckwheat one, tis fab!