In-depth Comparison (2024): Sleepgram Adjustable Pillow vs. Pillow Cube Pro Pillow

Polyester Fiber (Down Alternative)

The Sleepgram Adjustable Pillow is an extra soft polyester fiber pillow with a thick starting loft. Though nominally adjustable based on the pillow-in-pillow design that allows the sleeper to keep or remove two layers of inner pillows, I wouldn't consider the Sleepgram pillow fully adjustable because of the softness, which limits its appeal for those who want more support, and the inability to do micro-adjustments. The Sleepgram pillow can be a good option for stomach-sleepers, but I would not recommend it for side-sleepers and back-sleepers.

The Sleepgram pillow uses a pillow-in-pillow design similar to the Casper pillow. In fact, when I first unboxed the pillows, I thought they were the same pillow with different logos. However, on a closer look, I found three main differences. The first difference is the softness of the pillows. Both pillows have the same starting loft, but my head sinks in more when I sleep on the Sleepgram pillow compared to the Casper pillow. The Casper pillow is already so soft that my head sinks significantly, so I was surprised that the Sleepgram pillow had even less support. Even though the Sleepgram pillow starts at 10 inches of loft by my measurements, my head sinks so far into the pillow that I feel even less support than I get from pillows that start at half that loft. I would guess the difference between the Casper and Sleepgram softness comes from the friction in the polyester fibers. The Sleepgram polyester fibers glide very smoothly against each other, almost like silk strands. This means that the material appears to move to the side when I lay my head on the pillow. The Casper polyester fibers are also soft in terms of firmness, but they aren't as soft in terms of friction. Because of the softness of the Sleepgram pillow, I'm unable to get the support I need for side-sleeping, and this is one of the reasons I wouldn't consider the Sleepgram pillow fully adjustable.

The second difference is the number of inner pillows. The Sleepgram pillow has two inner pillows while the Casper pillow only has one. Nevertheless, the total starting loft is the same across the Sleepgram and Casper pillows as far as I can measure, so the Sleepgram inner pillows are individually thinner than the Casper inner pillow. I find this to be an advantage for the Sleepgram pillow because it does allow for more configuration options. Sleepgram labels one inner pillow with a blue tag and the other with a red tag. The instruction booklet that comes with the pillow says that the inner pillow with the blue tag is softer than the one with the red tag, so you can get different firmness levels by keeping different configurations of the two inner pillows. Because I can't get the support I need for side-sleeping on the Sleepgram pillow even with both inner pillows loaded inside, I tend to prefer stomach-sleeping when I use it. For stomach-sleeping, I'll remove the inner pillow with the blue tag. Though I appreciate the configuration options, I still prefer the ability to micro-adjust with the Saybrook and Coop pillows.

Finally, the zipper on the Casper pillow that I purchased feels significantly easier to operate for me compared to the zipper on the Sleepgram pillow that I purchased. This contributes to my overall perception that the Casper pillow has higher quality construction. The zipper on the Sleepgram pillow regularly stalls when I try to operate it.

For stomach-sleepers who might want to try out different loft levels on the softer end of the spectrum, the Sleepgram pillow can be a good option. For side-sleepers and back-sleepers, I'd recommend other options, especially if you want to feel your head supported by your pillow.

Solid Memory Foam

I do not like sleeping on the Pillow Cube Pro Pillow, and I would not consider purchasing it or any other cube-shaped pillow again. The Pillow Cube advertises its unique shape (a cube or a rectangular box in the case of the Pro Pillow), but in my opinion, there is a reason why other pillows aren't shaped like a box, and it's not because no one else realized it was possible. Instead, it's because our necks and shoulders don't connect in sharp angles, so regular memory foam pillows have a curve instead of an edge. When I use the Pillow Cube, the sharp angle digs into my neck.

The Pillow Cube Pro Pillow is a solid memory foam pillow in the shape of a rectangular box. The pillow is available in a 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch size. The website, as of my time of purchase, advertises that the different sizes allow the pillow to perfectly fit the pillow gap, but the website also recommends the 5-inch option for everyone between 5'4" and 6'3". Since that is a wide range of heights and body types, I was already skeptical that the pillow would fit perfectly. As expected, now that I've tried the pillow, I can confirm that the 5-inch pillow doesn't fit my shoulder gap perfectly. Though the 5-inch starting loft is a relatively low starting loft, because the foam is incredibly firm and doesn't compress when I lay my head on it, the effective loft of the pillow feels relatively thick. My neck ends up angled uncomfortably when side-sleeping. In general, the 1-inch gap between sizes is the same as the size difference between a size 6 shoe and a size 9 shoe (for both men and women), so I would expect many people won't be able to find a perfect fit. Instead, for side-sleepers, I recommend looking at an adjustable pillow like the Saybrook or Coop pillows, which can be micro-adjusted to the perfect fit.

I consider the shape of the pillow a downside as well. The boxy shape makes the pillow worse for back-sleeping and stomach-sleeping because I can feel the corners dig into my neck. Though the pillow is designed for side-sleepers, the way the pillow affects back-sleepers and stomach-sleepers is worth noting because many people switch among the positions even if they favor side-sleeping. Even for side-sleeping, the edges don't improve the experience for me. Instead, I would prefer the corners to be rounded out, which would result in the same shape as a normal memory foam pillow.

The Pillow Cube foam feels much firmer than the Weekender memory foam, which already feels much firmer than the Tempur-Pedic memory foam. I consider the Tempur-Pedic memory foam extra soft, the Weekender memory foam extra firm, and the Pillow Cube memory foam off-the-charts-firm, applying unwanted pressure against my ear and jaw when I use it. The Pillow Cube has a removable zippered cover, and taking it off reveals the grey foam inside. The foam reminds me of the industrial foam used to pad furniture in moving trucks or the foam used in gymnasiums.

Putting the cover back on is a daunting challenge. Imagine the difficulty of fitting a duvet cover on a duvet. The corners are always annoying to fit into the cover. Now imagine there are eight corners instead of four corners, as well as eight edges that also need to fit into the proper place in the cover. The most difficult part, though, is getting the foam into the zipper opening in the first place. The zipper sits along the long edge of the pillow, and even though the long edge measures 24 inches, I measure the zipper opening at only 19 inches in length. As a result, the challenge is to fit an ultra firm 24 inch by 12 inch by 5 inch block of foam through a one-dimensional line-shaped zipper opening that measures 19 inches long.

If you want a pillow that is as firm as possible, then the Pillow Cube might be an option, but I would recommend trying the Weekender first because the Weekender memory foam is already very firm. If you want a pillow designed for side-sleepers, I would recommend looking at an adjustable pillow like Saybrook or Coop.

Update (1 year later): I tried the newest version of the Pillow Cube Pro, and it seems they updated the firmness of the foam from much too firm to medium firm. They also updated the zipper opening for the cover to wrap around. These are welcome updates for this pillow. Unfortunately, at the new firmness level, the pillow is now too thin when I lay my head down because it has more give. The pillow went from angling my head upward to angling it downward. They advertise that side-sleepers need a pillow that fits the shoulder gap, but this pillow does not solve the problem. If you are a side-sleeper, you need a pillow that is adjustable to fit your shoulder gap. Adding a right angle does not solve anything.