If you’re tired of overheating with your current pillow and want something that doesn’t retain the heat when you sleep, you probably took notice when the Sobakawa Cloud Pillow ad came on. It makes a pretty strong case on its effectiveness, and if you watch for too long you might find yourself dialing the number of visiting their website. But does it provide the kind of sleep experience they claim it does?
Overview
Buckwheat pillows are something that not many people are aware of, unless they’ve tried one before. When Sobakawa released their first model, they used Japan heavily in their product description. They stated that the Japanese have a theory about sleep that states that your extremities should be warm, and your head should be cool for proper sleep.
Sobawakwa pillows have been around for over a decade, and they keep upgrading their product and hoping that people will continue to follow the natural progression of their product line.
The Claim
The Sobakawa Cloud Pillow is stated to have hundreds of foam microbeads that contour to the shape of your head, all while providing the same kind of stay-cool feature that the traditional buckwheat hulls did.
The implicit claims, as judging by the infomercial, are that you won’t toss and turn in your sleep any more, you won’t have back pain, and your neck won’t be in a knot any more, once you start using the Sobakawa Cloud pillow.
They also claim that the pillow is the result of 300 years of development. Although it’s based on the “Asian buckwheat pillow” no buckwheat was harmed in the making of the pillow. It now uses what’s known as “air beads” which are described as a “virtual sea of clouds”.
The Cost
For $35 you can have it delivered to your door, complete with a pillow case that breathes or some such nonsense.
The Commitment
You don’t have to do much but replace the pillow you currently use with your new Sobakawa Cloud pillow. Sleep like you normally would and you should see the difference in the quality of sleep that you get.
Evaluation
The Sobakawa Cloud Pillow stays cool and does adjust to your head. It’s going to take some getting used to if you’ve never used a pillow like this. Your first night with it and you might wake up stiffer than usual, or toss and turn because it just doesn’t feel right.
If you stick with it and don’t toss it to the closet after a night or two, you probably won’t want to part with it. Once you’re used to the way it feels and the different sleeping positions that feel comfortable with it, you’ll have better rest than usual.
Does Sobakawa Cloud Pillow Really Work?
Pillows are just one of the facets of sleep. It will give you a better pillow experience, but as far as living up to all of the claims in their advertisements, you might be disappointed. For example, if you have a lousy mattress, your new pillow isn’t going to solve your problem. Likewise, if you have health conditions that cause you to wake up several times in the night, or something like sleep apnea where you stop breathing at certain points throughout the night, you won’t find relief by changing pillows.
If you simply tired of a hot pillow you will definitely love the Sobakawa Cloud pillow. It definitely will keep you cool, and that can be great during the summer months when you don’t feel like turning the air conditioning on just to sleep.
Our Recommendation
If you want a super comfy pillow and don’t mind knowingly paying for it, then you should grab one.
Official Website: Sobakawa Cloud Pillow
They fit nicely in a regular pillow case. Just put it in sideways and tuck the other half of the pillow case inside itself.
I think that was meant to be funny.
I have not used the cloud pillow. I’ve had the Sovakawa buckwheat pillow for many years. My mom, son and I all love them. It has hurt my ear, (from the pressure of the hulls). I can adjust the hulls to relieve the pressure. I don’t recall ever smelling an odor. Just be sure to “shape” the pillow. I make sure to form it to support my neck. If, I choose to sleep on my stomach, I can form the pillow to be somewhat flat. If, I choose to lay on my side, I can shape it to lay fuller. I am a huge fan.
I bought one and liked it pretty much right from the get-go. I quickly realized that I would not use it as my ONLY pillow; for me, it’s way too small for an *only* pillow; and I think that’s where some people go wrong. You could try putting it on top of an older semi-squished below so your head is not too low on the bed.
I have two of them now and they are SO easy to maneuver into providing exactly the right support for reading or watching TV in bed, or using like little conformal ‘hug-buddies’ which stay cool.
The writing on all of these reviews is quite poor, thus invalidates the review. Did this unnamed person really try all of these pillows? He/she clearly did not try them.
no buckwheat was harmed in the making of a pillow? buckwheat is a plant.
https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat&ved=0CJABEBYwEWoVChMI5pvfsomDyQIVC2qOCh2zXw4U&usg=AFQjCNE260Jb3VrhM9wLtLvBx8WyMdjgng&sig2=USDIXtuhTp99EoaEjTczug
I was given this pillow I thought I was really getting something ..after sleeping on it I woke up in tremendous neck pain, as I am writing this ..it is debilitating !! can,t move ,get put of bed, have to hold the back of my head to do anything, I would NOT recomend this item
It makes a handy rifle rest.
Love my Sobakowa. However, I can’t find additional pillow cases for it. I must wash it and hope it dries before I go to sleep
Do not purchase one of these. Expensive – YES ! Does the job – NO ! When I took the pillow out of the box and felt the pillow I did say “I will sleep on a cloud tonight”. You put your head down, and it is soft. Not long after you feel as though you are sleeping on molded concrete.
I bought these pillows last year. My son asked me for 2 of these pillows on his Christmas list. So I purchased them for him & 2 for his father & I . A month later I found the money I paid for the pillows in my room with a note from my son saying ” mommy I sorry I made you waste your money on these pillows. The people on TV lied! It was all a gimmick” all of that from an 8 year old So Mikey sez don’t waste your money
I bought the Sobakwa Cloud Pillow for the same reasons as many of the reviews here. I have a terrible neck condition. After a few nights, I had the same stiffness along with added pain than I had before, but I wanted to give it at least a week. It never improved at all. It doesn’t stay cool either. It was the biggest waste of money. I bought mine from eBay so I couldn’t get a refund, but I still spent $15.00 that I can’t retrieve back. Don’t waste your money or time as it doesn’t work and in my case it brought added pain.
I ordered two of the Sobakawa Cloud Pillows, standard size. I just received them and have never been more disappointed in anything. I did try to sleep on it and it was the smallest, most uncomfortable pillow I’ve ever slept on. I have standard size pillows and they are not standard size pillows. It is not advertised that they are highly flammable I guess you assume everyone should do their own research before buying, duly noted. I considered the commercial a real scam. They tell you buy one get one free. Nothings free. You pay $7.95 a pillow for shipping. When the box came I could not believe that there were actually two pillows in there since the box was so small. They tell you oh yea, you can get a refund, but not for the shipping. The shipping is half the cost of the order. What a rip off!!!
These pillows suck. If you’re going to purchase a Sobakawa Pillow, stick with the Original Sobakawa which contains 100% Buckwheat Hulls. Much better than the micro beads and way cooler.
I had this pillow for a few days. It was nice when I woke up and then after about being up for 30mins or so my neck would tighten up again. So I returned it and went back to my old pillow. Bought mine from bed bath and beyond for 20.00.
It sounds like another pillow that’s leading you to believe that if you sleep on their pillow that’ll all your head, neck, and back problems with be remedied. A product that doesn’t do as it says is not worth the money no matter how cheap or expensive they are. I can’t imagine a pillow doing the work of what your mattress should be doing. If your mattress is uncomfortable, I doubt this pillow is going to make the experience all that more enjoyable. Especially if people here are reporting stiff necks and back pain from using these pillows. But with that said I’m sure it’s beneficial those who like a cool pillow to sleep on. Even then there’s probably best choices out there than this one.
Thanks for posting this review. I have heard about these pillows but have been very skeptical about their effectiveness. What stood out to me was the statement that you need to give it a few nights to get used to it, and that the first night or two may cause you to wake up with a stiff and painful neck and back. I simply cannot have that, so I am going to avoid this product. I already suffer from pain and stiffness in my neck and back regularly. I cannot even sleep on a TempurPedic mattress because it actually hurts my back more.
This is absolutely correct, lipstick on a pig is just a fancier pig and not for long. This thing is way over priced and I was hoping with a little help from some mild sleep-apnea but this did nothing. If you do have neck issues then you will not have a miracle healing as this only keeps your head in a cradled position and nothing else. It doesn’t even come close to the real therapeutic pillows you have prescribed to you when you are injured and healing so for sure not value for money here. Do yourself a favor and sleep on two or three pillows at ten bucks a piece and you’ll have the same effect.
I bought the Sobakawa Cloud Pillow because I suffer with extreme neck pain and have a terrible time sleeping. I thought the price was a lot, but with my first night sleep was wonderful. I gave it another week and it was even better. I’m always hot, so the coolness was a bonus feature. My son came over and I showed him the pillow and now I plan on purchasing several more for gifts. If you get hot when you sleep and have a restless sleep, then the thirty-five dollars is worth it for a good night sleep every night. It worked great for me.
I use this pillow along with a little roll pillow because I have a lot of neck pain. It feels great to have that little roll along with this one under my neck. The difficulty is that the microbeads come out from the pillow daily. And since they’re teeny-tiny and feather-light they could be inhaled during the nighttime. Possibly this could be the rationale for the caution attached to the pillow that says you have to use the cushion case at all times. It’s actually too bad because it’s an ideal complement to my neck roll, but ultimately the majority of the beads might fall out and worse yet, maybe get inhaled. To be honest, it might be that this pillow is faulty.
I have been watching these comments trying to decide whether this will be the pillow that cures my nighttime neck pain nightmares – but so far, it looks like a love/hate relationship for everybody! I have tried the TempurPedic (too hot), the water/gel pad covering (too hard), and am back to one of the old reliables I’ve had in the house for years (too misshapen). It’s amazing that this company can charge as much as they do if they don’t have a higher satisfaction rate. (And, Don – it sounds like they should get in the business of selling their own custom pillowcases for those of you who DO like them, huh?) I’ll wait for a few more reviews to come in….
Is there no source for pillow cases for the coud pillow?
I bought my Sobakawa pillow at the local CVS. It was listed for $19.99 and I used the 25% off coupon I got in the mail from CVS. I wouldn’t fall for the $35 gig (it’s just a small beanie pillow, not worth that). I was starting to have headaches and neck pain almost every morning. I have slept on the pillow 2 nights, but so far I have not woke up with a headache. Also, I have found that it does stay cool. The one I purchased had no “odor” that everyone is referring to at all. So far, I have to say I’m pleased.
I bought one of these from someone on ebay for $9.00 because someone told me that they are worth it if you suffer from neck and back problems. BULLSH*T!!! This thing gives me more back and neck issues than even before!!! I wish to take this thing to a bonfire and set it on fire. Maybe its got a better use in keeping people warm. 🙂
This is the best pillow I’ve ever had and I can’t live without it. I take it with me everywhere and even had it when I was hospitalized. I have all the sizes because the small one is perfect for travel in the car or plane and sleeping with all of them in a combination, positioning them around me is so comfortable! I love this pillow and think everyone should have one!
I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND BUYING THESE PILLOWS! When you get the standard pillow, be prepared to give it to a small child to use. I returned mine immediately. I didn’t like the way they felt at all. These pillows are very overrated!!! $7.95 per pillow to ship. They ship them in the same box and it only cost me $8.00 to return the entire box. Rip off!!!
I tried it! I usually have to replace my ordinary pillows every 4 months, so if the Sobokowa lives up to its claims it may be a good deal. When they arrived, they were half the size of a standard pillow, so forget putting them in your standard pillow case. The first couple nights were ok, the pillow holds its shape pretty good. Over the course of a week, I became disappointed in the pillows. They just feel hard, my ear gets sore from the stiff feel of the pillow when sleeping on my side. They aren’t worth the money.
OK, so I have to admit, they are nice…BUT….only if you can stand the Smell of them, and the size. I got 2 of the standard size, on the deal if you buy one you get one for just a mere $7.95….well, that’s fine, if you like mini pillows, because 2 of them can fit in a regular pillow case. But, they do what they claim to do, if YOU can stand the SMELL. When I opended mine up, it hits you like a ton of bricks……some chemical smell that doesn’t go away for quite some time. I did try to use them, and I tried for almost a month, and in that month’s time, my face broke out in blotches that itched and hurt. I have placed the pillows in the closet, and sorry to say I miss them, but I don’t miss the swollen eyes and the hurt and burning.
But, amazingly enough, they do stay cool, and that was what I really wanted them for.
I bought this for me and my husband! We both hate it! Does not stay cool, woke up dripping in sweat and terrible neck pain! Pillow also has horrible odor! Plus after I bought it I was automatically signed up for another program that I didn’t authorize and they continued to take $20 a month out of my bank account even after I called and cancelled after I received the paperwork! Took 3 mos and me threatening to turn them in to the BBB before they finally cancelled and refunded money! Worse money I ever spent and would not recommend!
this pillow was a total waste of money and now if I want to send it back I have to pay for the shipping both ways. It did not stay cool, not even for 5 minutes. When I laid on my back I couldn’t even tell there was a pillow, and when I turned on my side it felt like my head was in a vise.
I have constant trouble with pillows. I’m a side/stomach sleeper, and pillows always pancake on me. After about two months, I have absolutely no neck support. This pillow didn’t even last two nights. It’s simply not thick enough to offer decent head and neck support.
The pillow must be used with the case and you cannot find more cases
@Taz_666 – i suppose it’s each to their own. My $35 was well spent.
I used to have problems sleeping due to neck ache with my old pillow – this cloud pillow has all but banished my sleepless nights.
“lipstick on a pig” is a genius line 🙂
However this pillow is dressed up there’s no way it’s worth $35!
A friend got suckered in to one of these and will happily admit it was the biggest waste of cash ever!
I agree a pillow is an important piece of equipment for a good nights sleep, but this is nothing more than a small bean bag!