For the month of July, I slept on the Shredded Latex Pillow from The Natural Bedroom, also known as Vivetique.  This was my first experience with one of their latex pillows, so let me say from the start that it was, well, interesting.

Getting the technical stuff out of the way first, the pillow is full of shredded 100% natural latex and is encased in a cover of 100% certified organic cotton.  The cover has a zipper giving you access to the shredded latex (although I would be VERY careful when opening it or you will have shredded latex bits everywhere!).  It is possible to remove some of the contents to create a different loft to the pillow.  Full, the pillow has a resting loft of approximately 6 inches, but this can vary widely as the fill shifts easily.

Shredded latex pillows are generally soft, due largely to the amount of air between the individual pieces of latex inside the pillow.  There is, to a small degree, a conforming aspect to the pillow due to the nature of the fill.

The cover is fabric is soft and tailored well.  It leaves plenty of room for the contents to shift or be molded into whatever shape the sleeper desires.

The main flaw in this pillow, and in my book it is pretty big, is the odor from the shredded latex.  Even 100% natural latex will have an odor (contrary to what you may have read elsewhere) if the milk of the rubber tree is kept in a "stabalized" state for an extended period of time before being made into a finished product.  Shredding intensifies this because it exposes the inner core of the finished latex piece.  The odor did dissipate to a large degree after about 3 weeks of use. 

Shredded latex pillows are quite popular due largely to their price - averaging $20 to $30 less than molded latex and also other types of fills.  Because of this price point, it is easier for suppliers to provide a less-than-perfect product for shredding.  This has absolutely no impact on the overall performance of the pillow, but just know that for the first few weeks of use there is going to be a smell.  Random tests of shredded latex pillows from other manufacturers in our store indicated no odor, so this may be an isolated case to Vivetique or even this particular batch of pillows.  Just something to think about.

Latex pillows, as a group, also stay very clean over time, so there is a huge advantage that might outweigh the ofactory issue.

I found the pillow to be quite comfortable, however there was some heating that caused me to want to flip the pillow to the other side.  It is summer and, since my home has no air conditioning, this could also be a factor in the sleeping temperature of the pillow. 

Another factor influencing the comfort is that the pillow is a bit lumpy.  The grind of the shredded latex is quite large, much larger than other manufacturers, which basically effects the overall feel to a degree - creating a lumpier pillow.  Of course, with the zippered cover, you really want that in case you ever want to take the shredded latex out to wash the pillow - it makes it easier to handle.  Perhaps it's a trade off.  I would have preferred a more fine grind which would deliver the more traditional down-like feel of this type of pillow.

So, that's the review from this month.  For my next post, I'm working on a review of all the soy foam beds I found at the recent Las Vegas Market.  There are a few things to consider in this catagory, so make sure you check back or link this in RSS so you get the posting when it comes up.

Until next time - be well!