Best Knee Wedge Pillows 2021: A Runner's Search for Restful, Restorative Sleep (and how the Comfort Wedge will transform the way you relax)

1. The best wedge pillow tried: Comfort Wedge Pillow

★ Comfort Wedge Pillow

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1. ↑

   Direct from manufacturer!
   (sold out on Amazon)

What I liked:

1. ✓

   Memory foam gently contours to head, neck, shoulders

2. ✓

   Egg crate design helps with ventilation -- doesn’t get too hot

3. ✓

   Works well for both back and side sleepers

4. ✓

   Thick, quilted washable bamboo cover with handle and pocket

5. ✓

   Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Quirky design

1. ←

   Direct from manufacturer!
   (sold out on Amazon)

Author’s pick: Ranks #1 out of all wedge pillows

The Comfort Wedge was my favorite out of all the wedge pillows that I tried. It fulfilled all of the criteria I had been looking for in a wedge pillow, as well as boasting a few features that I didn’t even know I needed. I’m still regularly using it in bed, and it’s helping me feel more comfortable throughout the night. My sleep has definitely improved as a result of using the Comfort Wedge, and I’m waking up feeling more rested. My lower back generally feels less achy, as well. 

The Comfort Wedge is definitely the most comfortable wedge pillow I’ve encountered. Compared to its competitors, it has the best level of firmness; I would describe it as “medium-firm.” It’s a memory foam pillow, and when I lay on it, the Comfort Wedge gently contours to the shape of my body while still being firm enough to provide just the right amount of support for my back, neck, and shoulders. I often alternate between sleeping on my back and sleeping on my side throughout the night, and it’s just as comfortable in either position.

The top layer of the Comfort Wedge pillow features a unique egg crate design that not only helps with comfort and support, but also ventilation. Memory foam can get pretty hot, but the top layer of the Comfort Wedge is made with a blend of several different types of foam, which helps to keep the pillow cool. Unlike some of the wedge pillows I tried, the Comfort Wedge doesn’t absorb much body heat, which is a massive plus. It’s also worth pointing out that although there are other wedge pillows that have an egg crate layer, the Comfort Wedge is the only one I’ve seen without a “hard edge” where the egg crate layer ends. The Comfort Wedge fixes this problem by having the egg crate layer transition into a smooth, flat surface that extends all the way down to the bottom of the pillow, avoiding any potential discomfort for your lower back.

I found the incline of the Comfort Wedge to be ideal -- at a height of 12 inches, it’s not so tall and steep that I found myself sliding down, which is often a problem with wedge pillows! Having an adjustable height would have been a cool feature, but this wasn’t necessary for me. The Comfort Wedge also comes in a 9 inch variant, although I didn't try that one. The Comfort Wedge is also a good size overall, and it isn’t so big that it feels like the pillow is taking over the bed.

Hands down, the Comfort Wedge has the best cover of any wedge pillow that I encountered. It’s thick and soft, unlike the thin, flimsy covers I’ve encountered on other wedge pillows. The Comfort Wedge cover is made of a nice bamboo-polyester blend that stays remarkably cool to the touch. The quilted material feels very pleasant against my skin, and not at all scratchy. It’s also washable -- you just throw it in the washing machine on a delicate cycle, and you can also tumble dry it on low heat. The cover has never shrunk, and it also has a very convenient side pocket that’s perfect for stashing my phone and glasses. It even has a discreet handle for easily carrying the pillow around. I usually sleep with my head directly on the Comfort Wedge because it’s so soft, but you could also add an ordinary pillow on top. The texture of the quilted fabric helps to prevent the extra pillow from sliding off.

It’s clear that the Comfort Wedge has been designed with care, and the construction of this pillow is a step up from most of the other wedge pillows I tried. Both the cover and the pillow itself are made from premium materials, including a YKK zipper used in the cover -- no other wedge pillow has that. The cover is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, so I know that the fabric is completely safe and free from any harmful chemicals. Similarly, I was incredibly pleased to note that the Comfort Wedge didn’t have a strange chemical odor when I took it out of its packaging. With some of the other wedge pillows I tried, the smell didn’t go away for days!

The Comfort Wedge also works great as a backrest. When I’m sitting up in bed reading or working on my laptop, I just flip the Comfort Wedge so that I can lean against it and have good back support. I can’t believe that I used to lean on a pile of ordinary pillows -- having a wedge pillow that I can use as a backrest is a major improvement!

I’ve recommended the Comfort Wedge to several friends and relatives who have all commented on how it’s helped them to sleep better. And although my husband was initially skeptical of the wedge pillow concept, he’s started sleeping on his own Comfort Wedge. It’s been a big help in relieving two things he thought he’d just have to live with -- snoring and acid reflux! The improvement has been remarkable; thanks to sleeping in a slightly more upright position, he snores less and is experiencing less severe reflux. The Comfort Wedge also came in handy when he had knee surgery over the summer -- it was perfect for propping his legs up and giving them gentle support as he recuperated. 

2. The Runner-Up: Bekweim Adjustable Wedge Pillow

Bekweim

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What I liked:

1. ✓

   Versatile, adjustable design

2. ✓

   Especially good for knee and leg support

3. ✓

   Comfortable as a backrest

4. ✓

   Soft, quilted cover

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Overly firm for a memory foam pillow

2. ✕

   Zippers on the cover seem flimsy

3. ✕

   Noticeably hard edge between bottom of pillow and bed

If I hadn’t come across the Comfort Wedge, I probably would have put the Bekweim at the top of my list. It’s a well-designed pillow, and it has quite a few similarities to the Comfort Wedge. I was able to enjoy some nights of decent sleep with the Bekweim, but overall I didn’t find it to be as comfortable or supportive as the Comfort Wedge.

On the plus side, one of the best things about the Bekweim wedge pillow is that the design allows you to easily set it up in any of seven different configurations, including adjusting the height (9” or 12”) and incline. This is a useful feature, but I personally found it to be largely unnecessary, as I prefer the 12” height. However, the adjustable design of the pillow means that it’s particularly good for providing knee and leg support, as you can change the incline and shape. It also works great as a backrest.

Like the Comfort Wedge, the Bekweim is made of memory foam, so it’s supposed to surround your body as you recline on it. However, I found it to be a bit too firm for my liking. The firmness may appeal to some people, but it isn’t what I was expecting in a memory foam pillow. It’s fine for supporting my legs, but too stiff for my back and shoulders. This level of firmness also means that it isn’t easy to sleep on my side with the Bekweim because there’s so little give.

Just like the Comfort Wedge, the Bekweim has a washable bamboo cover, although it’s not quite up to the same standard of quality. Although the quilted material is soft and comfortable, the zippers seem quite flimsy, so I’m a little wary of removing the cover to wash it.

Although the 7-in-1 design is interesting, I think more attention could have been paid to the overall shape, especially the edges -- there’s a bit of a drop off between the bottom edge of the pillow and the bed, which feels a little awkward. It’s like the bottom of the pillow is pushing into my lower back. This isn’t an issue when I’m using it to sit upright, or for leg support, but I do notice it when I’m just using it to sleep.

3. Brentwood Home Zuma Therapeutic Wedge Pillow

Brentwood

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What I liked:

1. ✓

   Soft knit pillow cover

2. ✓

   Available in three different heights (7", 10", 12")

3. ✓

   CertiPUR-US certified foam

4. ✓

   Cover is hypoallergenic and dust mite-resistant

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Definitely on the firm side

2. ✕

   Zipper broke the second time I used it

3. ✕

   Takes a long time to expand to the correct shape

4. ✕

   Chemical smell takes several days to go away

I was already familiar with Brentwood Home as a mattress manufacturer, so I had high hopes for this wedge pillow -- especially since it's described as "therapeutic.” Overall, I was pretty pleased with the Brentwood, and I think that those who prefer the feel of a firm pillow would be happy with it. For me, though, it didn't come close to surpassing the Comfort Wedge.

The Brentwood pillow isn’t adjustable like the Bekweim, but it's available in 7", 10", and 12" heights, so if you already know what height you prefer, you can order the exact pillow you want. In my experience, wedge pillows that are shorter than 12" aren't particularly effective for relieving back pain, and they haven’t helped my husband with his snoring or acid reflux. However, since comfort is a matter of personal preference, some people may prefer a pillow with less of an incline.

The Brentwood pillow appears to be made out of foam -- not memory foam, just "normal" foam. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as not all memory foam pillows are particularly comfortable. However, the Brentwood is much harder and stiffer than any memory foam pillow I've come across, and it's right on the edge of being too firm. When my husband tried the Brentwood pillow, he found it too firm to be usable. I didn't have that experience, but it's definitely too hard to allow side sleeping.

I was glad to see that the Brentwood pillow carries CertiPUR-US certification for its foam, which made me feel a bit more confident about the materials used in this pillow. However, it took many days for the distinctive foam smell to go away, even though it's supposed to be low in VOCs. It also took a long time for the pillow to fully expand into the proper wedge shape after unboxing it, as it comes tightly rolled up.

As with most of the pillows I tried, the cover is removable and washable, and it’s supposed to be hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant, too. The cover is definitely soft enough to sleep on, although I found it more comfortable to add an additional small pillow on top.

Unfortunately, I wasn't at all pleased with the zipper on the cover. Part of the zipper broke off when I was unzipping it to be washed for only the second time, which was very disappointing. With a bit of fiddling, it’s still usable, but I would have expected more from a supposedly high-quality brand like Brentwood.

4. Healthex Bed Wedge Pillow

Healthex

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What I liked:

1. ✓

   Available in several different heights

2. ✓

   May help to relieve heartburn

3. ✓

   Good for taller, heavier sleepers

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Not as cooling as advertised

2. ✕

   Cover fabric is rough and scratchy

3. ✕

   Likely to be too firm for many people

It was my husband who first heard about the Healthex Cooling Gel wedge pillow. A friend of his had purchased one in an effort to relieve his heartburn, and was pretty impressed with it. He said that the Healthex had really helped with the heartburn, as well as diminishing his snoring, which is why my husband was so interested in trying it for himself.

Like the Brentwood, the Healthex pillow is available in 7", 10", and 12" heights. My husband wanted to try the 10" pillow, which was fine with the addition of a small pillow on top of it. The Healthex is definitely on the large size, but this isn't a major problem because we have a king size bed. I'm not sure how well the Healthex would fit in a double bed with two sleepers.

We were excited to experience the "cooling" layer of gel memory foam, but the Healthex didn't really fulfill that promise. It didn’t feel noticeably cooler than any of the other pillows I tried, and the gel layer clearly isn’t as effective at cooling as the simple egg crate design of the Comfort Wedge. Perhaps if the Healthex had a thicker layer of cooling gel (3" instead of 1.5", for example), it might have had a more noticeable effect.

My husband was more of a fan of this pillow than I was, perhaps because he is heavier than I am. It seems that this pillow's memory foam layer requires a bit of weight in order for it to contour to your body shape. If you're on the lighter side, like I am, you probably won't make enough of an impression for it to start enveloping you.

My least favorite aspect of the Healthex pillow is the cover. I had to wrap it in a bedsheet because it was so rough and scratchy, and not nearly as well-made as some of the other wedge pillow covers I've come across. After washing it for the first time, the cover deteriorated significantly and became full of fuzzy tufts. Compared to the soft quilted cover of the Comfort Wedge, which has withstood multiple trips to the laundry room, this was a major step down.

5. Xtra-Comfort Bed Wedge Pillow

Xtra-Comfort

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What I liked:

1. ✓

   Handle for easy carrying

2. ✓

   Takes up less space than some other pillows

3. ✓

   Adjustable into multiple shapes

4. ✓

   Good for leg support or as a backrest

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Cover is an unattractive brown color

2. ✕

   Very stiff for a "memory foam" pillow

3. ✕

   Retains a lot of heat -- cover can get sweaty

4. ✕

   Probably too small if you have a large frame

Similar in design to the Bekweim, the Xtra-Comfort wedge pillow is really two pillows in one -- a large triangle and a smaller triangle, which can be configured in several different shapes to help support your neck, back, knees, and legs. There are two Velcro straps so that you can secure the pillow into the shape you want. 

The Xtra-Comfort is supposed to be a memory foam pillow, but I'm not entirely convinced that it is. It's incredibly stiff and it doesn't feel like any of the other memory foam pillows I tried. I haven't examined the pillow’s filling all that closely, but it seems to just be normal foam. It also has that distinctive cheap foam smell, and the lack of foam or textile certifications makes me wonder about what materials the Xtra-Comfort is really made from.

Due to its extreme stiffness, the Xtra-Comfort doesn't conform to the shape of my head or shoulders, so I didn't bother trying to sleep on it overnight. Instead, I found the Xtra-Comfort to be most useful for propping up my legs and supporting my knees, or as a backrest for sitting upright in bed.

The Xtra-Comfort is actually quite a bit smaller than I had been expecting. This isn't necessarily a drawback, and it was actually nice to have a wedge pillow that didn't take up so much space in our bed, but it's definitely something to be aware of, especially if you have a tall frame.

Although I'm not usually too concerned with appearances, I do have to comment on the Xtra-Comfort's cover. When I first opened the packaging, I was pretty unimpressed by the cover, which is an extremely unattractive brown color. I would have definitely preferred other color options, although this obviously isn't the most important aspect of the pillow. And although the polyester cover is soft, it can leave my head and neck feeling sweaty. It certainly isn’t as breathable as the product description led me to believe. I did a bit of research and found a couple of 100% cotton covers that would fit the Xtra-Comfort pillow, however I'm reluctant to order an additional cover when it should have been provided as part of the original purchase.

6. Lunix Orthopedic Bed Wedge Pillow Set

Lunix

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What I liked:

1. ✓

   Headrest pillow can be secured in place

2. ✓

   Cover materials are soft and comfortable

What I didn’t like:

1. ✕

   Far more expensive than other wedge pillows

2. ✕

   With frequent use, pillows sag and lose their shape

3. ✕

   Pillows tend to slip or shift

4. ✕

   Headrest pillow is too high and stiff

Rather than a single triangular wedge pillow, the Lunix is actually a set of four separate memory foam pillows that can be combined in a variety of different ways. It’s an innovative design, and I was really hopeful that it would be the solution to my sleep issues -- especially considering that the Lunix pillow set is more than twice as expensive as any of the other wedge pillows I tried.

However, although I like the combination of the velvet/bamboo materials on the pillow covers, I’m not a fan of the pillows themselves. It turns out that I prefer the simplicity of having a single wedge, rather than four separate pillows that slip and slide every time you shift in bed. In fact, the Lunix wedge pillow set isn’t noticeably better than just trying to sleep on a stack of ordinary pillows.

I also had some issues with the headrest pillow. Although I like how the headrest can be secured to the main pillow with a Velcro strap, it was too tall for my head to rest comfortably on without straining my neck. Instead, I didn’t use it, and simply put an ordinary pillow on top of the main cushion.

In their defense, the Lunix memory foam pillows are more comfortable than several of the budget wedge pillows I tried, and they really should be, for the price! However, I do have some concerns about the durability of the Lunix pillows. Although I only slept on these pillows for a couple of weeks, I noticed that they were beginning to lose some of their shape due to the constant use. When I put my full weight on them, the pillows sag, rather than contouring to my body. I’m sure that some people would appreciate how soft and squishy the Lunix pillows are, but they don’t provide much in terms of support. I think in the long run, a pillow that is slightly too firm is preferable to pillows that flatten or sag.