90 nights, three pillows, one winner: the Clima Flow from Bico
11.7.2023
Translation: Elicia Payne
Bico, Swiss manufacturer of bedding, has three new pillows in its range and I was allowed to test them! All three are good, but only one consistently makes me happy at night.
I’m now at an age where quality means more to me than the price tag. And pillows that cost more than the entire menu at a good restaurant make me more curious than offended. When the back and neck get stiff, the budget for good equipment in bed is generous. Do you know what I mean? If so, then the three new pillows from Bico deserve your attention. Sie sind alle noch relativ frisch auf dem Markt.
I was allowed to test the three for several weeks and, after 90 nights, I can report my experiences. I decided to focus on the material, workmanship and comfort of the three models. I’ll give my personal recommendation whether the pillow could suit you.
Bico is something like the epitome of a Swiss brand. The company was founded in 1861. And until 2001, it was indeed a purely Swiss company; that’s when Hilding Anders AG took over Bico. But still, at least for tax purposes, Hilding Anders AG is a Swiss company. The company is based in Schänis, St. Gallen, which is where Bico manufactures its mattresses, blankets and pillows.
Vita Adapt
The Vita Adapt is the smallest – and flattest – pillow in the test field. At 40 x 60 cm, it doesn’t take up much space in my bed. The downside is that restless sleepers have little room to move their heads during the night. According to Bico, the pillow is suitable for all sleep positions, so both for people who lie on their stomach, back or side. However, the low height of 10 cm is too little, especially for people with rather broad shoulders who sleep on a hard mattress on their side. My best sleeping experience with the Vita Adapt was lying on my back.
Source: Martin Jungfer
Source: Martin Jungfer
If you tend to sleep on your stomach, you can remove an insert of viscoelastic memory foam from the pillow to make it two to three inches flatter. Then you just lie on the core of the pillow, which is made of memory foam and has a gel foam lining.
The Vita Adapt is wrapped in a pillowcase made of – watch out, here comes the marketing lingo! – ClimaFlow fabric with Sensity anti-mite protection and air-permeable mesh. The pillowcase, which was apparently developed with the help of Nobel prize winners, can be removed by opening a zip and washed at 60 degrees.
Body Soft
Weighing 2.2 kg, this pillow is the heaviest in the test field. You’ll like it if you’re usually into big down pillows and enjoy being snug and soft. Yet Body Soft isn’t a down pillow. Instead of bird feathers, Bico uses a so-called HybridFeel-Special Foam for this pillow. Unlike down pillows, it keeps its shape; I couldn’t flatten the pillow overnight. Not even with a heavy head. Body Soft doesn’t need fluffing up in the morning.
It measures 50 x 70 cm, which is one size larger than the Vita Adapt. But it feels a lot bigger. This is primarily because of its height. The pillow has a maximum height of 19 cm. By maximum, I mean you can take out 2 inserts made of foam if you need to and make it thinner. One insert is 1.5 cm, the other 2.5 cm thick. So if you take both of them out, you have a pillow that’s 15 cm high.
You remove the inserts by pulling them out of the special pocket in the cover. Oder eben wieder hineinsteckst, wenn es wieder höher werden soll. This ensures the pillow and insert/s stay put.
Source: Martin Jungfer
During the 90 days, I tested the Body Soft for the shortest amount of time. Not because I didn’t like it. But my wife liked it more than me and after a night decided to test it till the end. She highly recommends it.
Clima Flow
Fortunately, I put the Clima Flow under my head as an alternative third pillow. I have to admit, it wasn’t love at first sight. But after about ten days, it was clear: it’s my personal favourite among the three Bico pillows.
It also falls into the category of neck-support pillows, but has a unique quality. The top isn’t just made out of gel foam. Bico has divided it in half. Moses parted the Red Sea so that people could walk through it. Bico divided the pillow to create a kind of air channel. In combination with the materials used – especially the mesh fabric – the Clima Flow pillow is designed to keep your head cool. Bico’s own studies cite a temperature of 2.5 degrees lower than other gel foam neck pillows.
Source: Martin Jungfer
Whether it’s that many degrees lower, I can’t really measure in my everyday test. However, in the first very warm nights of this summer, I actually slept soundly and hardly sweated.
Even in the Clima Flow pillow, you can change the height with two inserts. One insert is 4 cm thick, the other 3 cm thick. With the two inserts inside, the pillow height is 12 cm, which, in comparison to the Body Soft, sounds little but it isn’t. Because unlike the down pillow wannabe, you hardly sink on the Clima Flow.
Source: Martin Jungfer
When you’re trying to fall asleep, the two halves on the top of the pillow take some getting used to. The gap was noticeable and I felt more pressure on my scalp from the edges of the channel than I expected to. However, the initial irritation quickly subsides after a certain break-in period. I sleep very well with it both on my side and on my back. That’s why the Clima Flow is my test winner among the three Bico pillows.
However, the choice of the right and suitable pillow is ultimately very individual. More on the topic of pillows can be found in my guide column:
Disclaimer: Bico gave me the test pillows for free. The ratings in my review are independent of this and these are exclusively my personal opinions. Galaxus editorial journalists are not responsible for the sales of products they test.
Header image: Martin Jungfer
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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