The wife and I bought a new set of sheets today. Bottom sheet, duvet cover, four pillowcases and two bolster cases. Santas brand, 500 thread count. 100% cotton (Supima cotton, it says.) Total: 13,510 baht (US$452), and this was after a 25% discount due to a sale.
Now, we bought our present bed eight years ago, and with the bed came a free set of Santas sheets. I don’t what thread count it was, but it quickly turned into our favorite set, which surprised us, since we figured it wouldn’t be very good if they were just throwing it in. Actually, we’ve never paid attention to thread counts before that I can recall.
But we’ve been so impressed with the Santas set that we specifically went with this brand this time. The 500-count sheets were expensive enough, but they had 800- and 1000-thread-count sets that cost more than a round-trip plane ticket between here and Hawaii, and that’s no exaggeration. Maybe even round trip to New York. $452 is bad enough, I’m not paying more than that for sheets.
I know there are some sheet snobs on the Board. What do you think of the different thread counts?
EDIT: The lowest thread count we saw by Santas was I think 250 or 300.
I think ours are 400 thread count; I do know that they’re lasting forever (eight years now, I think, and showing no signs of wearing out). They’re not nearly as expensive here, though - I picked all of ours up on sale, but they weren’t much more than $30 or so for a queen-sized set.
I don’t think I’d want any higher thread count - you’re getting into “canvas” territory, there.
I just got a 750 thread count queen set a few months ago for under $150 US. It is the first time that I’ve gone over 300 count, and I’m never going back. So much nicer, and I expect them to last a long time, unlike the old 300 count sheets.
The whole thread count thng is, imho, a marketing ploy, just like megapixels was on camera’s. People who don’t know much about what determines good quality will think that more = better.
I always feel new sheets and duvet covers. I know percale and sateen are ways of weaving and yarn treatment that can make for softer sheets, so I go for those, but otherwise it is just feeling between thumb and forefinger.
I’ve felt great and amazing 400 thread count sheets and terrible 1000 tc’s. Maastricht is right, it’s the megapixels of sheets.
That said I do like a well made sheet - my favorites are the Lands End Supima cotton 600tc. They’re soft, durable and my personal favorite feature - the King size set is actually wide enough to allow the top sheet to overhang the bed. Nothing is worse than making your bed and having 2 inches or less of sheet on either side of the bed when it’s flat and smooth. Once you add people and dogs to the picture everyone spends the entire night fighting for a share.
We found some sheets on sale at Target about a year ago with a higher thread count (I think 750?).
We bought some and two days later went back and bought two more sets!
The difference was amazing.
Plus, even after multiple washings, the comfort level has not dropped an iota.
Considering these sheets are obviously going to last longer, and obviously are more comfortable, I can guarantee you we will not be penny-pinching when we need to buy the next set (although we will keep an eye out for sales on them).
I guess I’m not that picky about thread count. If they feel nice then I buy them. I picked up some 400s from Kohl’s a while back, and they’re fantastic. Soft and not too heavy. And they have a stripe pattern on them so I can get the fitted sheet on the right way the first time!
I like to stay around 400, anything more is too heavy. It’s important to check the type of cotton though, 300 thread count egyptian cotton is going to be a lot softer than 750 of run of the mill fibers.
I got some organic cotton sheets from Target a while back, don’t remember the count but they’re the softest things ever and the set was on sale for $40.00 They feel like silk.
I’m a snob about sheets and like about 600 thread count - smooth, soft, not too heavy. It’s been a while since I bought new sheets but I think most of mine were from a Ralph Lauren outlet store.
I have some ancient L.L. Bean pink flannel sheets - maybe 15 years old - that are good as new and great for winter.
We’re in the process of replacing all of our sheets with sheets woven from bamboo. They are, with no exaggeration, the softest and most durable sheets I’ve ever slept on. We’ve been getting all of our friends hooked on 'em, too.
Bamboo, eh? That’s a new one on me, the wife too, and we live in Bamboo Central.
Sateen was mentioned a couple of times above, and the packaging on what we bought says “500 Thread Count Cotton Satin” and “Supima cotton.” Sheets are ungodly expensive here, or at least decent ones are. We’re hoping to pick some up cheaper while in the US next year.
I had some heavenly Martex sheets decades ago that finally wore out. Replacing them has been a Quest. I want soft, smooth, CRISPY sheets, not mushy, wrinkly sheets. Thread count doesn’t seem to be the primary determining factor. Any help?
Bamboo sheets are very soft, but I find they don’t do that cool crisp thing when they’re fresh on the bed and I really love that. That feeling is probably the main reason I change my sheets so often.
Yeah, the only drawback I’ve found with 'em is that they wrinkle almost immediately out of the dryer. Luckily the wrinkles fade quickly once they’re on the bed, but they still look and feel a bit strange when you first put 'em on. Luckily the bamboo t-shirts I’ve got don’t seem to wrinkle quite so much.
Sheets are high here. The last set we bought was maybe eight years ago. That ran about 10,000 baht, and we didn’t even pay attention to the thread count then. But at that time, we were still coming down off the crash of '97, so the exchange rate was around 40 baht to the dollar, maybe 42, and that would have made them in the US$250 range. The baht’s stronger now at 30 to the US$, so everything’s going up. That’s just one of the drawbacks over here.
Why? What’s so special about sheets? I mean, fitted sheets are a bit tricky, but flat sheets? That’s plain ass cotton material with a few seams sewn in.
