Buying Egyptian Cotton Sheets
Egyptian cotton sheets are the high end of bedding purchases. However, the consumer should acquaint his or herself with a few facts about the product before purchase to avoid paying too much and/or purchasing lower quality sheets than desired.
Egyptian sheet sets are made from cotton grown along the Nile. Because its fiber staple is especially long, products made from it will possess great durability, luster, and smooth, silky texture. Its yarn can be easily bleached or dyed any color. It can be subjected to bleaching, boiling, and constant high temperatures and retain its durability, without breaking down, linting, pilling, or loosing its incredibly soft feel. Egyptian cotton bed sheets can literally last a lifetime when given proper care.
There are two, and only two, vitally important qualities when it comes to selecting sheets. These are material and thread count. These two factors will determine the comfort and feel of the sheets, the only possible difference between two 300 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets from two different companies is the color and/or design. Plainly then, if one must choose between say, plain white designer Egyptian cotton sheet sets for $1200 and a non-designer plain white sheet for $200, go with the latter. There is nothing to be gained in this case by paying more money. Thread count refers to the numbers of threads per square inch in the sheet. Hold up any sheet to a strong light and look at it. If you can actually make out the weaving mesh then it is way, way below the standards of fine bed linens. Respectable thread counts start at 200. The finest sheets will top out at 400. Most experts agree that anything beyond 400 does not accomplish anything as far as detectable differences in look, comfort, or texture go.
One should definitely look for American manufacturer when buying sheets of Egyptian cotton. This is not merely a matter of patriotism. Not only does buying American help keep workers of this nation in jobs, but American products in this case will often competitively priced versus imports because of tariffs and duties labeled on imported linens. Imports from other countries also do not always meet the exactly thread count standards of American produced linens, thus your 400 thread count sheet from India may be no better in texture and durability than a 200 thread count domestic sheet.
Egyptian cotton sheets king in the 200 to 220 thread count range will generally cost around $59.99, and Egyptian cotton sheets queen in this thread count range will cost around $49.99. Sheets in the 250 to 300 thread count range will cost about $89.99 for king and $79.99 for Queen. If you are looking for 400 thread count, this will run you about $199.99 for king and $189.99 for Queen. It is possible to find sheets with much higher thread, up to around 1500 thread count in fact, and to pay in excess of one thousand dollars for them! However, remember it is highly debatable whether or not these ultra high thread counts do anything to add to comfort and texture, and it is NOT highly debatable that they do cost more.
