Quality King size sheet set for less than $250? Also a Mattress pad question.

[megalops]

I've been lurking here for the past two weeks deciding upon my next mattress, and have finally decided to post. First off, thank you all for so much valuable information. Thanks to this forum and a visit to City Mattress, I've now decided on my mattress. I'm going to order a posture deluxe from FloBeds. These are on sale until the end of this week, and I plan on placing my order Friday. I'm confident in my selection, and hope it turns out to be comparable to the Pranasleep Wahe we tried out at City Matttress.
My next two dilemmas are which Mattress pad to order and finding a quality sheet set. I've narrowed my mattress pad to either the St. Dormeir Natural Wool Mattress Pad, or the 100% Cotton mattress pad sold by Flobeds. The Flobeds mattress already has a good amount of wool sewn into the top cover of the mattress encasement, so I'm not sure if I need additional wool in the mattress pad. I'm also concerned about how well the St. Dormeir pad will hold up under repeated machine wash cycles. Any advice is greatly appreciated as to why one would select the cotton over the wool, or vice versa.
My second dilemma is what sheet set to get. I definitely like 'cool' feeling sheets and like most people want them to be soft to the feel. I definitely like percale and sateen weaves. I've seen the St. Geneve "My Favourite Sheets" recommended here as a good set in my price range, although I prefer a solid sheet rather than one with stripes. I've also read good reviews on the Dreamfit 400TC egyptian cotton sheets which are a solid and also in my price range. Please let me know if you can offer any recommendations on these two I mentioned, or if there are other sets in my price range I should consider. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[GuyMakesSense]

My second dilemma is what sheet set to get. I definitely like 'cool' feeling sheets and like most people want them to be soft to the feel. I definitely like percale and sateen weaves. I've seen the St. Geneve "My Favourite Sheets" recommended here as a good set in my price range, although I prefer a solid sheet rather than one with stripes. I've also read good reviews on the Dreamfit 400TC egyptian cotton sheets which are a solid and also in my price range. Please let me know if you can offer any recommendations on these two I mentioned, or if there are other sets in my price range I should consider. Thanks again for all your help.

I own 2 sets of Dreamfit 4's and love them... I also suggest the microfiber sheets from Comphy's. Still my favorite out of all of the sets I own (including 2 sets from Tempurpedic of Egyptian cotten as well.) I got mine at a Costco table they did nearby... apparentlyl you can'g just buy them from a regular retailer.

 

[megalops]

GuyMakesSense wrote:


My second dilemma is what sheet set to get. I definitely like 'cool' feeling sheets and like most people want them to be soft to the feel. I definitely like percale and sateen weaves. I've seen the St. Geneve "My Favourite Sheets" recommended here as a good set in my price range, although I prefer a solid sheet rather than one with stripes. I've also read good reviews on the Dreamfit 400TC egyptian cotton sheets which are a solid and also in my price range. Please let me know if you can offer any recommendations on these two I mentioned, or if there are other sets in my price range I should consider. Thanks again for all your help.


I own 2 sets of Dreamfit 4's and love them... I also suggest the microfiber sheets from Comphy's. Still my favorite out of all of the sets I own (including 2 sets from Tempurpedic of Egyptian cotten as well.) I got mine at a Costco table they did nearby... apparentlyl you can'g just buy them from a regular retailer.

Thank you for the reply. I'm glad you like the Dreamfit 400s, and I'm definitely considering them. The things that scare me a bit about them is that they don't mention if they're single ply threads or twisted two ply threads. They don't mention what type of Egyptian cotton, and they don't even mention what weave they are. I'm assuming they're a sateen, but I'd just be guessing. If you happen to know any of these answers, please fill me in.
I did find three good forum threads here regarding sheets including:
http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/cool-sheets/15055-A-1.html
http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/best-cotton-sheets/18639-A-1.html - Great education from budgy on reply #2 of this thread.
http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/advice-needed-where-buy-sheets/11609-A-1.html
These forum threads were very valuable, which has me leaning towards the St Geneve "My Favourite Sheets": http://www.beddingsuperstore.com/i?store=cat&id=6479. I only wish they came in a couple of more colors. My wife prefers medium and dark colors like taupe or chocolate. I'm also looking at the LL Bean 280TC Pima Percale sheets: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64157?feat=1156-CL2. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to physically feel any of these, and will be forced to make a blind faith purchase online based on reviews alone.
Please let me know if there are other sheet sets I missed. I will note that my parents have microfiber sheets, and they just don't work for me. I need cotton.
Also, I'd love an expert opinion on which mattress pad I should go with. Our main reason for purchasing a mattress pad is to protect the mattress, not for cushioning.

 

[GuyMakesSense]

The DreamFit 4's (I believe) were long staple, single-ply, Egyptian cotton with the "corner suspenders" on all four corners to help them stay on! I do not remember the weave, but it is very soft to the touch and has become softer with use...
As far as mattress protectors go, you want something that will hopefully not change the feel of your mattress. i have used 3 different ones. 1 form Tempurpedic had no material on top to help disperse any liquids/sweat, etc. the other two are from GBS and Protect-A-Bed. Between the two, I like the Protect-A-Bed version better as they stretch in all directions leaving virtually no change in feel. I have heard that if you have a very plush mattress, it may feel slightly less squishy, but I have not experienced that and only heard it a couple of times in the last several years. I have had no experience with the other versions of water/moisture resistant pads (vs. the water-proof ones).

 

[megalops]

GuyMakesSense wrote:
The DreamFit 4's (I believe) were long staple, single-ply, Egyptian cotton with the "corner suspenders" on all four corners to help them stay on! I do not remember the weave, but it is very soft to the touch and has become softer with use...

As far as mattress protectors go, you want something that will hopefully not change the feel of your mattress. i have used 3 different ones. 1 form Tempurpedic had no material on top to help disperse any liquids/sweat, etc. the other two are from GBS and Protect-A-Bed. Between the two, I like the Protect-A-Bed version better as they stretch in all directions leaving virtually no change in feel. I have heard that if you have a very plush mattress, it may feel slightly less squishy, but I have not experienced that and only heard it a couple of times in the last several years. I have had no experience with the other versions of water/moisture resistant pads (vs. the water-proof ones).

If the Dreamfits really are 400TC single-ply and are real egyptian cotton, then they truly are an astounding value. Something tells me they are either 2-ply or not real extra-long staple egyptian cotton.
Here is an excerpt from budgy's post I referenced above:

In the world marketplace, many cheap cottons are also being referred to as "Egyptian Cotton". If an Egyptian Cotton article seems to be a very low price, it is probably not genuine. There are three things to be aware of when you are purchasing Egyptian cotton linens. First of all, there are the contents - Some fabrics are labeled as Egyptian cotton when in fact they have a tiny percentage of genuine Egyptian cotton ~ say 5% or so. Second of all, the definition of "Egyptian Cotton" in some dictionaries is simply any finely woven cotton ~ this does rather leave the door open. Lastly, cotton grown in the country of Egypt may sound expensive and high in quality, but can be any variety. Since American Upland cottons (which are a much shorter fiber) now comprise 90% of the world's crop, it is a safe assertion that this might be in the package.

The more inmportant thing is that you mention they are soft, and that you like them, which is why they're still on my short list. I'm more concerned with their longevity, especially since they're not exactly inexpensive. Right now the St. Geneve "My Favourite Sheets" are looking like the favorite for me to try (even though they're a stripe and only come in 2 colors), but would love to know if there are any other recommended options to consider in my price range. Especially a pima (or supima) percale type sheet. I had these as a kid, and remember them being very comfortable, and long lasting. The LL Bean's I posted above have some bad reviews, so I'm a little leary of them. I can't seem to find any others in my price range.
As far as mattress protection goes, I'd much prefer to stick with all natural products like the St. Dormeir Natural Wool Mattress Pad, or the 100% Cotton mattress pad. I'm leaning towards the 100% cotton right now, but am open to expert opinion.

 

[GuyMakesSense]

I believe if you find the DreamFit 3 sheets they are Pima Cotton. Knowing that 90% is american cotton it is good to know that most Egyptian cotton sheets are just a percentage... having said that, I do know the staple is long (not extra long)... I do not remember at all the difference in actual length, but I assure they are not 2-ply sheets. I have had them for about 2 years (maybe 2-1/2) and I have not felt any difference in the quality or getting "thinner" as I wash and use them... I stopped selling these sheets about 6 or 7 months ago (company is not carrying them) but i still love them and am sleeping on the celadon (green) at the moment.

 

[budgy]

If they are a true single ply thread than 400TC cotton, it would have to be a Sateen cotton, percales cannot go that high....and rarely go even over 300 for sheeting....360TC is about the highest percale available for down proof tickings, 400TC for Sateen. Although, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they are 2-ply.

 

[megalops]

Budgy, other than the "My Favourite Sheets", are their any others in my price range you can recommend?
I saw you recommend the Allegro sheets which are a bit outside my range, but was wondering if they are substantially nicer than the MFS. I can almost get 2 sets of MFS for the price of one Allegro set, but was wondering if the Allegro set will outlast them significantly or are that much nicer of a feel?
Also, please let me know if anyone has experience with any of these:
http://www.garnethill.com/webapp/wc...&productId=221425&langId=-1&SourceCode=G1WSB1
http://www.bed-linens.net/cotton-domestic

 

[budgy]

megalops wrote:
Budgy, other than the "My Favourite Sheets", are their any others in my price range you can recommend?

I saw you recommend the Allegro sheets which are a bit outside my range, but was wondering if they are substantially nicer than the MFS. I can almost get 2 sets of MFS for the price of one Allegro set, but was wondering if the Allegro set will outlast them significantly or are that much nicer of a feel?
Also, please let me know if anyone has experience with any of these:
http://www.garnethill.com/webapp/wc...&productId=221425&langId=-1&SourceCode=G1WSB1
http://www.bed-linens.net/cotton-domestic


The Allegro sheets are really nice, thats probably the best priced legitmate egyptian cotton sheet milled in Italy you will find. The sheets are actually thinner than the 'MFS', but a lot softer after a few washes and likely just as durable if not more so. I have heard good things about 'Matouk' sheets, supposed to be good for the price.
Allegro pricing is actually really well priced for what it is, for instance you can compare the softness of the sheet to the St. Geneve Capri, both 300TC Egyptian cottons from Italy. The Capri fabric is a lot more expensive because they bring the fabric over in 98 different colours. Allegro they make in 2 colours, and they make a LOT of it. Capri would be a little smoother because its not a stripe fabric. It may sound wierd to say this because the fabric is woven by a machine...but Allegro is a lot less labour intensive. In order to set up one of these full width looms it takes about 2 days worth of labour to tie in the warp and weft yarns by hand.

 

[megalops]

I ordered some St. Geneve swatches from Beddingsuperstore of a few different types and colors. Once I had my wife talk to my mom who confirmed that we got over 20 years out of some of our old American made percale sheets, she's almost willing to let me order a couple of sets of the Capri Solids. My wife doesn't mind only having two sets of sheets, as long as she can rotate bedspreads and decorative pillows during each season. If we spend $840 on two sets of Capris and they last 20 years alternating them, that equates to $42 / year. A small price to pay for comfort. If they only last half that time, it's $84/year. Still not too bad.
Funny how I was prepared to spend $1200 to $1500 on a new mattress a few weeks ago. I then find this website, and am now looking at almost $4K after doing much research, between a new 100% natural Flobeds mattress, expensive sheets and a 100% cotton mattress pad. Damn'ed internet!
Anyhow, Thank you all for the great bedding education!
PS. Can anyone recommend a good detergent for washing the Egyptian Cotton sheets? I've read Woolite for darks or Tide are good, but was wondering if there are better/safer products?

 

[budgy]

Flobeds makes a great mattress....St. Geneve makes some awesome bedding...you are going to have an amazing set up when its all done. The Capri sheets are wonderful and crisp, you will notice after a few washings they get a lot softer. My brother owns a few sets of that and this is from his experience to me with the fabric.
As far as off the shelf detergents go the only one I would recommend is Tide Free.
The best detergent I know of for these types of fabrics is Le Blanc Linen Wash. It's what I use and it also smells great...although Le Blanc contains no whiteners of any kind so if you order white sheets they will have a hard time removing perspiration stains.
Another amazing option which is very gentle on fabrics and will probably save you the $42 a year on detergent costs is to use soap nuts. I do not particularly endorse any one seller, but these guys have good info on the product.
http://www.earthsberriesoapnuts.com/

 

[megalops]

budgy,
How would the Jeneve series compare to the Capri series of sheets. Both are 300TC. The Capris are made in Italy using Giza, while the Jeneves are made in Israel of a long staple cotton. Do these feel similar? I can get the Jeneves for less than $250: http://www.beddingsuperstore.com/i?store=cat&id=3674&sid=34E5BA1XUPY789
I'm just trying to decide if it is worth the extra $$$ for the Capris. Please give me your expert opinion.
Thanks for your help.

 

[ZackG]

Bought LinenSpa Universal Depth 600 threadcount sheets from Amazon when we got our king size mattress in May. They are the most comfortable sheets I've slept on. Current price is $200.

 

[megalops]

megalops wrote:



budgy,

How would the Jeneve series compare to the Capri series of sheets. Both are 300TC. The Capris are made in Italy using Giza, while the Jeneves are made in Israel of a long staple cotton. Do these feel similar? I can get the Jeneves for less than $250: http://www.beddingsuperstore.com/i?store=cat&id=3674&sid=34E5BA1XUPY789
I'm just trying to decide if it is worth the extra $$$ for the Capris. Please give me your expert opinion.
Thanks for your help.

budgy, nevermind. I realized the Jeneves are labeled as "combed cotton", not long staple (although I'm guessing it is). I also realized they are a jacquard. It's amazing what one can find out when going to the mfgr website

. I'll almost certainly be ordering the Capris.
ZackG, thanks for your recommendation. Do you know what country these are made in? Are these the ones you're referring to?: https://www.linenspa.com/Products/600-Thread-Count-Egyptian-Cotton-Sheets/

 

[budgy]

Correct the Jeneve's are most likely some kind of Pima cotton, it would be long staple and good quality, but not authentic egyptian cotton or woven in europe so the cost is reasonable. They are good sheets
I don't want to be negative but I have heard bad things about beddingsuperstore.com I don't think they even have a retail showroom; you can probably get another online dealer that has a retail showroom to match their pricing though.

 

[ZackG]

Just checked... they're made in China - which is probably why they're $200.
megalops wrote:



ZackG, thanks for your recommendation. Do you know what country these are made in? Are these the ones you're referring to?: https://www.linenspa.com/Products/600-Thread-Count-Egyptian-Cotton-Sheets/

 

[megalops]

ZackG wrote:
Just checked... they're made in China - which is probably why they're $200.


Thanks for the response. Being made in China explains a few things, especially the fact they claim to be single ply & 600TC sateen. I don't believe sateen can be woven using single ply at 600TC, but I am certainly no expert. Odds are that these are also not Extra Long Staple Egyptian cotton, and are more likely to be upland cotton grown in Egypt.
I'm glad to hear they are comfortable, but if I'm spending that much on sheets, I want to make sure they're going to last a while. I'm thinking I'd rather pay a little more upfront to know I'm getting high quality.

 

[SallySmiles]

I am looking forward to how the FloBed works out for you.
Sheets, well for my nickel the Coyuchi organic sheets are superb and frankly the basic made in USA organic percales are fabulous (really they wear well and soften so nicely - feels great) I got my basics from HolyLambOrganics.com (though others sell them). They will happily send you a swatch for touch/color test. I'm a bit of a sheet snob (hypersensitive) and frankly have been thoroughly pleased and amazed.

Mattress pad - both HolyLamb and SoaringHeart.com are somewhat local for me (SH offers free shipping and currently has a white sale going) and I absolutely love these companies for a reason. Total information and good stuff. I went for a wool 'puddle pad' /moisture barrier underneath my thick wool fleece topper and Soaring Heart has a wonderful explanation as to why the wool makes sense - just pop to their wool pad page and they tell you.
Wool pads are most effective when used underneath a cotton pad - in short, to your question as to whether you need cotton or wool or both - - get both.
There is a caveat though - no matter if they are washable or not the wool pads do not go in your dryer and that needs to be considered. (Yes indeed, even the St Dormeir says to not put it in the dryer). Why? Well in a dryer the oils in the wool would be stripped and they become useless. So I put a protective cotton cover over my mattress, then the wool pad and my thick wool fleece topper, which has a thick cotton backing. They need air more than soap and water to stay fresh. The wool pad does not move around on our bed at all even though there are no straps or attachement points. For full encasement protection the cotton pad at Soaring Heart is awesome

 

[DoreenA]

Just have to chime in here for the more budget-concious. Less expensive doesn't always mean not as good. I had to quickly buy new sheets after my impulse buy of a thick mattress as my old fitted sheets wouldn't go over it. In haste, I grabbed a set of Springmaid "My Carefree Sheets" just because it says they fit up to an 18" mattress. I figured if I hated them I wasn't out much money and could shop at leisure later for something better.
I've bought many many sheets over the years including very expensive ones, and I couldn't believe how smooth, generous, cool and comfortable these sheets are. They feel absolutely luxurious, wash like a dream and don't shrink or pill. I also love that they're solid colours and no flowers etc. which I dislike. I immediately went out and got 4 more sets and I doubt I'll ever buy anything else.

 

[megalops]

SallySmiles wrote:
I am looking forward to how the FloBed works out for you.
Sheets, well for my nickel the Coyuchi organic sheets are superb and frankly the basic made in USA organic percales are fabulous (really they wear well and soften so nicely - feels great) I got my basics from HolyLambOrganics.com (though others sell them). They will happily send you a swatch for touch/color test. I'm a bit of a sheet snob (hypersensitive) and frankly have been thoroughly pleased and amazed.
Mattress pad - both HolyLamb and SoaringHeart.com are somewhat local for me (SH offers free shipping and currently has a white sale going) and I absolutely love these companies for a reason. Total information and good stuff. I went for a wool 'puddle pad' /moisture barrier underneath my thick wool fleece topper and Soaring Heart has a wonderful explanation as to why the wool makes sense - just pop to their wool pad page and they tell you.
Wool pads are most effective when used underneath a cotton pad - in short, to your question as to whether you need cotton or wool or both - - get both.
There is a caveat though - no matter if they are washable or not the wool pads do not go in your dryer and that needs to be considered. (Yes indeed, even the St Dormeir says to not put it in the dryer). Why? Well in a dryer the oils in the wool would be stripped and they become useless. So I put a protective cotton cover over my mattress, then the wool pad and my thick wool fleece topper, which has a thick cotton backing. They need air more than soap and water to stay fresh. The wool pad does not move around on our bed at all even though there are no straps or attachement points. For full encasement protection the cotton pad at Soaring Heart is awesome
SallySmiles, thanks for your response.
I too am looking forward to my new flobed. Although I already placed my order for it, I won't be taking delivery of it until early February, due to my request.
Regarding Coyuchi, I did get swatches of their 220 percale and their 300 percale. The 300 feels very nice. Unfortunately, their percale fabric is made of cotton sourced and woven in India. The sheets are finished in USA, albeit of imported materials. I'm also a bit concerned about the fact that they don't mention the type of cotton they use which leads me to believe it is upland cotton. These assumptions don't mean they're not quality sheets, just that they seem pricey for what they are. If they were less than $200 a set, I'd seriously consider them. Being close to $300 a set leads me towards the St. Geneve stuff.
Regarding the mattress pad, I've decided to stick with 100% cotton. I'll probably get the one from flobeds, but will check into HolyLamb and SoaringHeart. I received a sample bed kit from flobeds, and am very impressed with the amount of wool sewn into the encasement. I can compress it to about 3/8", but once I release it, it expands to 1.5". Because of this thick layer, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just a cotton protector pad.
One other sheet set I found was these: http://www.daxstores.com/organic-cotton-sateen-sheets-and-pillowcases.html. They also make a 200TC percale. I got swatches of each, but the percale felt a little rough. Their 280 TC sateen was surprisingly nice despite the not so high threadcount, especially after I washed it once. These are made completely in USA. I may consider getting a set of these for my son's bed, just to see how they feel after a few washings.