If you truly want 1000 TC you can get them, but let me quickly explain why thread count doesn’t actually mean anything when it comes to quality. When companies say 1000TC, it’s not a true 1000TC, it’s much more likely a 250TC with 4 ply or a 330TC with 3 ply. Brands that label themselves 600+TC do it because there’s a myth that higher thread count means higher quality, and there’s no universal standard on how to define thread count. This allows them to use tricks. In fact, most brands that show a high thread count are usually low quality. There are some exceptions where even though it says 1000TC, they transparently tell you it’s multi ply and it’s actually high quality. The two best 1000TC sheets would be the Matouk Gatsby and the St. Geneve Regency. What makes these two the best isn’t their thread count, it’s the quality of cotton. Quality of cotton is the one thing you truly need to pay attention to if you want to buy nice sheets. This relates to your other questions about Egyptian, Pima, and supima cotton. If you ever see a product that says 100% Egyptian cotton and that’s all it says, then you have no idea if it’s high quality or low quality. Egypt makes some amazing products but they also make some low quality products. The fact that they only say 100% Egyptian probably means they’re low quality and are just trying to manipulate you into thinking if it says Egyptian then it must be good since they know there are those who believe that. The true way to tell if sheets are good or not is to look at “staple length”. If a product says Extra Long Staple/ELS, that’s generally the best. If a product says Long staple, that’s generally decent. If it doesn’t say anything, it’s probably low quality short staple cotton. Not all Extra Long Staple is created equal, but anything that’s true ELS will be good quality. The best cotton you can buy is Giza 45 cotton. Giza 87 is also another amazing cotton. Sometimes the brand will only say Giza cotton, that’s perfectly fine. Giza is the cotton that made Egypt famous. This can be VERY expensive, $1000+ for a sheet set. Pima cotton is supposed to be ELS that’s grown in America. Supima is a trademarked name that is used by brands to highlight that their product meets the strict standards of the Supima name. Pima is pretty general and some people say that you should only buy Supima to make sure that the Pima you buy is top quality. Supima is generally much cheaper than Giza cotton and it’s also not always clear that the product is actual ELS. If you have an unlimited budget, I’d highly recommend buying Giza cotton from a reputable brand. Supima generally isn’t sold by top tier brands so it’s relatively more of a gamble. What you should do is pretty simple. Stick to brands like Sferra, Frette, Matouk, St. Geneve or schlossberg and buy the best quality cotton you can afford. I’d also recommend buying something that isn’t crazy high TC, it’s probably going to not be as comfortable as the equivalent quality in a 1-2 ply. A 250TC-500TC is probably the sweet spot. Buy a percale weave if you know your friend generally sleeps hot Buy a sateen weave if you know your friend really prioritizes silky softness or likes warmth There is so much fraud in this industry so it’s really important to pick a reputable brand. If these are all too expensive, Macys is probably the best budget set and they advertise 680TC. Just know this is a substantial step down in quality. Good luck! More on reddit.com

They are as long as you get actual Egyptian Cotton. The best way to tell if the cotton is really 'Egyptian Cotton' is the pricetag ;) Primo brands like Sferra, Frette, Pratesi, etc. will usually use true Egyptian Cotton in their products, but again, you have to pay for it. There are different grades of Egyptian Cotton as well, and what you really want is extra-long staple one-ply Egyptian Cotton since that is usually the best quality. Giza Cotton is the highest grade of Egyptian Cotton you can get and usually for a 'good' set you'll have to pay at least $1000 for it. Anything less than that is not true Giza Cotton (or it's a shittier version of it and not good quality). If you want really good Egyptian Cotton sheets you'll more than likely be spending at least $500 for a King set, to start. Anything less than that would be considered 'mid-tier' and is, as it is so-named, mid-tier and not anything spectacular. Don't get me wrong, mid-tier is not bad and can be pretty good sheets for the price, but there's something to be said for using high-quality Egyptian Cotton sheets that are crafted by master craftsmen (usually that is sheets made in Italy or Portugal). That's why the best sheet sets you can get are ones that are made in Italy (the best), or Portugal (a close second, but still not as good); US-woven brands sadly don't compare and the loss of the manufacturing base in the US has meant that the art of linens have been mostly lost to time thanks to outsourcing. Italy and Portugal, on the other hand, haven't had that issue and still retain their centuries-long mastery of the craft and it definitely shows. If you get an opportunity to feel some swatches from brands like Sferra or Frette then their Giza Cotton offerings are definitely not to be overlooked (it's absolutely wonderful, especially the sateen offerings). I had the pleasure of feeling Sferra's entire line at my local specialty linen shop via its swatches and I gotta say... their Giza Cotton swatch (and the Milos line, too) were buttery-soft and I can't unfeel them now :( But, from my experience, yes: they're worth it. But you'll be crying buckets of tears from buying really good quality ones since they're so damn expensive. I had to compromise and get Peacock Alley's Soprano sheets since they were the cheapest 'primo' brand/model I could get for the price with decent quality extra-long staple Egyptian Cotton (made in Portugal). I adore them and don't regret it, but if I could have, I'd have gotten Sferra's Giza 45 sateen weave sheets :( More on reddit.com