Anyone who has shopped around for sheets has probably at some point heard about L.L. Bean's cotton percale sheets. If you're looking for something reputable that will last a long time and prefer the percale weave for their crisp, cool feel, chances are you've seen tons of articles online praising L.L. Bean's set. I think even Wirecutter has consistently voted them at the top!

I've always been on the Bean train. I grew up with their sheets. My whole household had them. My mother has a neck injury, so making her queen sized bed was part of my regular chores growing up, and each of our sheet sets were easily 10+ years old, in great condition, and buttery soft.

That said, I'm pretty dang familiar with these sheets, so when I moved out in 2017 I budgeted for my own set. In fact, aside from my mattress, I think my two sheet sets (I rotate each week) were my biggest splurge. But I figured it was an investment and swallowed the $298 + tax cost.

It's pretty typical for cotton percale sheets to take some time (and washings) to "break in" and soften up, so that was expected. What I didn't expect was for the stitching to start fraying and holes to show up on my top sheet early 2020. I reevaluated my washing habits (I follow the instructions on the tag), my laundry detergent, and even tried to mend the damage in a few spots. But the damage started to snowball and spread to everything - my fitted sheets began to spontaneously split, every pillowcase was fraying, and my poor top sheets developed huge rips. Every single piece in both sets had some form of damage.

The damage was getting worse and worse, and there was no way for me to keep up. It didn't matter how delicate I handled them, it was like a runaway train. There are no rambunctious pets in our household hanging out on the bed to cause the damage, our washer and dryer are pretty new and energy efficient, No buttons or snaps or zippers on our pajamas, and no decorations or anything around the bed that could be causing damage.

I tried reaching out directly to L.L. Bean's customer support. "Luckily" for me, the sheets were purchased before February 2018, which is when Bean effectively neutered their lifetime guarantee down to one year. The representative on the phone didn't even bring this up until I mentioned it, and let her know it's still in the fine print on her site. But she insisted the only way they could do anything was to physically bring the sheets into the store. During a pandemic. I'm heavily pregnant and immunocompromised, but she refused to budge on that.

So here I am, my sheets are falling apart more each day, and I'm at a loss. What do I buy now? If I purchase the exact same set again from L.L. Bean, not only would I be taking a gamble this might happen again (and next time around, I wouldn't have any sort of protection beyond one year), but the price has jumped by another $60. I am not comfortable shouldering that risk and paying extra for something that should've lasted many more years.

TL;DR - What are some other quality cotton percale sheets I can invest in that will last longer than 3-4 years?

A few sad highlight photos of my sheets: https://imgur.com/a/VOeSjtp

My wife and I got some new sheets for our wedding, and originally was going to get two sets of LL Bean until we saw the price of the Costco sheets, so we decided to get one of each and compare. Our goal was a good set that would feel soft and cozy, breathable/cooling, and would last us a while. Here's our current thoughts 6 months into rotating between the two sets:

LL Bean ($150ish): 280 Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Sheet Set

Costco ($70): Kirkland Signature 680 Thread Count Set

Cooling: The LL Bean sheets were by far a lot cooler than the Kirkland sheets, but the Kirkland sheets were "cool enough". I prefer the LL Bean coolness, my wife prefers the Kirkland sheets. Both sheets were cooler than most other cheap sets we've both had in the past. Both warm up over time as you would expect for a sheet without overheating myself. For me, LL Bean takes the win.

Softness: The Kirkland overall felt like it has been consistently softer than the LL Bean, but the LL Bean is still incredibly comfy. Edge goes to Kirkland, but neither were disappointing!

Durability: Honestly, both feel very durable so far. They both follow same routine care, neither have tears or lasting stains. Tie

Other Information: This could have been in durability, but I think it was better to discuss separately. The Kirkland has a pretty thickly reinforced edging on the fitted sheet, and I'm very curious on how well this will hold up over time. Neither LL Bean nor Kirkland feel like the edges are going to rip anytime soon, and they both have enough room for decently thick mattress toppers, but I really enjoy just how beefed up the edges are for the Kirkland sheet.

LL Bean also has multiple color options that Kirkland does not, so if you are concerned about diversifying colors, LL Bean wins that one. We got a navy Kirkland set and the Lake Blue LL Bean set (we would have gone mid-blue if we planned to get the Kirkland set).

Personal Verdict: Both are great 6 months into use and fulfill their purposes wonderfully. The price difference is pretty hefty, so unless you need the coolest-feeling sheets out there the Kirkland ones are no issue for myself. As long as they both hold up for the next few years, we will most likely get the Kirkland ones again over the LL Bean due to the price effectiveness. This is only for comparing cotton sheets with a primary focus on cooling and durability, so feel free to discuss!

tl;dr both are cooling, comfortable, and durable. Kirkland is better price to performance, but LL Bean has more colors and is more cooling.

Yes I know that these will probably break in somewhat with time, but the color rather than a gray is an off white and the sheets already have all sorts of lint sticking to them and a slightly scratchy feel. The sheets also are thin enough that I can see the patterns on my mattress through them due to how light the color of the sheets are. They also seem slightly too large for my Full Sized Bed.

Is this really how they're supposed to be? Do they improve so drastically over time?

Does anyone have experience with either of these sheet sets? They both seem highly rated, but I’ve heard the LL Bean set is better for hot sleepers. It’s quite expensive for a sheet set, but I am willing to pay the price if they are significantly cooler, and durable compared to the Kirkland Signature set.

Has anyone bought these very recently? I’ve read so many reviews and all say they are great but they do not feel like percale at all. Is this normal? It’s very much like a sateen but I’m hoping maybe after some washes it will turn more mat. Regardless I’ve tried Brooklinen and company store both of which felt like sandpaper even after 5 washes and a month of sleeping on them. I’m hoping these ll bean will somehow turn into that percale feeling I want after multiple washes but it’s so strange. Any comments on this or percale recommendations that don’t feel like sandpaper?

Im trying to get a good quality fitted bed sheet and a couple bath towels. For the sheet Im thinking the 280tc pima cotton percale one they sell. Then for the towels Im really not sure between their Premium cotton towel for $35 and their Organic Textured Cotton Towel for $25. Im wondering what the difference is in durability and absorbancy is between the two. Also which is softer is good to know, although softness isnt a priority with bath towels as Ive found that rougher towels do a better job. Maybe that's just because Im used to lower quality towels though.

Im also open to any other suggestions for high quality towels or a fitted sheet. Im usually lean towards the highest quality I can get at a reasonable price, I dont like paying a premium for brand and think maybe Im doing that getting them through LL bean.