"Thread Count" is no longer an indicator of quality, nor is "Egyptian Cotton". Scumbags have flooded, diluted then poisoned the market with "1200 Threadcount Egyptian Cotton Sheets ' sold in parking lots across the world.

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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

Honestly I get mine used from estate sales and yard sales. If the home belongs to an elderly person they usually have a good stash of sheets nicer than anything available for sale now. Hot water wash with disinfectant and you’re golden. More on reddit.com

Here is the ultimate advice when it comes to sheets. Stay away from bamboo or silk and especially stay away from polyester. In general, try to stay away from anything synthetic. Linen can be good but I personally hate the feel as do most. It’s usually not soft at all when you first get it and takes a long time. Go with 100% high quality cotton and get a Percale weave if you prioritize breathability or a Sateen weave If you prefer a soft and silky feel. Both are great, percale can still be soft and sateen can still breathe. Everything’s relative. You may be asking what is a high quality cotton? It’s anything classified as being long or extra long staple cotton. The best cottons in the world include Giza 45 or Sea Island cotton. They’re also extremely expensive. My pillowcases made of Giza 45 Luxe from Sferra cost $400 each. That’s their top range and is obviously not practical or necessary in order to have a comfortable sleep. Buy the most expensive sheets you can afford. You’ll be happy you did. MOST IMPORTANT rule about sheets are the quality of the material and to find that, you need to shop at trusted brands. If you’re willing to spend on something good, go for the brands Frette, Sferra, Letto, Schlossberg, St. Genève or Matouk. The more you spend the better it’ll be. They all have entry level sheets that are still great compared to 99% of what’s out there. Don’t worry about thread count as most companies artificially inflate the number using a variety of methods. More on reddit.com