A 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheet set for about a hundred dollars is a genuinely tempting number, and Egyptian Linens has built a real business on it. The company has been selling bedding online since 1998, it holds a BBB A+ rating, and it shows roughly 13,000 reviews at 4.5 out of 5 on its own store. So let me say up front: this is not a scam, and this review is not going to pretend it is. The honest question with a $100 Egyptian cotton sheet is not "is it fake," it is "what do you give up to hit that price." That is what I set out to answer.
Over the past few months I compared the Egyptian Linens core sateen set against Kemet, Parachute, Mayfair Linen and Amazon Basics, weighing thread count, weave, who actually makes the sheets, price, and how each one holds up after roughly thirty washes. If you just want the field ranked, you can also see where they all land in our full best Egyptian cotton sheets guide.
Here's the honest breakdown of every brand I compared:
Ordered the 600 count set for about $100 and honestly my first set was lovely, soft and cool. So I bought a second one for the guest room a year later and it felt completely different, thinner and a bit scratchy. Same product page, two different experiences. This review finally explained why: they're an importer, not a mill, so you're at the mercy of whatever batch you get. Wish I'd understood that before the second order.
This is exactly what happened to me too. The batch lottery is real. My first set is still going strong, the replacement pilled within two washes.
Textile buyer here. The importer versus mill point is the whole ballgame and almost nobody explains it. When a reseller sources finished sheets, they're chasing a price, so the supplier can quietly swap in a shorter staple or a lighter weight between production runs and the label never changes. A mill that weaves its own cloth has no one to blame and nothing to swap, which is why the quality stays put. Egyptian Linens is a real company, but that's the structural reason the reviews are all over the place.
This should be pinned. I always assumed a brand name meant a brand factory. Turns out half of these bedding "brands" are just importers putting a label on someone else's product.
I'll be the positive voice here because I think it's fair. I paid $100 for the Egyptian Linens 600 count in white and it's been on my bed for eight months with zero complaints. Soft enough, cool enough, seams intact. For the money I genuinely can't be mad. I do agree with the review that if you want a guarantee of the same thing every time, that's not what a hundred-dollar importer sheet promises, but mine has been great.
Been on a sheet journey this year. Tried Egyptian Linens (fine at first, pilled by month two), almost bought the Mayfair Linen set until I saw it was basically the same importer story, and skipped Parachute because $279 for undisclosed "imported" felt silly. Landed on Kemet. More expensive than the $100 ones, yes, but it actually got softer after washing instead of falling apart, and I know where it was made. First sheet I've bought where I didn't feel like I was gambling.
This is my exact dilemma. Is the jump from $100 to $180 actually worth it, or am I just paying for marketing? Genuinely asking.
Fair question. For me it wasn't marketing, it was not wanting to replace sheets every year. My $100 set needed replacing inside twelve months, so a set at $180 that's still going strong is already cheaper per year. If you get a good batch from the cheaper one you'll be happy, I just didn't want to roll the dice again.
The thing that made me nervous was the 1000 thread count set they sell right next to the 600. If the 600 is your good product, why is there a "better" 1000 for barely more money? This review answered it: it's multi-ply counting, not a better sheet. Once you know that trick you start seeing it everywhere in budget bedding.
One heads-up for anyone ordering the cheaper sets: mine took nearly three weeks to arrive and the tracking barely updated. Not the end of the world for the price, but if you need sheets this week, budget for slow shipping. Kemet shipped to the UK in about a week for me with no drama, which was a pleasant surprise after the wait last time.
Can confirm the slow shipping. Took 16 days for mine. The sheets were okay in the end but the wait was rough.
Appreciate that this didn't just scream "scam" for clicks. Egyptian Linens has been around since the 90s and clearly a lot of people are happy. The honest framing is the right one: it's not fake, you're just trading the certainty of a mill for a lower price. That's a real choice and different people will make it differently. I went mill-direct, my sister went budget and loves hers. Both valid.
The stitching is what got me. My set looked and felt fine for the first month, then a seam on the fitted sheet let go and the elastic corner followed. For $100 I didn't fight it, just retired them. Replaced with a Kemet set and the construction is visibly heavier, the seams are doubled over. You can feel where the extra money went, it's in the parts you don't photograph.
Quick tip for any new cotton sheets regardless of brand: first wash cold with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent, then line dry or tumble low. It strips the factory sizing so you feel the real fabric, not the finish. Did it with both an Egyptian Linens set and a Kemet set. It helped the cheaper one a bit, but the difference in the actual cotton was still obvious once the coating was gone.
The vinegar wash is such an underrated trick. Made my Kemet set even softer. Confirmed it can't turn a thin sheet into a thick one though, the fibre is the fibre.
Emily, thank you for a review that respects the reader's budget instead of just pushing the expensive pick. I genuinely can't spend $180 right now, and it's helpful to know the $100 set is a real product with a real trade-off rather than a con. I ordered a white set with eyes open, and if I love it I'll upgrade to the mill-made one for the master bedroom later. Knowing what I'm actually buying is the whole thing.
That's a smart plan. Start with the budget set, and if it holds up you saved money, if it doesn't you already know where to go next. No wrong move.