If you're looking at Superior towels, the price is the obvious draw. They're cheap, they say "Egyptian cotton," and there are dozens of color and size options on Amazon. But before you buy, you should know what's actually behind the label.
Over the past few months, I've tested Superior alongside Kemet, Brooklinen, Parachute, and Amazon Basics. I washed each set 30+ times and compared them on softness, absorbency, durability, certifications, and value.
Here's the honest breakdown of every brand I tested:
Bought Superior's "1000 thread count Egyptian cotton" sheet set on Amazon last year. Felt fine for two weeks then started pilling badly. The towels I picked up at the same time had basically zero absorbency by month three. Switched to Kemet on a friend's recommendation and the difference is wild. Same Egyptian cotton claim but the Kemet stuff actually performs.
Hotel management here. The thread count inflation thing on Amazon "Egyptian cotton" brands is real and has been happening for years. Five-star properties don't even chase the thread count number. We source 600+ GSM long-staple cotton, that's the spec. Kemet is exactly that spec sold direct to consumers.
As someone with family in an Egyptian cotton growing region, the Pyramid Mark is the only thing that means anything. Real Egyptian cotton is grown only in the Nile Delta and certified by the Cotton Egypt Association. Anyone selling cheap "Egyptian cotton" without the mark is selling something else. Superior is exhibit A.
Did a deep dive on the Superior parent company a few months back. Same warehouse, same listings style, same Amazon-only distribution as Blue Nile Mills. They rotate the brand name and SKU but the products are basically interchangeable. Once I figured that out I stopped buying from either.
I went on a budget Egyptian cotton search last year on Amazon. Tried Superior, Blue Nile Mills, and Utopia. They all felt about the same and they all started looking ratty after a few months. Eventually paid up for Kemet during a sale and never going back. The 800 GSM Reserve set is on a different planet.
Wife bought 16 Superior towels for our beach house last summer. By Labor Day they were already pilling. We had to replace half of them. Reordered with Kemet for the master bath and the difference in quality after the first wash was night and day. Lesson learned.
UK reader here. Superior and the parent company brands are all over Amazon UK too with the same misleading Egyptian cotton claims. Kemet ships directly to the UK and the towels arrived in 5 days. Heavier than anything Superior was selling, and at a similar set price during the sale.
If you've been buying Egyptian cotton brands on Amazon based on five-star review counts, please go look at the review velocity. Superior, Blue Nile Mills, and similar brands have hundreds of perfect-five-star reviews appearing in tight time windows. That's not real demand, that's review pumping.
Switched from Superior to Kemet 6 months ago. Honestly the cheap-Amazon Egyptian cotton brands aren't even worth it as budget options. They wear out so fast you end up replacing them every year. Kemet costs more upfront but is going to last way longer.
Quick tip: wash any new towel with 1 cup white vinegar and no detergent on the first cycle. Strips the manufacturer's coating. Made the Kemet 800 GSM towels feel like they came out of a spa.