I have been using LL Bean's percale sheets for twenty years. First, made in France, then Portugal, now China. Asked for these as a Christmas gift. They are scratchy and rough. Really nothing like the old LL Bean percale linens. Company should state where made (used to when it was Europe).
I ordered a set of the plain white 280-Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Sheets for my new king-size bed and find them to be outstanding in every way. The have a nice medium weight, lovely quality thread and weave, excellent hemming/finishing and, last but not least, that wonderful crisp, cool feel of a perfect percale. For what it's worth, I'm a very choosy, hem-inspecting, textile snob with high standards and these exceed my expectations, especially at the price point. The only thing that would make them better is if they were made in the USA!
That said, I am completely puzzled by the negative reviews. The only explanations I can come up with are that 1.) there have been occasional quality control issues and/or 2.) some people simply don't understand the difference between percale and sateen sheets. If you are concerned about the former, don't hesitate to order these sheets - on the off-chance there's an issue, Bean has a 100% guarantee (what do you have to lose?)! As for the latter, these are outstanding basic percale sheets of excellent quality and I have not found better; if you want the feel of 340-thread-count sateen (or jersey or flannel), well then don't buy percale and then blame it for not being sateen.
They are scratchy and for some reason absorb oil from your skin and it doesn't wash out! I have never had pillowcases like this before. We've had them a couple of months, and I've washed them a whole bunch of times, and they look horrible.
After careful studying of the 280 Thread Count Pima Cotton Percale(???) sheets, I decided to buy a complete king size set of sheets. Trusting LLBean's outstanding quality merchandise, the price was justifiable. These sheets are the roughest fabric and very uncomfortable. Trying ever thing to soften the material, and finally giving up on that, this review might keep another customer from purchasing these sheets. My one star rating is only for the lovely color of Lake. No longer have invoice or packaging materials, so returning is too late. Look elsewhere if you are looking for soft percale sheets!
