I am sorry, but this is not pima percale. I am not sure what I was sent, but this is not pima percale. Not sure if the company relies on the high independent ratings on these bed sets and just did a switch on the product quality in mid flight. This is what is called bad business, LL Bean!
I am on the second set of these sheets, and I will be returning them. I originally got the Light Blue color (no longer offered) and returned them for fading. I now have the vintage green and they are also fading. Weirdly, the pillowcases end up with what appear to be oil stains on them even after one or two nights, which looks disgusting and is baffling to me since my husband and I both exercise after work and so have always taken a shower shortly before bed. I have never had this happen with any other sheets before!
Additionally, I ordered an extra set of pillowcases (so I could wash them more often) and the second set is noticeably rougher than the original set of sheets. Very disappointed!
I have purchased these sheets a few times in the past year, hoping each time that the quality has improved, and I have been disappointed every time. I agree with the reviewers who have said these feel slippery. In fact, I thought they felt somewhat like nylon, even after laundering. They aren't crisp, smooth, or "stiff" like traditional percale, though they are soft in a slippery, flexible sort of way.
I have some of these LLBean percale sheets from many years ago which I was hoping to replace. The new sheets feel nothing like the old ones or like any percale I've ever known, so I actually looked at them under a low-powered microscope! The new sheets have a different weave. The old sheets are standard percale weave: single-strand warp and weft. The new ones are more like a basketweave: single-strand warp and double-strand weft. I don't know how that might account for the slippery feel; perhaps that's just due to a lower-quality cotton on this batch? But the weave is definitely not a traditional percale, and it's noticeable in the hand of the fabric.
Additionally, the color is way off. As other reviewers have mentioned, Mid-Blue is nothing like the rich blue depicted; it's much more pale, not quite "slate" but more of a "country blue," more in the range of the "Blue Periwinkle" of the Ultra-Absorbent towels, but not as bright and with a slightly more greyish cast.
Please, LLBean, bring back the wonderful *real* percale sheets you used to carry!
This is one of the most beautiful patterns I've ever seen, and I have mixed it up with some Indian block print sheets I have, as well as some of the other LL Bean blue and white sheets and pillowcases. I am so happy with these.
