The sheets worth the money.

Brooklinen's Classic set is 270 thread count percale woven from long staple cotton and certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for chemical safety. That thread count is modest on purpose. A percale in the 200s breathes well and feels like a hotel sheet, which is the point.

The Core set includes a flat sheet, a fitted sheet and two pillowcases. Reviewers note a 365 day trial with free returns and a one year warranty if you keep them, which lowers the risk of buying sheets unseen. The brand runs frequent promotions, so the list price is rarely what people pay.

Skip it if you want something that feels finer in the hand. It is a good, plain percale; it is not a refined one. Owners who move up usually go to Coyuchi or H by Frette.

Coyuchi has made organic bedding in Northern California for decades, and its Refined Percale is the sheet it is best known for. It is woven from long-staple organic cotton, certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard, in a plain percale weave: matte, crisp and cool, the feel of a well-made hotel sheet.

Long-staple fibers matter more than thread count. Longer fibers spin into smoother, stronger yarn, so the fabric pills less and softens with washing instead of wearing thin. The queen set includes a fitted sheet with a deep 15 inch pocket, a flat sheet and two standard pillowcases.

Skip it if you sleep cold and want a warm, silky bed in winter. Percale is a summer sheet at heart; the Boll & Branch or H by Frette sateen below will feel cozier.

Boll & Branch makes this sheet in India from long staple organic cotton and holds the three certifications that matter here: GOTS for the organic fiber, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and Fair Trade Certified for the factory. The sateen weave gives it a slight sheen and a buttery, heavier drape than percale.

The fitted sheet takes mattresses up to 17 inches deep, and the pillowcases have a 6 inch hem. The maker says to wash cold, tumble low or medium, and skip bleach and softener.

Sateen is the warmer fabric, so hot sleepers should look at the percales above. It also tends to pill and show wear sooner, because the long surface floats catch and abrade more than a tight percale.

Frette has supplied bed linen to grand hotels since the nineteenth century, and H by Frette is its line made for hotels and sold direct. The Sateen Classic set is all-white cotton sateen with a soft, slightly glossy hand, the classic hotel bed in a box.

Sateen is woven to put more yarn on the surface, which makes it smoother and warmer than percale, with a gentle sheen. The queen set includes a fitted sheet, a top sheet and two standard pillowcases.

Skip it if you sleep hot, or if you want the embroidered Frette look. H by Frette is plainer and less expensive than Frette's own retail collection, and that is most of its appeal.