Pike Street 725-Gram 100-Percent Egyptian Cotton 6-Piece Towel Set, White

Update: June 2010

Note: In 2006, I gave these towels one-star; when I revised the review in 2010, I wanted to increase the rating to three stars. Apparently, there is a technical problem that is preventing me from making the change. Sorry--it should show three stars!

I bought these towels in February 2006 and almost returned them immediately. When I opened the cellophane package, the towels reeked of something that smelled like insecticide. I washed them all immediately, and after the bad smell was gone, I just loved how they felt. They reminded me of soft, fluffy, oversized hotel towels. In our household, we have used these towels almost daily, and they've received regular washing.

In my original one-year review, I was disappointed that some of the towels were showing signs of inferiority: edges had frayed on some and on others, the soft nap seemed to have disappeared.

But others pieces have remained in pretty good shape. So after over four years, I'm still getting good use from these, and except for my initial displeasure with the packaging noted above, I've been pretty satisfied.

My wife and I really like Egyptian cotton towels. We were excited by Amazon's sale and took a chance. These towels are very soft. A huge plus! Unfortunately they lack absorbency qualities. The towel feels cold as we dry off and the water does not feel like it is being absorbed. Wet and cold is not a good feeling in the morning! We do not use dryer sheets or any type of detergent product that would coat the towels. As for pricing, we did NOT get a super saver discount as promised in Amazon's advertising but were attracted to the initial sale price. All in all, we will not buy this towel again.

These are beautiful, soft towels at a great price. Unfortunately, they lost color in splotches immediately after being used a few times. I washed the towels in warm water with Cheer detergent, and the pale green color had a tinge of orange in places. I have never had this problem with other towels. I was planning to use these as special towels for the guest bathroom, but now they will "hide" in our bathroom, since they are still wonderfully absorbent and nice to touch, but they look awful. I was quite disappointed, but at least they were cheap!

I placed 5 orders at twenty bucks each, for a total of 10 sets of towels (that's ten bucks a set). While the towels seemed soft, I returned them. The problems:

1) TERRIBLE SMELL. The towels had a strong, terrible petro-chemical smell to them. My husband thought it was fertilizer. I washed them several times with detergent using a vinegar rinse. The smell subsided but it was still there.

2) POOR FINISH. The finish, fabric, and edges are not a quality job. There are tufts of fabric in most towels, and loose weaves in the middle. If you pull or snip the thread, you are effectively creating a hole in the towel. (See other reviews reporting holes & shreds after use.)

3) TOO MANY FLAWS. I had 10 sets of towels -- of these, nine bath towels had some flaw that was noticeable after washing & drying. The flaws are initially hard to spot when the towels arrive because they are flat and densely packed. But after wash and inspection, flaws are noticeable. (And I didn't have to look very hard.)

I was left with the impression that the towels are seconds.

They faded which didn't really bother me. What DID bother me is that it's impossible to wash out the smell of the dye. I could smell the dye even when the towels were in a different room than I was in.
Also, they are non-absorbent.
I finally threw the whole set in the garbage.

These towels are beautiful and feel extremely soft as described. The problem is that they aren't very absorbant. They just don't dry my body like other towels do. I thought maybe that would change after a few washings, but no such luck. Theyv'e been through six washings now and still no improvement.

I'm disappointed. I bought four sets but now I find myself reaching for old towels from the back of the linen closet.

Also, be careful washing them. The colors will definitely run in the first two or three washings. Don't wash with other towels (as I did). The old towels will come out the color of your new ones.

I bought the blue color of these towels for our guest bathroom. They would not be used regularly and I thought that I had gotten a great deal. After the first washing, as per the washing instructions, the edges were shredded. I also noticed that there are orange and white splotches on the towels and now attempt to creatively hide all the damage. These are not very soft either, so don't be fooled by the description. I love Amazon but regret this purchase.

To reviewers who said towels are not absorbant: Not just these towels but any cotton towels that are washed with softeners will not absorb water. You'll need to wash them with regular detergent without adding any softeners and they will come out from the dryer very nice, very fluffy and very absorbant.

I got several sets (bluestone) for $19.99 during a one day sale. I could easily paid that amount just for 1 bath towel alone. I'm very pleased with them and will be looking to buy more in the future.

It's like wiping off with polyester instead of cotton. The water stays on the surface and feels really cold. The Bianca towels are much better.

They're ok. I can't say I was impressed. The price, of course, was great, but these towels certainly are not worth the quoted regular price of $130. They had a lot of loose threads and are not particularly absorbant. They feel nice, but you can buy better quality towels at any housewares store that do not cost $130 for a set. I would say they are probably worth their sale price, clearly it is worth it for a 6 towel set, but they are a fairly low quality towel, so don't think you are getting a great deal. I would suggest going to a discount housewares store and finding something there if you are looking for a deal.