The idea of “performance” bedding items may seem strange, but is it truly possible to bring gym-clothing quality to the bedroom? Sheex’s Performance sheets the new bedroom hype, as they are all about quality, durability, and the best cooling properties a sleeper can hope for.
The first thing that pops up when you take a glance at these sheets is the price. We’ve seen sheets way more expensive than these, and which didn’t really promise much. So, is it truly possible for average-priced sheets to deliver this kind of quality?
Who Is Sheex?
Founded back in 2007, Sheex is a company created by two former basketball coaches from the University of South Carolina. Being fully connected to the sports world gave them a better understanding of what athletes need in terms of clothing quality and performance.
Then, a simple idea popped in mind: what if the properties of sports clothing could be transferred into one’s bedroom so that the sleeper can enjoy the same level of comfort as athletes. Sheex was born as a brand meant to create functional sleepwear and bedding items. By creating bedding products made from moisture-wicking and breathable fabrics, Sheex became a pioneer in the industry.
But did they truly live up to that promise? The fabric they’ve created uses evaporative cooling technology in order to keep the material and the skin cooler. With moisture-wicking properties and temperature regulation, Sheex fabrics are considered to be 50 percent better at providing thermal comfort for sleepers compared to traditional cotton.
Sheex doesn’t just sell bed sheets: they’ve created an entire line of bedding-related items that range from sleepwear to mattresses, but also include pillows and pillowcases, bed toppers, and even comforters.
Pros
- Breathable and temperature-regulating material.
- Soft and smooth to the touch.
- Perfect fit for fitted sheet and pillowcases.
- Available in all standard bed sizes.
- Available in nine different color options.
- 30 days money back guarantee.
- Color resistant to wash.
- Durable, no loose threads.
Cons
- Not the cheapest option.
- Little shrinkage after initial wash.
Features & Benefits
Now that we’ve gone through the company’s story and got a clear overview of what they promise to deliver, let’s see if their Performance sheets actually live up to the hype.
Available Sizes & Colors
Everyone looking to buy a new set of bed sheets should first know if their favorite options are available in the appropriate size. The Performance sheets sold by Sheex can be found in:
- Twin size, which includes one flat and one fitted sheets, plus a standard pillowcase.
- Twin XL, with the same package contents as above.
- Full size, which includes one fitted and one flat sheet, plus two standard pillowcases.
- Queen size, with the same package contents as the Full option.
- King size, offering one flat and one fitted sheet, plus two King pillowcases.
- Cal King, with a package identical to the King size.
Color options are always a nice thing to have because not everyone is a fan of pure white sheets (especially those that like to eat Cheetos and chocolate in bed). Aside from the bright white option, the Sheex Performance set is also available in black, graphite, navy, Carolina blue, pearl blue, khaki, ecru, and simple white.
Materials
The Performance sheet set is made from a combination of 87 percent polyester, and 13 percent spandex. The combination of fabrics blended not only creates a breathable sheet set, but also one that’s very stretchy and will fit perfectly across your mattress. The fitted sheet is equipped with an elastic band and, combined with a naturally stretchable fabric, makes it very easy for you to fit the sheet snuggly over and under the mattress.
Color Resistance
When you spend money on quality bed sheets, you expect the color to be resistant and maintain its shine throughout many washes. In order to test the color performance of this sheet set, the pillowcase was dipped in hot water and left there to soak the entire liquid.
Then, after having rung out excess water, the pillowcase was placed on top of a paper towel bed and pressed with a kitchen rolling pin. The color of the Performance sheets was not transferred onto the paper towels, which is what would normally happen with a low-quality set of sheets. That normally happens because a lot of cheap bed sheets use low-quality dyes, which are easily transferred not just during washes, but also when coming in contact with your skin. These dyes are toxic, dirty, and completely unacceptable when dealing with hundreds of dollars’ worth of sheets.
Durability Expectations
With great price, comes great responsibility, and it’s Sheex’s job to deliver not just a comfortable set of sheets, but also one that’s durable, or else the price is not entirely justified. There are three main factors that can compromise the durability of a bed sheet: shrinkage, man-made damage, and wear and tear.
Shrinkage is amongst the most common complaint registered amongst customers that talk about the durability of such a product. When dealing with low-quality sheets, there are chances of the products visibly shrinking even after a single wash. Can the Performance sheets overcome such a situation?
The shrinkage tests performed on these sheets was done with before/after measurements to serve as a comparison. Such a test implies putting the bed sheet through a wash/dry cycle. Just as the manufacturer instructs. When comparing the freshly-cleaned Performance sheets with their out-of-the-box measurements, the pillowcase had shrunk with about 1.2 percent, while the flat sheet was 1.4 percent smaller.
While to some they may sound alarming, the figures are actually good, as there won’t be any more gradual shrinking with every other wash and dry cycle. The Performance sheets manage to maintain their almost-original sizing despite many cleaning processes.
As far as the damage test it concerned, this analyzes how well the sheets compare to their original state in terms of loose threads or thinning. The Sheex Performance bed sheet set managed to stay in optimal condition after many washes, without any loose thread or thin spots on the surface of the sheets.
Feel
Feel is used to describe the comfort and sensation that one has as the sheets come in contact with the skin. Considering their price range and all the hype that’s been surrounding them, our expectations going into feel tests was pretty high.
Since we’re talking about sheets that mimic athletic clothing quality, it’s only natural to hope for the best. I, for one, have never been a fan of polyester as far as clothing is concerned. I expected the sheets to have a rougher feel to them.
However, as peculiar as this polyester/spandex combination may found in terms of bed sheets, the result is a silky smooth fabric surface. As you brush your fingers on the fabric, it almost feels like the skin is sliding off, leaving a pleasant cooling sensation on your fingertips.
But no matter how luxurious and soft they feel, if you’ve used cotton sheets your entire life, there are chances of you not like this material. Not because it’s bad, but just because it’s different. We recommend giving these sheets a 30-night trial run, you might actually grow very fond of them.
Breathability
One of the major advantages of using clothing apparel designed specifically for athletes is the fact that the skin’s breathability is one of the main focus points. Naturally, one can only assume that this feature was also important for Sheex when designing the performance set.
As you test the sheets yourself, you will notice that they are really good at keeping the skin cool. That’s because the combination of spandex and polyester keeps the surface of the fabric cool, and doesn’t trap heat underneath it. This is a great feature for those who suffer from night sweats. If you wrap up your body in the Performance set, you’ll notice how airflow passes through the surface, leaving your skin within normal temperature parameters. If you’ve ever heard of the Nike Dri Fit Line, it means you are familiar with the high-quality athletic clothing they design and sell.
The Performance sheet set is very similar in terms of material with the ones used to make Nike’s performance clothing, which means that it combines great moisture-wicking abilities with temperature regulation.
Shipping & Delivery
The Performance sheet set is subject to the same shipping and delivery rules that apply across all of Sheex’s online-sold products. They offer standard free shipping for all orders that exceed $150, but only on the US territory.
The company strongly advises its buyers to refuse any packages that may arrive damaged. Once you’ve placed your order, you can log into your customer account and check the status of your order. All order information will also be sent to your email address, including the tracking information for your package.
Also, keep in mind that you have a 30-day window to return the products if you’re not happy with the product.
Who Are They For?
Now that we’ve gone through the most important information regarding what you can expect from this Performance sheet, let’s reviews their main benefits so that we may determine who they’re best suited for:
- If you’re the type of sleeper that often has trouble with high temperatures (despite the fact that our body’s temperature drops when we fall asleep), the problem may be either with your mattress, or your bed sheets. The Performance sheet set combines polyester and spandex, to mimic athlete clothing that’s known for breathability and temperature regulation so that you can feel cool at night.
- Those of you that are tired of spending money on sheets that shrink and lose their color after just a couple of washes are absolutely going to love the Performance set. Color tests have shown that the sheets are very resistant, with shades that won’t fade away that easily. Also, if you’ve ever woken up on a fresh set of bed sheets and notices that their colors have rubbed onto your skin, that’s definitely a sign that you need to steer clear from bedding items dipped in toxic dyes, and go for something like the Performance set.
- The feel of the sheets it quite unique, but if you really had to compare them to something, silk would be the closest choice. But make no mistake, the Performance sheets have a very different feel to them. They have the softness of cotton, combined with the coolness of silk. They are unlike other sheets you’ve used in the past, so if you’re ready to transition from your old cotton sheets to a new feel, we totally recommend giving the Performance set a go.
Customer Opinions
Word-of-mouth advertising has always been the best kind of free publicity, and also the most accurate one. As customers, we tend to trust the shopping experiences and opinions of friends, family, or other buyers just like us. So, what do other shoppers have to say about their Sheex-related experience?
Feel
Almost every review that talks about the feel of the Performance set have given credit where credit is due. In the past, we’ve reviewed our fair share of sheets that felt different and saw that a lot of people just couldn’t transition from cotton to something that feels odd.
With the Performance sheets, that doesn’t seem to be the case. While really dry skin may catch on the silky fabric, everyone else will have no trouble with how smooth the sheets feel. Most of the customers that praised the feel of this set have ordered a second one.
Breathability
The cooling factor is one of the key selling points for the entire Sheex line of products. As far as the Performance sheet is concerned, customers can vouch for this property. A lot of people have claimed that the brand stays true to its promise and delivers accordingly. What could be better advertising than reviews that say “we sleep better than ever”?
Resistance
There is no doubt about the fact that the Performance sheets are made to last. Customers that have used these sheets for months claimed that they were able to wash them over and over again, without experiencing a single thread coming loose.
Even with the minimal initial shrinkage, people haven’t experienced any problems to get the fitted sheet and the pillowcases to fit like they’re supposed to, and wear and tear is kept to a minimum despite the repeated washing.
Fit
We came across a couple of negative reviews in terms of the sheets not being breathable enough for some people. There will always be situations like these with any type of product, but it’s important to compare the number of positive and negative reviews and, in this case, the positives outshine.
Even people that weren’t happy with the breathability feature of the Performance set said that in terms of feel and fit, the sheets were perfect. They fit snugly over the mattress when ordered in the right size, and the pillowcases are also a perfect fit. It’s refreshing to see that fitted sheets can actually be made to fit over the mattress and stay there!
Style
Oddly enough, the style of the sheets is probably the feature that got the most complaints… but not the one you’d expect. People are so happy with the performance of this sheet set, they wish they had more color options.
However, the colors available are quite varied compared to similarly priced sets from other brands. It seems that customers would like more lively colors, like red or peach.
You may want to read: Sheex Performance Cooling Duvet Cover
Bottom Line
The hype is real, and the Sheex Performance sheets have lived up to our expectations. They are different in feel compared to the traditional cotton sheets that most people are used to, so getting used to this type of fabric can be tricky at first.
Since they aren’t made from cotton, their durability can’t be measured by a thread count, and this is something that can leave a lot of potential buyers skeptical at first. Rest assured that both durability tests and customer experienced have proven that this is not a low-quality option.