We tested Kohl’s ultra popular and cheap bath towels to see if you get what you pay for
Are these lightweight towels worth it?
Credit:
Reviewed / Felicity Warner
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When it comes to buying the right bath towels for your home, it can feel like a game of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This one is too large, that one is too rough. So, how do you figure out which one is just right?
A fan-favorite towel here at Reviewed is the Kohl’s The Big One Bath Towel. It claims to be everything you’d want in a towel—highly absorbent, perfectly oversized, wrinkle-free, and made from sustainably-sourced, chemical-free materials. Available in 15 solid colors and two striped shades, the towels also claim to be reversible, giving you more options for bathtime use and beyond.
We tested out both The Big One Solid towels and The Big One striped and reversible towels ourselves to see if they lived up to the hype. And the results? We liked them, but with a few exceptions. Here’s what we like (and don’t like) about the popular Kohl’s towels.
What we like
They’re lightweight and quick-drying
Unlike thicker bath towels, The Big One towels really didn't take too long to dry after use.
Personally, I gravitate toward heavier, plush bath towels when I’m in the market for new ones. But, The Big One bath towel may have changed my preference. I love how the material remained just as lightweight even after using it to dry off. And, despite how lightweight the material is, I didn’t feel like I was compromising absorbency. These towels work just as they should in getting me dry after a shower.
After getting damp from my use, the towels dried out fairly quickly—much faster than a typical plush material, which makes it easy to throw it in my laundry basket at the end of the day rather than wait all night for it to dry.
And because they dry particularly quickly, these lightweight towels will be great for vacations, beach trips, or camping.
They’re sustainably-made
The Big One solid bath towels have a Made In Green by Oeko-Tex label, which verifies that the materials have been tested and are free of any harmful substances. It also means that the product has been manufactured in environmentally-friendly facilities that ensure safe and socially responsible work practices.
Similarly, The Big One striped towels are certified Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex, verifying the material is free from harmful substances—more than 300 to be exact—and is completely harmless to humans.
The cotton used to create all The Big One towels is part of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a global not-for-profit organization that aims to develop more sustainable cotton practices across industries.
Their prices are right
These towels originally sell anywhere from $5.99 to $9.99, which is a great price in itself, but in true Kohl’s fashion, you can get them for a great deal right now starting at $2.49 per towel. This is quite a good value, especially if you’re stocking up on multiple towels for yourself or the family.
What we don’t like
The towels don’t keep their original softness
Although the Kohl’s The Big One towels didn’t feel as fluffy as the plush style of towel I usually gravitate towards, they definitely had a soft texture to them.
However, after one wash, the towels—especially the striped towel—didn’t quite maintain their original soft feels, even though I washed them according to their care instructions. I suppose this is to be expected with many fabrics after multiple washes, but I was disappointed the material began to feel a little stiff for my first post-wash use.
The solid towel did feel a little softer, both before and after the first wash, perhaps due to a different kind of cotton construction. If you wanted to choose one over the other for the softness factor, go for The Big One Solid towel.
The Big One isn’t as big as expected
For a name such as The Big One, I was expecting an oversized towel. However, the sizes of these two Kohl’s towels were pretty similar to the rest of the towels I already own.
The Big One striped towel measures 54 inches long and 27 inches wide, which is pretty standard for a bath towel when compared to other brands. The Big One Solid towel was a little wider—54 inches long and 30 inches wide—but still looked on par with my other bath towels.
Don’t get me wrong—I love the size of these towels. Anything bigger might actually be unnecessary in terms of excess fabric. I was able to wrap the towel around my body with ease and could easily dry myself off without soaking up the towel.
This being said, if you really want an oversized towel, perhaps look elsewhere.
The quality isn’t the best you’ll find
You'll notice the material starting to fray and come apart—and that's only after one wash following the care instructions.
The Big One towels are a great value. With this in mind, these towels are not the best quality I’ve ever experienced.
The Big One striped towel claims to be reversible, but it just doesn’t seem that way to me—it has the same pattern and colors on both sides. After washing this towel once, there was noticeable fraying of the cotton material—both along the edge of the towel and in the towel material itself.
The Big One solid bath towel didn't fray as bad as the striped one, but there was still some subtle fraying by the stitching on the edge of the towel.
The Big One solid towel also has a little fraying on the edge, but nothing as noticeable or concerning as the striped one. I can see how this fraying may become a problem over time, and I think that a few more washes may really start to take its toll, especially if you’ve got a top-load washer with an agitator pole, which are notoriously tough on clothes.
Should you buy the Kohl’s The Big One towels?
The Big One bath towels are great for when you need a quick-drying towel—and you really can't beat the price.
For the price, yes. If you’re on the fence, consider buying just one for that super low price of $2.49 to test it out yourself—they’re a nice, inexpensive option that’ll look nice for a spare bathroom. Even if you prefer a thicker, fluffier towel, you should also have a few lightweight towels in your arsenal for travel, outings, and a quick-drying option for the home.
However, if you’ve got a wedding coming up, I don’t recommend adding them to your registry. The quality isn’t my favorite and if you were in the market for some nice bath towels, I’d recommend you something else.
My biggest tip is to go for The Big One solid bath towels over the striped ones—they feel a little more heavy-duty (yet still lightweight), maintain a softer feel after washing, and seem to be less likely to fray as quickly.
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