This six-piece Birch Lane bath towel set at Wayfair has more than 3,800 glowing five-star ratings from shoppers, and it’s worth snagging while it’s more than half off in a slew of colors.

Towel choice is intensely subjective — for every full-throated waffle obsessive, there are plenty willing to argue the merits of a flat-weave Turkish set. Still, there are a few characteristics ...