Go to a carpet store and check out commercial carpet.

I don't need to look at commercial carpet. I just want a really good carpet that will last long without showing wear, that is soft or at least fairly soft and hopefully easy to get stains out of. I seem to only be finding Shaw, Mohawk, beaulieu and stainmaster near me which from what I'm seeing all are lower end carpets and all seem to have a lot of bad reviews.

I know that the face weight, density and twist level are what to look at to find a good carpet, but even if all of that is good when I look at one, I still see a lot of bad reviews for it.

Seems like Nylon is better than polyester? Anyone know of a good Nylon carpet that is somewhat plush/soft and would wear well?

Anyone have experience with any of those brands?

I can assure you that Shaw is not a low end product. Shaw is one of the leading carpet manufacturers in the nation. Personally, I don't like Mohawk products. Mohawk is found in every outlet and they're horrible with working with store fronts as myself.
What you've heard about plush not being as durable as non plush is hogwash. If you want durability, stay away from polyester fibers. Polyester has the tendency to mat down in high traffic areas. Nylon on the other hand has memory. When vacuumed it will stand back up. As a Shaw dealer I would push you towards their nylon products that have their soft back option (extends the life of your carpet and pad) and their R2X stain protection. In my showroom I have a residential grade frieze carpet that gets very high traffic, is nylon with the soft back and R2X stain protection. The carpet has been installed for 15 years and looks as new as the day it was installed. The more you vacuum your carpet, the better it will be in the long haul. Dirt will cause fibers to mat down faster.

As far as pile height, it's up to you. If you're daughter wants a thick plush pile, go for it. Just make sure it is a nylon fiber. I would not recommend using a pad that has a face weight of over 8lbs. If you choose a thick pile carpet, a 6lb pad will be perfect. The denser the pad, the harder the carpet will feel.

Oh and by the way, the residential carpet in our showroom has been professionally cleaned twice in the last 15 years. Avoid Mohawk and their Smart Strand products.

Cinar Interiors, Inc.,

Thanks for the info! A couple questions.

I've seen a lot of reviews from people complaining about fading or lightened spots all over as soon as a year after being installed. People say when they complain about it, they are told it's pet stains, but some people that complained don't have any pets. I know there are lower and higher quality carpets, so I am wondering if it's lower quality carpet people complain about?

Also, The more plush will look matted or crushed at some point, correct? Are there one or two higher quality carpets you would recommend that are at least somewhat soft with a good density and twist level that will last and look good for a long time and not start to look matted/crushed or fade/discolor?

Thanks, I will take a look at both. Will the longest pile height mat down sooner than the shorter pile? Also, my daughter found a color she may like in the Exploration style. Is that style as good as the other two? My daughter wants a medium gray color which the other two styles don't have.

The products I recommended have a nice dense piles. The shorter piles will mat sooner, depending upon the amount of traffic they get.

I don't have that particular product in my showroom, can you give me the sku number so I can look it up online?

The really plush ones(longest pile) will show matting and look crushed sooner than the medium pile, wouldn't they? Would you happen to know the twist levels of those two? I can't find anything. I've heard anything above 6 is good. The denser, higher twist levels will show less matting(look less crushed) and will look better longer, is that correct?

I don't see a sku number for the one she likes, but the style is Exploration EA701 in the color silver charm.

The EA701 is what I needed. Unfortunately a lot of the companies stopped posting the fiber twist levels on their carpets, not sure why as I have a lot of people ask.
No, the thicker plush piles will not show matting faster than the shorter piles. The thicker piles have a better wear rating than the thinner piles and take longer to mat down.

The products I recommended above would be of a higher quality and denser than the product you mentioned. Both have a face weight around 55-58 oz while the one you mentioned is at just under 44 oz. Don't get me wrong, the product (EA701) is still a very good quality product. In the long haul...15-20 yrs down the road, you'll see matting faster with the product you're looking at before the ones I mentioned. Stick with either a 6lb or 8lb pad.

I will take a look at those two again. Thanks!

I am looking for a different carpet in another room. Can you tell me anything about Shaw Branching Out,style number CCP41? Is that a good carpet?

Yes ma'am, that's a very nice carpet. Low pile pattern with a high wear rating. Most carpets are rated on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Anything that is 4+ is rated for a home with high traffic. This carpet is rated at 4. I have seen this carpet installed and it is very nice looking, sorry no photos. If you choose to use this carpet I will recommend an 8lb pad for a firm step. This carpet has all the same goodies as the others we have talked about, so performance of this product is excellent.

Cinar Interiors, Inc.,

Thanks for all the info! Can you tell me the difference between Magic at Last I, II and IV? I looked at the specs for each one and they all seem to be exactly the same.

The difference will be the density of the product. Level I is usually the lower end of the series while level IV or V (depending upon how many levels a carpet may hold) is the highest, based on density/face weight. The lower, less dense product usually has a lesser wear rating as well.

Do not get that confused with low pile carpets, it only applies to carpets with different levels available in that line. I have plenty of low pile, patterned carpets that are rated 4-5.

Cinar Interiors has great info. Definitely Nylon carpet will wear better and the products he mentioned are great. Regarding cleaning every 18 months. This is standard in the carpet industry in every brand. It is just a standard warranty requirement. Not super realistic and majority of home owners probably do not do this. Warranties are not something you should purchase carpet based on as they have many little nit picky things such as not covering stairs, certain install methods, certain ft from a wall, cleaning requirements, etc.

I asked at the carpet store near me if they had Shaw Magic at Last IV and they said they have it under a different name called Shingle Creek. Would you happen to know if Shingle Creek is the same carpet?

Shingle Creek falls under an alliance program that I am not apart of. I will contact my rep to see if he can tell me. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
Most carpet companies do have other carpets that are the same but with different names, we call them crossover lines.

Looks like you're in the clear, Shingle Creek is a crossover for Magic At Last. It's the same product, different name.

Anyone know anything about Shaw Platinum Texture EA573 or Platinum Texture Tonal EA579?

@kathy6421 Those are great beautiful style by Shaw just different color lines. Nice dense nylons. We have installed it several times and it does very well.

What is the difference between Magic at Last and Sandy Hollow? Would you recommend one over the other?